🧹 How to Deep Clean and Optimize Your Mac Using Mole
If your Mac is running out of space, heating up, or just feeling sluggish, it's time for a cleanup. Meet Mole—a free, open-source tool that removes leftover app junk, browser caches, unused data, and even helps you uninstall apps cleanly. Think of it as a powerful, no-fluff alternative to CleanMyMac and AppCleaner.
This guide walks you through installing and using Mole to safely clean and optimize your Mac using Terminal, brew, or script. Let’s dig in.
🚀 What is Mole?
Mole is a command-line tool that helps you:
- 🧼 Deep clean: Reclaim gigabytes by deleting app caches, logs, browser junk, and system leftovers.
- 🗑️ Smart uninstall: Remove apps completely—including hidden files and launch agents.
- 💾 Analyze disk usage: See what’s eating up space.
- ⚙️ Optimize macOS: Clear system caches, reset services, and rebuild indexes.
- 📊 Live monitor: Track CPU, memory, disk, and network stats in real-time.
It combines features from tools like CleanMyMac, AppCleaner, DaisyDisk, and iStat, all in one handy terminal app.
🔗 GitHub: tw93/Mole
🧪 What is Terminal (and Why Use It)?
Terminal is your Mac’s command-line interface—like a direct chat with your system. You can find it in:
Applications → Utilities → Terminal
Or use Spotlight: Cmd + Space, then type “Terminal”.
Mole runs inside Terminal. If you're new to it, don’t worry—this guide makes it super easy.
🍺 What is Homebrew (and Why You Need It)?
Homebrew is a package manager for macOS. Think of it like an App Store for Terminal—but for developer tools, utilities, and open-source apps.
To install it, open Terminal and paste:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Once installed, you can use it to install Mole, Node.js, wget, and more with a single command.
🔧 How to Install Mole
You’ve got two ways to install Mole:
✅ Option 1: Using Homebrew (Recommended)
If you already have Homebrew installed:
brew install mole
💡 Option 2: Install via Script
This works even if you're on an older macOS or want the latest version.
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/mole/main/install.sh | bash
You can customize the version with flags:
-s latest→ Latest release-s dev→ Development version-s 1.17.0→ Specific version
💥 First Run (Safe Mode)
Before you do anything destructive, Mole lets you preview what it'll clean:
mo clean --dry-run
It’ll scan your system and show how much space it can free, without deleting anything. Perfect for peace of mind.
🧼 Cleaning with Mole
🧹 Deep System Cleanup
mo clean
This will remove:
- App caches (Spotify, Slack, etc.)
- System logs and temp files
- Developer build junk (Xcode, Node.js, etc.)
- Browser leftovers (Safari, Chrome)
- Trash
💡 Want to see what’s protected from deletion?
mo clean --whitelist
Add paths you want to keep safe.
🧽 Smart App Uninstaller
Want to fully remove an app (plus all its hidden gunk)?
mo uninstall
You’ll see a list of apps. Mole removes:
- App files
- Launch agents
- System daemons
- Preferences
- Extensions and more
⚡ System Optimization
Speed up your Mac by cleaning swap files, refreshing Finder/Dock, and clearing hidden system crud:
mo optimize
For a preview:
mo optimize --dry-run
📊 Visual Disk Analyzer
Find the biggest space hogs:
mo analyze
Navigate with arrow keys and open/delete files as needed.
📈 Live System Status Dashboard
Check your Mac’s health live:
mo status
Shows:
- CPU load
- RAM usage
- Disk I/O
- Network activity
- Battery + temperature
🧹 Purge Build Artifacts
Delete leftover folders like node_modules, build, dist, and more:
mo purge
Especially useful for devs with lots of project folders.
📦 Remove Leftover Installers
Clear large .dmg, .pkg, and .zip files from:
- Downloads
- iCloud
- Homebrew caches
- Desktop
mo installer
✨ Pro Tips
- 🧪 Preview first with
--dry-run - 🔐 Enable Touch ID for sudo commands:
mo touchid - 🧾 Shell Completion: Enable tab autocomplete with
mo completion - 🔍 Detailed Logs: Use
--debugfor full file paths and risk levels - ✅ Safe by default: Mole won’t nuke anything critical
🛑 A Word of Caution
Mole is powerful. Be careful when cleaning or uninstalling, especially in dev environments.
Use --dry-run to preview. Always review before confirming deletion.
🧰 Bonus: Quick Launchers
Add Mole commands to Raycast or Alfred:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tw93/Mole/main/scripts/setup-quick-launchers.sh | bash
🐾 Final Thoughts
Mole is like a digital mole that digs deep into your Mac to clear out the junk. It’s fast, safe, and open source—plus it can easily free up tens of gigabytes in just a few seconds.
Try it today and give your Mac the tune-up it deserves.
✨ Visit Mole on GitHub: tw93/Mole