ghostwipe

Cross-Platform Maintenance & Cleanup Utility for Linux and macOS

A lightweight, transparent, and safety-focused maintenance utility for Debian/Ubuntu Linux and macOS.

Overview

ghostwipe is an open-source system maintenance utility that provides one consistent CLI for routine cleanup and package maintenance across Debian/Ubuntu Linux and macOS.

The main ghostwipe CLI automatically detects the host operating system and uses the appropriate platform backend:

Platform	Package Backend	Cleanup Behavior
Debian / Ubuntu Linux	APT	APT maintenance, age-bounded `/tmp` and `/var/tmp` cleanup, user cache cleanup, systemd journal vacuum
macOS	Homebrew	Homebrew maintenance, per-user temporary-directory cleanup, `~/Library/Caches` cleanup
Windows	PowerShell	Not supported by the main CLI

On macOS, Ghostwipe intentionally leaves unified/system logs to macOS instead of force-deleting them.

Windows is separate from the main Ghostwipe CLI.
This repository also contains optional PowerShell maintenance utilities for Windows. They are repository-only scripts and are not distributed through the Launchpad PPA or Homebrew tap. See Windows Repository Utilities.

Preview

Features

Interactive terminal menu
Direct command-line subcommands
Automatic Linux/macOS detection
APT support on Debian/Ubuntu
Homebrew support on macOS
Safe and deep cleanup modes
Age-bounded temporary-file cleanup
Age-bounded user-cache cleanup
--dry-run preview mode
Explicit confirmation for deep cleanup
Persistent per-user logging
doctor diagnostics command
Optional figlet, lolcat, fastfetch, or neofetch integration
Architecture reporting for Intel/AMD and ARM systems

Safety Improvements in v2.1.2

Ghostwipe no longer blindly performs operations such as:

rm -rf /tmp/*
rm -rf /var/tmp/*
rm -rf ~/.cache/*
find /var/log -name "*.log*" -delete

Instead, cleanup is bounded by file age and platform-specific directories. Ghostwipe does not manually erase /var/log and does not clear macOS unified logs.

Supported Platforms

The main ghostwipe CLI supports:

Platform	Architecture	Supported
Ubuntu / Debian Linux	x86_64 / amd64	✅
Ubuntu / Debian Linux	arm64 / aarch64	✅
macOS	Intel x86_64	✅
macOS	Apple Silicon arm64	✅

Linux Requirements

Debian or Ubuntu
apt-get
sudo for system-level maintenance unless already running as root
systemd journalctl is optional; journal cleanup is skipped if unavailable

macOS Requirements

macOS
Homebrew

Homebrew commands are never executed with sudo.

Windows is not a supported platform for the main Bash-based ghostwipe CLI. Windows functionality is provided separately through repository PowerShell scripts documented later in this README.

Installation

macOS — Homebrew

Install Ghostwipe from the official tap:

brew install Daxxtropezz/tap/ghostwipe

Then verify:

ghostwipe --version
ghostwipe doctor

The Homebrew formula depends on a modern Bash version and supports both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.

Linux — Homebrew

If you use Homebrew on Linux, the same formula can be installed with:

brew install Daxxtropezz/tap/ghostwipe

Ghostwipe will still use APT for operating-system package maintenance, so Linux operational support currently requires Debian/Ubuntu even when the Ghostwipe executable itself is installed through Homebrew.

Ubuntu — Launchpad PPA

Install through the official PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:daxxtropezz/ghostwipe
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ghostwipe

Manual Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Daxxtropezz/ghostwipe.git
cd ghostwipe
chmod +x ghostwipe

Install system-wide:

sudo install -m 755 ghostwipe /usr/local/bin/ghostwipe

On macOS, Homebrew installation is recommended so that a modern Bash dependency is provided automatically.

Usage

Launch the interactive menu:

ghostwipe

Update packages:

ghostwipe update

On Linux this runs APT maintenance. On macOS this runs Homebrew update/upgrade/cleanup.

