know what cleaning will really free
Cleaner apps add up file sizes and promise you a big number. On a modern Mac, deleting often gives back far less. ZwayStorage Warden shows both numbers, cleans only what is safe, then measures what you really got back.
Beta · macOS · runs locally at localhost:7070 · needs Node.js
1. macOS warns you the disk is almost full. You open Warden and it scans your Mac.2. Each group shows the size on paper, and in green what deleting will really give back.3. Only safe items can be ticked. Anything in use or protected is locked, and you confirm twice.4. Warden measures the free space before and after, and logs what you really got back.
the cleaner said 78 gb. you got 9 gb back
This really happened while building Warden. A folder of WhatsApp media looked like 78 GB. Deleting it freed about 9 GB. Modern Macs store shared copies of a file only once, but most tools count every copy. So the promise is big and the result is small. Warden tells you the real number before you delete.
Numbers from the audit that led to Warden. The size on paper was far bigger than the space that came back.
- WhatsApp mediaPromised 78 GB about 9 GB
- Chrome code-sign copiesPromised 8.2 GB about 2 GB
- Your next cleanupPromised a big number unknown
Both numbers up front. The green estimate comes from what past cleanups really freed.
- Stale code-sign clones8.2 GB claimed about 2 GB real
- Package and build caches9.4 GB claimed measured after
- Documents, Desktop, PhotosProtected never offered
Real number confirmed after every cleanup
You need space today
The warning keeps coming back and you do not know what is safe to remove. You want the real number, and you do not want to lose anything.
Build junk piles up fast
Package caches, build output, Android emulators and old test files quietly eat gigabytes. Warden finds them and knows which ones a running app still needs.
Mac storage settings
Shows a big grey bar of system data, with little you can safely act on.
a bar, not a planA cleaner app
Adds up file sizes and promises space that deleting will never return.
big promise, small resultDeleting by hand
Hunting through hidden folders in Terminal. One wrong path and real work is gone.
slow and riskyscan. see the real number. clean safely
Warden runs as a small page in your browser, served from your own Mac. It scans, shows you what is safe, and checks everything again at the moment you delete.
It finds what is safe to remove
Warden looks through the places that fill up a Mac: caches, build output, emulators, updater leftovers and temp files. Each item gets a tag, so you know at a glance what you can remove.
- Safe means nothing is using it
- In use means an app has it open or is running from it
- Protected means it is your data and can never be picked
- npm cache4.8 GB safe
- Homebrew downloads2.9 GB safe
- uv cache1.1 GB in use
- Documentsyour files protected
Claimed size next to real size
The big number is what the usual size count says. The green number is what deleting will likely free, based on what earlier cleanups of the same kind really gave back.
- Stale code-sign copies start at about a quarter of their size
- Each cleanup corrects the next estimate
- The page tells you when a number is only a first guess
- Claimed8.2 GB
- Likely freed1.6 to 2.6 GB
Deletes safely, then checks the result
When you confirm, Warden checks every path again on your Mac, not just in the page. Then it reads your free space before and after, and saves the real result to the accuracy log.
- Protected folders are refused, whatever the page asks for
- Anything a running app uses is skipped at delete time
- If other apps were writing to disk, it says the number is approximate
- Package and build cachesClaimed 9.4 GB 8.1 GB · 86%
- Stale code-sign clonesClaimed 8.2 GB 2.0 GB · 24%
- AI agent and test artifactsClaimed 3.6 GB 3.4 GB · 94%
start it once. open it when your disk fills up
Warden is a small local server with no add-on packages. It can start at login, so the page is there whenever you need it.
Get the folder
Download the beta and make sure Node.js is installed on your Mac.
Start Warden
Run the start script. It serves the page at localhost:7070 and begins a scan.
Open and clean
Open localhost:7070 in your browser, review the groups, and clean what is safe.
Stays on your Mac
Only reachable from your own computer, never from your network.
Your files are off limits
Documents, Desktop, Photos, Movies and more can never be picked.
Checks twice
Safety is checked when it scans and again when it deletes.
Honest after the fact
Every cleanup is measured, so the estimates keep improving.
good to know
Why do other cleaners promise more than I get?
Modern Macs can keep one copy of a file and share it between several places. Most tools count each place separately, so they add up space that deleting will never give back.
Can it delete my own files?
No. Documents, Desktop, Downloads, Pictures, Movies, your WhatsApp message database, Chrome profile data, Applications and system folders are on a protected list and can never be picked.
Does it move things to the Trash?
No, it deletes them for good. That is why you have to confirm twice, and why only items tagged safe can be ticked.
Is the green estimate a promise?
No. It is an estimate from past cleanups. The real number is measured right after you delete, and it is saved to the accuracy log.
What else does it show?
Your project folders by size with node_modules broken out, the biggest folders on the disk, and every app listening on a port with the folder it runs from.
Does anything leave my Mac?
No. Warden runs on your Mac and only answers requests from your own computer. Nothing about your disk is sent anywhere.
get early access to ZwayStorage Warden
Beta builds go out in small batches. Tell us what you would use it for and which device you have, and we send you the build.
building an app like this? talk to us.
Tell us about your app and what is holding its growth back. We read every message and reply with ideas. No pitch.
