Releases

Mole iterates fast with long-term maintenance. The feature set stays restrained while each capability goes deeper, cleaning more thoroughly and inspecting more carefully.

v1.20.0 Preview build 371 Download

  1. Uninstall: Command-line tools from Homebrew and AI tools such as Gemini CLI now appear below apps in the uninstall list, each with its own icon. When you drag several apps to the Trash, their leftovers now show up in one window instead of one popup per app, and leftovers that could not be removed without Full Disk Access can be retried once access is granted. Uninstalling Docker Desktop now removes its images and containers too.
  2. Clean: Items in the Trash are no longer selected by default, and apps closed for cleaning reopen when it finishes. BrowserOS and T3 Code caches are now covered, Saved App States no longer fails on every clean, and scanning no longer downloads iCloud folders that are only online. Files in iCloud Drive’s Trash are now listed, the browsers Camoufox and Puppeteer install are no longer cleaned as a cache, and rows waiting for a decision no longer show a Review label that looked like a button. Project build files in ~/Developer are now found too, and other user accounts and other apps’ snapshots are now listed.
  3. Updates: Ghostty, Paste, DeepL, Tencent Meeting, Clash Verge Rev and more apps are now checked for updates. Parallels Desktop is offered only updates within the version your license covers, apps installed from TestFlight are no longer offered App Store updates, Microsoft Office no longer shows updates you already have, XQuartz and similar apps show the right version, and checking again after a failed update brings the Update button back. Homebrew apps no longer fail to update because of an old copy left behind.
  4. Disk analysis: Folders that hold mostly files show as a list, with the side panel grouping them by kind, last modified and size, and folders whose names share the same start show only the part that differs.
  5. Hide Desktop: Hide Desktop Icons is now in the menus, and ⌃⌥⌘D hides or shows the files and disks on your desktop from any app.
  6. WiFi Low Latency: Stays on when you switch networks or plug in Ethernet, and also works while on Ethernet. You’ll be asked for your password once after updating.
  7. Details: Readings refresh again after the system clock is set back, and switches no longer turn grey when the window is in the background. With a proxy in TUN mode the network card shows your Wi-Fi address, decimals follow your region’s format, clearing many Codex chats is much faster, and uninstalling no longer leaves an item in the Trash that can’t be emptied. The GPU reading in the menu bar refreshes while the panel is closed, other readings no longer jump around with live network speed on, and list rows can be reached with the Tab key. Process search on Status now finds idle processes too. The menu bar's Eject control now also covers external hard drives and Thunderbolt SSDs, and traffic is no longer counted twice with more proxy and VPN apps in TUN mode.