Perform safe cleanup:

ghostwipe clean

Preview it first:

ghostwipe --dry-run clean

Perform deep cleanup:

ghostwipe deep-clean

Deep cleanup requires typing WIPE. For automation:

ghostwipe --yes deep-clean

Preview deep cleanup without changing the system:

ghostwipe --dry-run deep-clean

Run package maintenance followed by safe cleanup:

ghostwipe full

Display system information:

ghostwipe info

Run diagnostics:

ghostwipe doctor

Show recent Ghostwipe log entries:

ghostwipe log

Show version:

ghostwipe --version

Show help:

ghostwipe --help

Command Reference

Command	Description
`ghostwipe`	Launch interactive mode
`ghostwipe update`	Update packages using APT or Homebrew
`ghostwipe clean`	Perform safe cleanup
`ghostwipe deep-clean`	Perform deeper age-bounded cleanup
`ghostwipe full`	Run package update followed by safe cleanup
`ghostwipe info`	Display system information
`ghostwipe doctor`	Validate required platform dependencies
`ghostwipe log`	Show the latest Ghostwipe log entries
`ghostwipe version`	Show installed version
`ghostwipe help`	Show help
`ghostwipe --dry-run <command>`	Preview supported actions
`ghostwipe -y deep-clean`	Skip deep-clean confirmation
`ghostwipe --yes deep-clean`	Skip deep-clean confirmation
`ghostwipe -h`, `--help`	Show help
`ghostwipe -v`, `--version`	Show version

Cleanup Behavior

Safe Cleanup

Linux

Removes regular files older than 7 days from /tmp and /var/tmp
Runs apt-get autoremove
Cleans the APT cache
Removes user cache files older than 30 days
Vacuums systemd journal entries older than 7 days when journalctl is available

macOS

Removes files older than 7 days from the current user's macOS temporary directory
Runs brew cleanup --prune=7
Removes files older than 30 days from ~/Library/Caches
Does not manually erase macOS unified/system logs

Deep Cleanup

Deep cleanup is more aggressive but remains bounded.

Linux

Removes regular files older than 1 day from /tmp and /var/tmp
Removes unused APT dependencies and cleans package cache
Removes user cache files older than 7 days
Vacuums systemd journal entries older than 1 day when available

macOS

Removes files older than 1 day from the current user's macOS temporary directory
Runs brew cleanup --prune=1
Removes files older than 7 days from ~/Library/Caches
Does not manually erase macOS unified/system logs

Logs

Ghostwipe records its own activity in a per-user state directory.

On Linux:

~/.local/state/ghostwipe/ghostwipe.log

On macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Ghostwipe/ghostwipe.log

If the normal state directory cannot be created, Ghostwipe falls back to the user's temporary directory.

View recent entries with:

ghostwipe log

Dry Run

Before performing cleanup, you can inspect what Ghostwipe intends to do:

ghostwipe --dry-run clean
ghostwipe --dry-run deep-clean

Package manager commands are printed instead of executed in dry-run mode. Files targeted by cleanup are listed without being deleted.

Safety Notice

Ghostwipe is designed to be safer than a blanket cleanup script, but cleanup utilities can still remove data applications expect to cache temporarily.

For important servers, development machines, or production systems:

run ghostwipe --dry-run clean first;
review the listed files;
avoid unattended deep cleanup until you understand its behavior;
keep normal backups and recovery procedures.

Ghostwipe does not replace operating-system lifecycle management, monitoring, backups, or vendor-specific maintenance tools.

Windows Repository Utilities

Separate from the main Ghostwipe distribution

The Windows PowerShell utilities in this repository are not part of the Launchpad PPA package or the Homebrew tap. Installing ghostwipe through APT, the Launchpad PPA, or Homebrew does not install or expose these Windows scripts.

They are repository-based companion utilities intended to be run directly from a local copy of the Ghostwipe project.

The Windows utilities currently consist of:

scripts/windows-maintenance.ps1 — interactive Windows maintenance menu
scripts/update-windows-apps.ps1 — WinGet application update helper used directly or by the maintenance menu

The Windows scripts do not turn the main Bash-based ghostwipe CLI into a Windows command. They are separate PowerShell utilities maintained in the same project repository.

Windows Requirements

Windows
Windows PowerShell 5.1 or later
WinGet (winget.exe) for application updates
Administrator access when Windows requests elevation for system-level maintenance
A local Ghostwipe repository directory containing the PowerShell scripts under scripts/

Obtaining the Windows Scripts

The Windows scripts are intended to be executed from within the Ghostwipe repository directory.

There are two supported ways to obtain them.

Option 1 — Clone the Entire Project

git clone https://github.com/Daxxtropezz/ghostwipe.git
cd ghostwipe

The required scripts should then be available under:

.\scripts\windows-maintenance.ps1
.\scripts\update-windows-apps.ps1

Option 2 — Download the Scripts into the Repository

If you already have the Ghostwipe repository directory, download both PowerShell files into its scripts directory:

ghostwipe\
└── scripts\
    ├── windows-maintenance.ps1
    └── update-windows-apps.ps1

Keep both files together. windows-maintenance.ps1 expects update-windows-apps.ps1 to be located beside it when the application-update option is selected.

