A cross-project dependency auditor and build-bloat sweeper built for polyglot developers. Supports Python, Node.js, Rust and Flutter, with DAG transitive-dependency closure, three-tier core safety locks and automatic snapshot rollbacks.
We solve two pain points the open-source community has left unsolved for a decade: cross-project dependency auditing and fail-safe uninstallation.
No more false positives! If a project declares pandas, the solver walks the dependency DAG and automatically protects the underlying numpy and pytz, so they are never mistaken for orphans.
A unique fail-safe triage: core system packages (Tier 1) are permanently locked against removal, CLI tools (Tier 2) get a separate review, and only pure libraries (Tier 3) may be cleaned.
Before any uninstall, a timestamped restore snapshot is always created in the background with pip freeze, so you can roll back painlessly with one click at any time.
Built on Microsoft's official WebView2 window container. No browser tabs, no address bar, no clutter: open it when you need it and close the window when you're done.
Not just Python! Deep-scan Rust target/ and Flutter build/ caches in one click. A single run typically reclaims 20 GB to 50 GB or more of precious disk space.
The core relies 100% on the Python standard library with no Node.js required. The single-file orphan-clean.exe is only 13MB and runs out of the box.
How orphan-clean compares with traditional cleanup approaches on safety:
| Capability & Safety Safeguard | Classic pip-autoremove | Generic Disk Cleaners (CCleaner, etc.) | orphan-clean (this project) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-project workspace scan | ❌ One specified package only | ❌ Has no idea about code dependencies | ✅ Recursively scans hundreds of projects on disk |
| Hard lock on core system packages (Tier 1) | ❌ Easily removes pip / pywin32 by mistake | ❌ Deletes everything, often breaking Python environments | ✅ Core packages permanently locked (removal forbidden) |
| DAG transitive dependency closure | ❌ No global cross-project graph | ❌ None | ✅ Recursive closure solving, zero false removals |
| Automatic snapshot backup before uninstall | ❌ Deletes with no backup | ❌ Once deleted, it's gone | ✅ Auto-generated pip freeze rollback snapshot |
| Rust / Flutter build bloat scan | ❌ Not supported | ❌ Often misses files or hits permission errors | ✅ Cleans target/ and build/ |
| Native desktop window + terminal CLI | ❌ CLI only | ❌ Full of ads | ✅ Free, open source, clutter-free, native window |
Choose your favorite way to launch orphan-clean:
Download the portable single-file executable and run it right away (no Python installation needed):
👉 Double-click orphan-clean.exe to open the native dark console instantly!
Audit and clean directly from the command line with Python:
You can also launch the native desktop window: python -m orphanclean.gui
Clone from GitHub to try the latest features:
If orphan-clean helped you clear up years of global package mess and reclaim tens of GB of disk space, feel free to buy the author a coffee to support ongoing maintenance! Your encouragement is our biggest motivation to keep the project open source and expand to more language ecosystems.
Contact & sponsorship email: whoami885@gmail.com
Buy Me a Coffee (whoami885)