v1.19.1 Deneb

  1. Network: Click the upload and download rates in the menu bar to see each app’s network use, live or over the last 30 days. The new Speed Test measures download, upload and latency, and the network card adds Wi-Fi signal strength, your public IP and whether ChatGPT is reachable. Traffic through a proxy in TUN mode is no longer counted twice.
  2. Status and menu bar: Tags on Status and in the menu bar panel open a card of related readings, with temperature listed sensor by sensor for the CPU, GPU, battery and more. Accessories such as AirPods and mice show their own device icons, the otter, dolphin, turtle, a fan and the dragon are new runners, menu bar readings match the weight of the rest of the menu bar, and a mouse wheel scrolls the process list smoothly. Disk, network and CPU rates no longer spike when a disk image mounts or the Mac wakes.
  3. Disk analysis: Select files and folders across different folders and move them to the Trash together. Large disks scan faster, folders already measured show their map at once, and the largest rows in the side list name their app. Large files neither opened nor modified for a year are marked, growth since the last scan is broken down by app, the Trash, iPhone backups, Xcode and AI tools, and hovering over any of more than 5,000 known folders explains what it contains and what removing it affects.
  4. Clean: A new Installers section lists DMG, PKG and other installers in Downloads and Desktop left unopened for two weeks. Clean now also lists unused Conda downloads, Gradle versions unused for 30 days, Xcode build data left by coding agents, Chrome’s GPU cache, Adobe’s media cache and more, each cleaned only once you check it. An app’s caches are left alone while it is open, VS Code and Cursor workspace data appears only once its project folder no longer exists, and scanning no longer stalls for minutes on a Mac with tens of thousands of preference files.
  5. Uninstall: Removing an app now checks the data it keeps for itself, such as settings and chats, and the separate switch for this is gone, while browser profiles and data shared with other apps stay unchecked. Audio plugins and drivers from the same developer are listed for review, TeamViewer now opens its own uninstaller as several antivirus apps do, and apps with similar names no longer claim each other’s data.
  6. AI cleanup: The page and any scan in progress are kept when you switch tabs and come back, and the Mole menu at the top left opens it directly. It now also lists agent worktrees whose changes are already merged into main, incomplete Codex installations and superseded LM Studio runtimes.
  7. Updates: Each app shows a single status, a checkmark when it finishes and the reason when it fails, and checking by hand is faster. Homebrew packages with updates now sit in the same list as other updates, each with a short description. Stats, Shottr and VS Code update inside Mole, and Alfred, Sublime Text and JetBrains IDEs show their new version and open their own updater. After Mole updates, What’s New is available at the top of the window and from the Mole menu. Updates for WeChat, Xmind and Ollama are no longer missed, and updating Homebrew packages alongside other apps no longer makes an app update fail, since Homebrew now waits its turn.
  8. Fan and battery: Cool or Max is restored after a shutdown, restart or update, the battery card shows the cycle count beside its title, and charging resumes more reliably when battery charging protection is turned off or Mole quits.
  9. Launch and permissions: Without Full Disk Access, uninstalling, cleaning and disk analysis no longer stop at the macOS prompt about other apps’ data, and choosing to reopen Mole after granting access opens it again. Clicking Mole in the Dock always opens a window, Hide Dock icon is no longer reset by an update, and uninstalling works when your home folder is on another disk.
  10. Details: The download is about 24 MB instead of 29 MB, and copying anything now confirms that it was copied. Optimize no longer turns Spotlight’s Show Related Content back on, Clean Screen keeps keystrokes away from input methods such as WeType, and Clean no longer lists a simulator runtime that is still in use when two builds of one iOS version are installed or a newer one was just downloaded. After Homebrew packages update, they no longer disappear from the list and come back.

v1.18.0 Altair

  1. Interface: Lines, shadows, corners and motion now follow one consistent set across the app, numbers roll more smoothly, faint grey text is easier to read and clearer still with Increase Contrast, and labels that were cut off in some languages are shorter. The window looks right with Stage Manager, in full screen and on standard-resolution displays, and VoiceOver reads the open tab. Confirmation cards open beside the control you clicked.
  2. Clean: Scans are faster, caches of Feishu, DingTalk, WeChat’s built-in browser and Codex are now covered, and aerial wallpaper videos macOS downloaded and no longer uses are listed for review. Chrome and Edge extensions and open apps such as Discord, Slack, Steam and Figma are left undisturbed, each group says what it cleans and what it keeps, and large items such as OrbStack, Claude’s virtual machine and Draw Things models sit under Manage Separately. Command-A selects all selectable review items, and hovering over the storage value explains its calculation.
  3. Uninstall: Uninstalling is faster, Autodesk Fusion, OneDrive and Google Drive are removed in full, and data left by rekordbox, iStat Menus and eleven other apps is listed for review. The right-click menu can clear only an app’s data, removing one copy of an app leaves its other copies alone, a browser’s web data starts unchecked, a system extension still running afterwards points you to System Settings, and an uninstall that left nothing behind shows as done.
  4. Developer cleanup: node_modules untouched for 90 days, caches of older JetBrains IDEs, simulator runtimes unused for 60 days, device support files, app copies Xcode installed on an iPhone or iPad, Instruments sessions, the old pnpm store and temporary files from finished Claude Code jobs are listed for review, and node_modules stays while something runs from its project.
  5. AI cleanup: Old Comfy Desktop and LM Studio files, unfinished Codex runtime installs and worktrees idle for three days are listed for review, Cursor’s chats start unchecked, and a removed tool’s folder is kept while it still holds chats or memory files.
  6. Updates: Homebrew and App Store updates are faster, progress shows behind a proxy, and a running app stays open until the install step. App Store checks use your account’s region, bilibili updates from its official package, and updates for Zed, Folo and Homebrew-installed Word and Excel are detected. All updates share one list, and Microsoft Edge, Helium and more apps can update inside Mole.
  7. Disk analysis: Hovering over the map is smoother, re-measuring folders is faster, and when the disk has grown by 1 GB or more since the day before, Analyze names the folders and files that grew.
  8. Menu bar and Status: Menu bar readings are more compact, network rates no longer jump around, memory for system processes such as WindowServer matches Activity Monitor, the battery card shows the adapter’s watts, and an accessory’s low-battery alert comes at most once an hour. Keep Screen On modes can be changed from the panel, and a mode chosen while paused takes effect on resume.
  9. Fewer interruptions: Scans no longer bring up extra password or folder access prompts, the prompt to control Finder says what Mole uses it for, and after a Mole update the administrator password is asked again only when needed. When Mole is switched off in System Settings, turning on Launch at login opens Login Items & Extensions.
  10. Details: An activated license stays active when the license server cannot be reached, offline or behind a proxy. Magic Trackpad shows with the trackpad icon, free disk space no longer reads 0 bytes on a busy Intel Mac, and startup items launched by a script are named after their app instead of npx.