Running the maintenance script as an unrelated standalone file outside the Ghostwipe repository layout is not the supported usage model.

Windows Maintenance Menu

From the Ghostwipe repository root, launch:

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ./scripts/windows-maintenance.ps1

The script opens an interactive menu:

==============================================
       Ghostwipe Windows Maintenance
==============================================

  [1] Update installed applications
  [2] Clear TEMP, Windows Temp, and Prefetch
  [3] Empty Recycle Bin
  [4] Repair Windows (SFC -> DISM -> SFC)
  [5] Run all maintenance
  [0] Exit

Select an option:

Option 1 — Update Installed Applications

Uses the separate update-windows-apps.ps1 helper to update installed applications through WinGet.

The updater checks for WinGet and then runs:

winget upgrade --all --silent --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements --include-unknown

Example output when no installed applications require an update:

[Ghostwipe] Checking for WinGet...
[Ghostwipe] Checking for available application updates...
No installed package found matching input criteria.
[Ghostwipe] Application update process completed successfully.

The maintenance menu itself does not need to be launched as Administrator for this option. Individual application installers may still display a Windows UAC prompt if their own installation process requires elevation.

Option 2 — Clear Temporary Files

Clears contents from:

%TEMP%
C:\Windows\Temp
C:\Windows\Prefetch

Files that are locked or currently in use are skipped rather than causing the entire cleanup operation to fail.

Cleaning C:\Windows\Temp and C:\Windows\Prefetch requires administrator privileges. If the menu was launched normally, Ghostwipe requests elevation through Windows UAC when this option is selected.

Clearing Prefetch data is not normally required for routine Windows operation and may temporarily make some application launches slower while Windows rebuilds its prefetch information.

Option 3 — Empty Recycle Bin

Uses PowerShell to empty the Windows Recycle Bin:

Clear-RecycleBin -Force

If the Recycle Bin is already empty, the script continues without treating that condition as a fatal error.

Option 4 — Repair Windows

Runs the Windows repair sequence in this order:

sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

The first SFC scan checks and attempts to repair protected Windows system files.

DISM then checks the Windows component store and repairs the system image when required.

SFC runs again after DISM so protected system files can be checked against the repaired component store.

This operation requires administrator privileges. Ghostwipe requests elevation through Windows UAC when necessary.

Option 5 — Run All Maintenance

Runs the available Windows maintenance tasks in sequence:

Update installed applications
Clear temporary files
Empty the Recycle Bin
Run the SFC → DISM → SFC repair sequence

Because this selection includes system-level cleanup and Windows repair commands, administrator elevation is requested through UAC when needed.

Administrator Privileges on Windows

The Windows maintenance menu does not require Administrator privileges simply to start.

Run it normally:

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ./scripts/windows-maintenance.ps1

When an administrator-only selection is chosen, Ghostwipe requests elevation through Windows UAC and relaunches that selected operation with the required permissions.

This avoids requiring every user to manually open PowerShell as Administrator before they can view or use the menu.

If UAC elevation is declined, the administrator-only action is not performed.

Run the Application Updater Directly

The WinGet helper can also be run directly from the repository root:

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ./scripts/update-windows-apps.ps1

It is intended to remain inside the repository's scripts directory.

The updater:

checks whether winget.exe is available;
checks installed applications for available upgrades;
accepts WinGet package and source agreements automatically;
attempts to upgrade all supported installed packages;
reports failures using concise [Ghostwipe] messages instead of requiring administrator privileges before the script can start.

Windows Safety Notes

The Windows maintenance utilities perform real system maintenance operations.

Before using the cleanup or repair options:

save active work;
allow applications using temporary files to close normally when possible;
understand that files currently in use may be skipped;
do not interrupt SFC or DISM while they are actively repairing Windows;
keep normal backups and recovery procedures for important systems.

The Windows PowerShell utilities do not replace Windows Update, endpoint management, backups, malware protection, or vendor-specific repair tools.

Project Goals

Ghostwipe aims to remain:

Open source
Easy to audit
Lightweight
Safe by default
Automation-friendly
Cross-platform where behavior can be implemented safely
Distributed through native or familiar package channels

The Windows repository utilities follow the same transparency and safety goals while remaining separate from the packaged Linux/macOS Ghostwipe CLI.

Contributing

Contributions, bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests are welcome.

Repository:

https://github.com/Daxxtropezz/ghostwipe

Author

Daxxtropezz

GitHub: https://github.com/Daxxtropezz

Launchpad: https://launchpad.net/~daxxtropezz

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

See the LICENSE file for details.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
assets		assets
debian		debian
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
ghostwipe		ghostwipe

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