Mole developer uses agents to test Mac app leftovers

Developer Tw93 turned his Mac into a testing ground for what software leaves behind. In a November 13 account on SSPAI, he said his checks had grown to 853 applications, with AI agents downloading, installing, inspecting and removing software along the way. He helped with some permission and password steps. The result was a growing set of cleanup rules behind his utility, Mole.

Removing an app does not necessarily remove its preferences, logs, plugins or background helpers. Nor should everything associated with it disappear: some files contain work rather than disposable cache. Mole's public repository separates uninstalling, disk inspection and cleanup, and distinguishes its free, open-source command-line tool from the separately distributed native app. Finding something large is easier than deciding whether it should go.

Tw93 says an initial round covering more than 300 applications produced 13 general rules and over 90 specific paths, while correcting more than 30 places that should not have been cleanup targets. These figures come from his development account. A separate, public tested-app directory organizes records by application, including ChatGPT, Claude, Doubao and Kimi alongside development and office tools. Readers can inspect individual entries instead of relying on a blanket compatibility claim.

Think of the workflow as checking a room after a tenant moves out. Compare its original condition with what arrived during the stay, then inspect what remains. A cleaner must distinguish abandoned packaging from belongings someone still needs. An agent can repeat the installation and inspection work, while people handle permissions and define the boundaries. Mole's repository describes preview modes and default protection for personal and shared app data, putting those distinctions into the workflow.

The interesting shift is AI helping with the unglamorous end of software development rather than merely producing a first version. For a small developer, repeated checks can demand more effort than another visible feature. For users, a few recovered gigabytes are a poor trade for a lost project. Mole is available, but its operations have different consequences: the command-line documentation distinguishes permanent cleanup from actions that normally use Trash. Reviewing the proposed changes matters more than chasing the biggest space-saving number.

Original source published: Tw93 / SSPAI, November 13, 2026.