v1.17.0 Vega

  1. Clean: Items in the Trash for over a day and rebuildable Safari and iWork caches are preselected, and selecting the Trash now empties all of it, including Xcode build folders moved there. Old wallpaper renders can be removed, and caches of WebKit-based apps such as Clicker for Netflix show their full size. Update packages that apps such as Notion leave behind after updating themselves are listed for review and go to the Trash. Speech models that WhisperKit apps keep in Documents are shown under Manage Separately. After a clean, the summary shows how many items went and what that space is worth as Mac storage.
  2. Developer cleanup: Rust targets, Xcode and SwiftPM build output, rustup toolchains nothing uses, the pnpm store and the uv cache now appear for review, and build folders nested deeper inside projects are found too. Unavailable simulators can be moved to the Trash even if they were signed into iCloud. Reviews with tens of thousands of items, such as an npm cache, stay responsive, and a crash while scanning Rust dependencies is fixed.
  3. AI cleanup: Worktrees untouched for two weeks, ones left in Claude Code scratch folders or a project’s build folder, idle Claude Code temporary files, Codex crash reports and expired sessions it compressed or split, and Copilot project caches are now found for review. AI tools from third-party Homebrew taps can be uninstalled. Images from Codex threads you already deleted are listed for review, and session sizes now include the history Codex and OpenCode keep in their databases.
  4. Menu bar and Status: The menu bar can add a third metric and show remaining battery or charging time. When memory is tight, forgotten dev servers, headless browsers and build daemons are listed so you can stop the ones you tick, and the process list can be searched with Command-F, naming the app behind each helper. Temperatures can show in Fahrenheit with one Terminal command listed in the Docs. Disk tiles show read and write speed while the disk is busy, uptime reads in days and hours, and the CPU column explains that one fully busy core counts as 100%.
  5. Uninstall: The Software tab no longer stalls on a Mac with hundreds of apps. Uninstalling Claude also removes the Claude Code it downloaded, and game libraries and compatibility bottles are kept. Once Mole’s helper is set up, uninstalling also removes app containers macOS blocks without Full Disk Access. Apps moved to another disk with AppPorts are listed once with their real size, and data Rex and RetainPDF leave behind is listed for review.
  6. Updates: iPhone and iPad apps no longer get iOS updates, and a cancelled update never installs a partial download. Cursor on Apple silicon, Discord, Signal, Raycast, Kaku and UU Remote now update inside Mole, and Sketch and Grok Bot updates are detected. Apps that update outside the App Store now update up to three at a time.
  7. Disk analysis: APFS clones no longer count their shared space more than once, large folders grow on the map as scanning goes on, and downloaded model folders can be moved to the Trash from the map. Hovering the map does far less work, which avoids a crash reported on a macOS 27.2 beta.
  8. Fan and battery: Cool speeds the fans up earlier as the Mac warms, and charging time counts to your charge limit, so with an 80% limit it shows the time to 80%.
  9. Language: Mole is now available in Dutch, in the app as well as on the website, Help and Docs.
  10. Details: Clicking the Dock icon right after closing the window brings it back instead of doing nothing for a few seconds. The planet no longer flashes magenta after switching desktops, the dark app icon matches macOS 27, activation says when the license server is busy instead of showing an HTTP error, and Doctor can open the operation log in Finder. With Stage Manager on, the window no longer widens a moment after it opens.

