Klene: A Safe Cleanup App for Arch Linux
Klene helps you scan, preview, and clean common Arch Linux clutter with a modern GUI and CLI. Nothing gets removed until you confirm it.
Most cleanup scripts run fast and explain little. Klene takes the opposite approach. It checks common cleanup areas, shows you exactly what it found, and waits for your go-ahead before anything is removed. You stay in control the whole way through.
Built by Ben Treder. Source code, install steps, and usage notes are on GitHub.
What it checks
What Klene does
Klene checks common cleanup areas and explains what it finds before anything is removed. Here are the areas it looks at.
- Pacman package cache
- Trash
- Thumbnail cache
- Low-risk user cache folders
- System journal logs
- AUR helper cache for yay and paru
- Flatpak unused data when available
- Orphan packages with extra confirmation
Safety first
Built so nothing is removed by surprise
Cleanup tools touch real files, so Klene is careful by default. The whole flow is designed to keep you informed and in control.
Preview-first workflow
Klene shows you what it found and what would be removed before any cleanup runs. You review first, then decide.
Dry-run friendly CLI
The command-line tool is built for safe inspection, so you can check what Klene would do before you let it do anything.
No automatic cleanup
Nothing is cleaned without your confirmation. Klene never removes files on its own behind the scenes.
Orphan packages need extra care
Orphan package cleanup asks for an extra confirmation, since removing packages deserves a second look.
Avoids dangerous paths
Klene focuses on known, low-risk cleanup areas and stays away from paths that should not be touched.
Clear home paths
User-home locations are shown cleanly as ~/... in the GUI, so it is easy to see what is being cleaned.
Two ways to use it
Use the GUI or the CLI
Klene works two ways. Use the modern GUI for a guided, click-through cleanup, or the CLI when you want command-line control.
- Launch Open Klene to get started with the modern GUI.
- Scan Choose Scan My System so Klene can check the common cleanup areas.
- Review Review the cleanup areas Klene found and what each one contains.
- Preview Use Preview Selected to see exactly what would be removed.
- Clean Confirm with Clean Selected, and only the items you chose are removed.
CLI examples
Prefer the terminal? The CLI covers scanning, health checks, and project info.
Developers can also run Klene from source with Python. The GitHub repository has the full setup steps.
Screenshots
A look at the Klene GUI
A quick tour of the dashboard, recommended cleanup, review steps, preview, and the confirmation prompt. More images are on the way.
Who Klene is for
Klene is a good fit if you want cleanup help that stays clear and careful.
- Arch Linux users
- People who want cleanup help without risky commands
- Users who want a GUI for common cleanup tasks
- Users who still like CLI control
- People who want to understand what is being cleaned before doing it
Why I built this
Keeping an Arch Linux system tidy usually means remembering a handful of cleanup commands and hoping you got the paths right. Klene started as a way to make that easier and safer. The preview step and the confirmation prompts are there because I wanted a cleanup tool I could use without second-guessing what it was about to remove.
Get Klene on GitHub
Klene is open source and available on GitHub. The full source code, install instructions, and usage notes are all in the repository.
Made by Ben Treder • BenTreder.com