My 1TB Mac was 80% full. 802 GB used.

macOS Storage just shows a color bar and labels like "System Data." That tells you almost nothing. You cannot see which specific folders, caches, or duplicate files are wasting space.

I have been downloading AI models, running multiple package managers, and building projects for months. Storage piled up and I had no clear picture of where it all went.

Use Codex as a read-only system inspector

I saw someone suggest using Codex to analyze storage. I ran my own version with a prompt I tuned to be explicit and safe.

Here is the exact prompt I used:

Do a full read-only analysis of my computer to help optimize storage.
Find large files, duplicate files, duplicate model files, unused apps,
caches, junk, and anything wasting space. Do not delete or change
anything. Only generate a detailed report with cleanup recommendations.

Two things matter here:

  1. Read-only. I did not want an agent deleting files. I wanted it to inspect, reason, and report.
  2. Explicit targets. Instead of a vague "clean up my Mac," I listed specific categories: large files, duplicates, model files, caches, unused apps.

What Codex found

180 GB reclaimable. From one prompt.

The breakdown:

  • Duplicate AI models: 110 GB to review. Several local model managers and cache folders had overlapping model files.
  • Rebuildable developer caches: 70 GB safe to delete. uv, npm, pnpm, Playwright, Homebrew, browser caches, and build folders.
  • Messaging media inside apps: 35+ GB. Messaging apps accumulate media that you can clean through each app's built-in storage manager.

Largest categories by size:

  • AI model storage: 250 GB
  • Library: 175 GB
  • Priority target: Library/Model Cache at 150 GB

Projected free space after cleanup: 190 GB to 370 GB.

macOS called this "System Data." Codex turned it into a prioritized cleanup map with specific folders, sizes, and safety levels.

For the actual cleanup: Mole

Codex tells you what to clean. It does not do the cleaning.

For that, I use Mole, a CLI tool that cleans, uninstalls, and optimizes your Mac from the terminal.

Codex gives you the map. Mole helps you act on it.

Why this matters

Most people only use Codex to write code. But it can inspect an entire local system, understand what different files are for, and turn a messy storage situation into a structured action plan.

The key is making the prompt read-only and explicit. You want the agent to reason, not act.

If your Mac storage is filling up and macOS is not telling you why, try this before buying more iCloud or another drive.