v1.16.0 Orion

  1. AI cleanup: A new AI cleanup page in Clean gathers caches, old versions, stale sessions, finished worktrees and idle command-line tools from Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and others, lists sessions by the window you pick, keeps a recovery copy before deleting, and leaves data in use alone.
  2. Clean: System Data, app caches and logs are regrouped with what you can act on first, npm, Go, Xcode and Homebrew caches and uninstall leftovers are covered, space that cannot be confirmed stays out of the total, and you can pick which apps to quit when files are in use.
  3. Uninstall: Settings can preselect app data and turn on Quick uninstall, which finishes in the list with results in the footer, data other apps still use is kept, and apps with background processes, PlayCover iOS apps and Adobe Genuine Service now uninstall cleanly.
  4. Disk analysis: Files from 100 MB are listed by actual size, folders made mostly of cleanable items open Clean’s review directly, and folders hidden by missing disk access say why and open the setting in one click.
  5. Updates and startup items: Update sources are identified more accurately with fewer false prompts, you choose which running apps may quit before updating, Parallels Desktop updates through its official installer, and startup toggles match the system, including items with non-Latin names.
  6. Fans and Battery Care: Cool starts at 40% fan speed and follows CPU temperature, hands control back to macOS once the Mac cools down unless you turn that off, keeps fan presets with the window closed, asks for your password less often, and restores fans and charging more reliably on quit.
  7. Status and the menu bar: Memory pressure, per-core CPU load, app energy use and chip power are new, disk, battery and network readings are more accurate, the menu bar gains side-by-side and stacked layouts, new runners and still poses, and battery temperature and health return on macOS 27.
  8. WiFi Low Latency: Turn it on from the utility menu or the network card. AirDrop pauses meanwhile, and everything returns to normal when you turn it off, the Mac sleeps, Mole quits or the network changes.
  9. Parallels disk space: Clean can reclaim unused space inside the disks of shut-down Parallels virtual machines, keeping the machines and their files.
  10. Faster scans: Clean, Installed Apps and AI cleanup repeat less work, long cache and session lists expand and select faster, Analyze reuses sizes it already measured, and Mole does less in the background while its window is hidden.
  11. Settings and interface: Settings puts common actions first, a native app menu and shortcuts for the main window and fans are new, fonts, icons, menus and dialogs match across pages, and result details mark done, skipped and failed items with one set of colors.
  12. Screen tools: Keep Screen On survives Mole updates, closing the lid without an external display turns the screen off, lid-closed sleep is turned back off if another tool re-enables it, and logging out or restarting during Clean Screen is no longer blocked.

