A tool that identifies installed homebrew formulae, when they were last accessed, and removes them based off set date of expiry.
Note
brew-autoremove
removes orphaned dependencies, brew cleanup
removes outdated formulae and clears old downloads/logs/cache. These are definitely un-needed, but what about 'actively updated' not orphaned packages you don't use anymore? Enter prune.
Tap the formulae.
brew tap nicknacnic/prune
Install the formulae.
brew install prune
Run the formulae.
prune -h
Tip
Use -t for test / dry-run purposes. prune -d 20210101 -t
This script is designed to help clean up your macOS system by uninstalling Homebrew packages and casks that haven't been used for a significant amount of time.
The script operates in several steps:
-
Date Comparison Setup: It sets up a comparison date against which the last access dates of the packages will be compared. Default is two years prior to when prune is run.
-
Iterating Over Homebrew Packages: The script lists all packages installed via Homebrew and processes each one individually.
-
Determining File Paths: For each package, the script checks for the presence of its main executable or library file in standard Homebrew installation paths (
/usr/local/bin
for executables and/usr/local/lib
for libraries). -
Last Access Time Retrieval: If the file is found, the script retrieves its last access time using the
ls -lu
command. -
Date Parsing and Comparison: The script then parses this last access date. It handles different date formats depending on whether the date is from the current year or a previous year. The parsed date is compared against the set comparison date.
-
Conditional Uninstallation: If a package's last access date is before the comparison date, the script uninstalls the package using
brew uninstall
. -
Logging: All actions, including checks, uninstallations, and any errors (like missing files), are logged to an output file (
brew_package_usage.txt
) for review.
Important
Backup: Before running this script, ensure you have a backup of your system or at least a list of installed packages. The script will uninstall software based on the last access date, which might sometimes lead to the removal of packages still needed.
Warning
Date Formats: The script assumes specific date formats for the ls -lu output. If your system uses a different format, the script might need adjustments.
Caution
Manual Review Recommended: It's advisable to manually review the list of packages to be uninstalled before running the script, especially if you have critical Homebrew packages installed.
- Refactor
- Add backup function
- Add casks to logic
- Use built-in brew commands to locate non-default-location packages
- brew pin catch