v1.15.0 Beehive

  1. Uninstall: I spent a lot of time personally testing and inspecting 709 apps, improving leftover cleanup for apps that are difficult to uninstall so it is clearer what will be removed and fewer leftovers remain afterward.
  2. Review before deleting: The Uninstall list shows Library data over 1 GB, with chat history, virtual machines and clipboard history unchecked by default, browser data individually selectable, and data used by other installed apps preserved.
  3. App updates: Version detection and update status are more accurate, with fewer duplicate or incorrect prompts, no packages from the wrong vendor or for the wrong Mac, support for beta-to-stable upgrades, and a fix for failed UU Remote downloads.
  4. Startup: Entries are grouped by app into login and background items, switches reflect their actual state, obsolete items can be removed, and enterprise management software stays protected.
  5. Clean: Expanded cleanup covers old Homebrew packages, rebuildable simulator data, NuGet and iCloud Drive caches, while preserving personal data, files in use and snapshots during backups.
  6. Optimize: Repair Universal Clipboard, eject leftover installer disk images and move obsolete background items to Trash, with a fix for VPN extensions disconnecting during optimization.
  7. Analyze: Mounted folders are no longer counted twice, virtual machine images count toward their actual disk usage, and hovering over Used explains why file totals can be larger.
  8. Status: Processes are grouped by app with combined memory and CPU usage, sorted by memory by default and expandable for details, and the fan card no longer jumps when switching modes.
  9. Menu bar: Disk cards prioritize free space, memory cards show swap on hover, temperatures follow the selected unit and the runner can change direction, with improved microphone alerts, macOS 27 icons and lower resource use for animations and hidden windows.
  10. Battery Care: A temporary hardware detection failure no longer disables Battery Care, which resumes automatically when control is restored.
  11. Diagnostics and controls: Diagnostic results open the relevant page or permission settings, app search recognizes names in different languages, ⌘1 through ⌘5 switch tabs, VoiceOver and panel closing work better, and uninstalling or optimizing waits for an active cleanup to finish.
  12. Beta updates: Enable Beta Updates in Settings to receive future Preview versions, with the option enabled by default in Preview builds.

v1.14.0 Pleiades

  1. Software updates: Apps downloaded from their websites can now update inside Mole, Homebrew-installed apps update to the right build for this Mac, and a newer build of the same version is detected. Mole asks before quitting a running app and reopens it once the update is installed; an app that cannot be updated tells you why and reuses a finished download instead of fetching it again. ChatGPT and App Store apps transferred to another developer now update normally, and Parallels hands over to its own updater.
  2. Update All: App Store and Sparkle updates run at the same time, a pending purchase no longer holds up the rest, and the list and counts stay put while the batch runs. One failed or cancelled update does not affect the others, you can retry any time, and the quit prompts, incomplete-check notice and Homebrew repair guidance are clearer.
  3. Uninstall: Duplicate apps are no longer listed twice, leftover detection is more complete, files left by bundled helpers and older versions are found, and Unity's data folder is listed for your review. Leftovers are listed by path with app and leftover sizes shown separately, empty temporary folders are marked Empty, browser personal data has to be selected by hand, and sensitive data or files another app still uses are never removed. The cleanup prompt after an uninstall elsewhere waits for leftovers to settle and explains sizes and skips.
  4. Clean: New cleanup for QQ, Feishu, Lark, PyInstaller, automated Chrome, rebuildable SwiftPM and Cargo caches, and older Autodesk Fusion versions, while QQ chats and media, deployment keys and Git-tracked files are always kept. Apps holding a cache can be quit right from Clean and the affected items refresh in place, with no rescan. Slow folders no longer stall the scan, Never Clean can be undone reliably, and AirDrop and running login services are left alone.
  5. Analyze: Large and developer folders open faster, folders full of one file type are listed by date, and map colors and hover details are easier to read.
  6. Status: Apple silicon temperatures are steadier, menu-bar temperature and fan speed refresh every second, and free disk space is accurate in Status and the menu bar. Processes can be sorted, the health score says what it deducted, and a low Bluetooth battery alerts you without opening the panel, whether the menu-bar icon is static or animated.
  7. Keep Screen On: Sessions pause at 20% battery, resume once plugged in, and an unlimited session survives a restart.
  8. Background use: Hidden windows release graphics memory within a minute, Status refreshes less while another app is in front, and Mole checks for its own updates less often.
  9. Activation and devices: Simpler first-run and purchase screens show terms and pricing at a glance, Return activates a key, activated devices can be managed, and light mode no longer flashes white at launch.
  10. Interface: Controls, menu animations and pointer feedback are consistent, wide-window layouts and minimized-window restoration are better, Clean buttons stay visible on small screens, repeated password prompts are fewer, and startup items can be retried when they fail to load.
  11. Language and compatibility: Brazilian Portuguese is added, and with the language set to automatic the first launch after updating follows the Mac's preferred language while manual choices stay. Intel Macs on the legacy Metal compatibility layer show static planets to avoid a reported startup crash.

v1.13.0 Phoenix

  1. Software updates: Chrome, WhatsApp, and Brave can now update inside Mole when a compatible package is available. Mole verifies the download before replacing the installed app, verified website packages never join Update All without confirmation, and installer handoffs stay explicit.
  2. Update reliability: App Store and installer updates remain pending until the app on disk changes. Update All refreshes the list so completed apps are not downloaded again after another update fails. Homebrew retries only unfinished items, with ordinary apps first, hidden updates near the bottom, and Homebrew last. Mole also recognizes Universal Purchase Mac updates such as MindNode without treating their iOS deployment target as a macOS requirement, and avoids false updates caused by Craft's iPhone/iPad release, Atlas prereleases, staged ChatGPT builds, and R's formatted bundle version.
  3. Uninstall: Shared media is shown for review without being preselected. Removing package-installed apps also clears their installers and background updaters, preserves unrelated Homebrew apps, and closes running apps cleanly. If an app is restored or reinstalled while its leftovers are being removed, Mole stops before touching the new installation.
  4. Clean and Optimize: WeChat, ChatGPT, browser, and Helium caches can clear without quitting their apps. Xcode device logs are covered, home-level dependency folders are no longer mistaken for one project, and every reviewed cache is checked again for path changes and active use before deletion. System-service cleanup preserves bundled helpers and anything still referenced by a launch item. Clean offers Scan Again after a scan, while system repairs leave Dock, iCloud, Safari, usage history, managed fonts, and active VPN tunnels alone.
  5. Status and Analyze: CPU core groups, memory use, and system health now follow macOS definitions; disk figures follow free-space changes, and snapshot cleanup reports real reclaimed space. Process details identify their service and startup source, aliases remain visible in Analyze, and the menu bar panel fits a 13-inch screen.
  6. Battery and everyday tools: Battery Care resumes charging correctly, Charge to 100% is reliable, and fan presets recover when macOS takes control. Clean Screen adds a persistent Never mode, while timed Keep Screen On sessions restore the right mode and remaining time.
  7. Result details: Clean, Uninstall, and Optimize now share the same result layout with readable grouped reasons, consistent status marks, localized labels, and details after every completed run.
  8. Onboarding and interface: Mole’s app icon, in-app mark, favicon, and website navigation now share the refreshed mole identity. Fresh installs open without a white flash, and the first-run screen keeps permission, trial, purchase, and license choices compact and aligned in every language. Startup matches the row height, section spacing, and content alignment of Updates and Uninstall. Refresh controls, text sizes, and update metadata have been adjusted, while startup-item removal, Analyze trash actions, and process termination share consistent confirmation dialogs with clearer actions, outcomes, recovery details, and failure messages.
  9. Reliability: Closing the main window with Command-W now keeps Mole in the Dock in normal mode. In menu-bar-only mode, an open window remains reachable through Command-Tab and returns to the menu bar after closing. Activation, system-service startup status, duplicate leftovers, dialog hover isolation, and tab-bar alignment are also fixed. Thanks to 38.5 for thoughtful suggestions on Mole's security and activation experience.

v1.12.1 Proxima

  1. Efficiency: Background sampling wakes less often, menu-bar CPU usage no longer increases over long sessions, and long-list scrolling is smoother.
  2. Clean: cleanup reaches more apps, including JianyingPro, Dia, and Zed, along with outdated caches. It marks cloud-synced files, reports the space actually reclaimed, and no longer stalls on stubborn folders. Chat history, local models, install data, and active builds stay protected, and the review list reveals files in Finder.
  3. Software updates: App Store apps update inside Mole when that can finish safely, Homebrew shows real progress and batch updates survive slow networks, and direct installs such as ChatGPT and Chrome hand new releases to their own updater. When macOS blocks a replacement, the row says why and opens the right setting, and a dismissed update notice applies to one build only.
  4. Uninstall: stable and beta copies protect each other's data, remnants a reinstall would rebuild come pre-selected, and only chosen login items stop. When another task keeps Mole busy, clicking Remove says so instead of doing nothing.
  5. Battery: Battery Care tops up to 100% on demand, the card shows live power draw, real health, and the heaviest consumer, and accessory names no longer duplicate.
  6. Menu bar: the runner cast is redrawn pixel-crisp from the open-source RunCat Neo gallery with thanks to Takuto Nakamura, every runner's pace tracks real load, and network speed stays accurate under TUN proxies.
  7. Interface: launch and tab switches no longer flash, buttons answer every press, temperatures default to Celsius, and the health score now counts drive SMART failures and long uptime. VoiceOver no longer lands on blank separator stops, and dual-display Macs no longer end up with two Mole windows.
  8. Settings: a new Open Source Licenses panel shows every bundled notice, and rows, dividers, and descriptions read cleaner.
  9. Fixes: scanning no longer asks Macs without developer tools to install them, stopping a process from the menu bar panel keeps the panel open, Doctor and Settings scroll bars follow your macOS setting at the panel edge, and on Intel or low-power Macs the planet animation pauses while Mole is in the background.

v1.11.0 Crab Nebula

  1. Clean: a new Uninstalled App Leftovers section clears data left behind by removed apps, without mistaking apps on external drives for leftovers, and AI-tool cleanup now covers Grok while chat history stays untouched.
  2. Memory: a few minutes after the window is tucked into the menu bar, Mole releases the window's memory and trims icon caches, keeping background usage light.
  3. Storage: Purgeable Space reclaims what macOS reserves for local backups, UTM and Tart virtual-machine caches join the cleanup, and root-owned Trash apps like iMovie and GarageBand delete after a one-time admin approval.
  4. Activation reliability: a genuine copy is no longer flagged as unofficial when macOS stamps its own marks inside the app, so Clean no longer locks up, a state even reinstalling couldn't fix.
  5. Network speed: in the menu bar and Status, network speed reads the physical interface instead of the tunnel, so a VPN or TUN-mode proxy no longer skews it high or low.
  6. Menu bar: a new Both style shows the runner beside a compact two-line metrics band with live speeds and tighter lines; when Mole starts at login, opening it from the menu bar brings up the window right away.
  7. Software updates: Homebrew updates show download progress and size instead of "Preparing", batch upgrades track each package with the real failure reason, the update dot can be dismissed for the current version, and in-app updates recover on their own when leftover files block the install.
  8. Software: apps on external drives no longer show stale last-used dates, and system-installed apps uninstall correctly on accounts whose home folder differs from the user name.
  9. Optimize: a new step finds hidden preferences left by old tuning apps, such as a disabled App Nap or skipped disk-image verification, and removes only those so macOS returns to its safe defaults.
  10. Interface: the hero planet no longer blinks or lingers across scans and tab switches, selection bars and filter menus gained hover feedback and VoiceOver labels, and copy was revised across all nine interface languages.

v1.10.0 Andromeda

  1. Menu bar and Keep Screen On: the always-on menu bar uses less power while Runner still follows real load, the menu bar icon no longer flickers or rebuilds itself on multi-display setups, compact metrics and paired-device batteries take less space, text and images stay sharp after display-scale changes, and three directly selectable Keep Screen On modes cover display, closed-lid tasks, or both.
  2. Status and accessory batteries: per-process CPU and GPU usage now follow live Activity Monitor-style sampling, Apple silicon can separate performance and efficiency cores, battery probes run independently so one slow device cannot block the rest, accented names stay visible, charging uses a clearer Mac-style ring, and process explanations retry and scroll cleanly.
  3. Analyze: whole-disk maps appear within seconds, large-folder areas stay steady while sizes converge, very large lists scroll more smoothly, Finder-style back and forward gestures work, and returning to a folder preserves its expansion and exact viewport position.
  4. Software and Startup: Intel-only apps are marked for Rosetta, the Software tab opens to prepared results, dead background registrations from removed apps are pruned instead of becoming inert rows, and disabling an app stops all of its matched login helpers.
  5. Software updates: Universal Purchase iOS records and leftover Electron template feeds no longer become Mac updates, 1Password detection works again, vendor-specific version formatting such as AdGuard VPN no longer creates permanent phantom rows, verified replacements stay bound to the same app, and App Store updates that cannot finish in-app converge into one App Store Updates action without blocking Update All.
  6. Clean: review remains smooth with hundreds of files in one category, Select All is easier to reach, preset choices stay stable while items change, and Chinese cache labels preserve product names while Traditional Chinese uses Taiwan vocabulary.
  7. Uninstall: leftover checklists appear immediately and fill sizes in the background, Mole does not prompt again for apps it just removed, grouped rows end cleanly, and vendor-reinstalled apps with stale or missing Homebrew casks fall back to a normal uninstall.
  8. Notifications: Mole warns once when startup disk space runs low and the alert opens Clean directly, Bluetooth accessories low on battery alert once per episode instead of on every reconnect and clear once charging starts, and privacy alert settings now explain how to stop alerts for a single app.
  9. Reliability and activation: helper recovery can reconnect an existing signed fan and battery service, fan control re-registers it when macOS drops the launch record, brief post-install signature failures recover instead of locking the app as unofficial, and license checks identify network failures more clearly.

v1.9.0 Mizar

  1. Menu bar: a native right-click menu opens any feature in one click, and a setting can swap what the left and right clicks do. The runner can track live CPU as RunCat, Keep Screen On adds a coffee-cup badge, mounted drives gain an Eject All action, the title can show used swap as an optional second reading, and Command-Q quits like a normal Mac app.
  2. Menu bar reliability: the icon no longer vanishes after a Control Center rewrite or collapses into an invisible slot, and a slow network drive no longer delays the right-click menu. Row actions stay steady while they run, the window reopens from the menu bar after a real close, and the icon comes back when macOS parks it off-screen.
  3. Status and battery: the Network tile opens a detail card with your public IP, location, and ISP, and a paired iPhone or iPad shows its level, charging state, and model beside the Mac. Battery health follows the capacity macOS reports, Intel Macs read CPU proximity temperature, live numbers stop flickering, and Mole suggests a restart when a system process holds a core busy after long uptime.
  4. Trash and uninstall: dragging an app to the Trash can clear its leftovers from a small popup, and Homebrew receipt cleanup keeps a later reinstall from being blocked. Uninstall now reaches more privileged helpers, sibling identifiers, and Darwin caches, and protected processes hide their terminate action.
  5. Software updates: Homebrew apps from custom taps and metadata-only casks stay visible, and a slow silent download no longer drops a cask update. Renamed Mac App Store apps can update in place, and a verified Sparkle or Electron replacement must keep the same bundle identifier before Mole swaps it. Opening Updates now clearly shows it is checking while it scans and finishes the first scan faster, so an unfinished scan no longer appears to have no updates, and hover hints in the Software list appear without the old delay.
  6. Clean: AI coding-tool caches can be cleared while their settings and state stay protected, caches that are system or root-owned and cannot be removed are no longer offered, and repeated disk-capacity probes are throttled so they stop flooding the log.
  7. License and permissions: activation reuses this Mac's existing license slot instead of minting a duplicate, and the Full Disk Access reopen prompt now stays inside the permission banner.
  8. Settings: a helper management entry can reinstall or remove the signed fan and battery helper, system battery charge limits are handled cleanly, and a cooling preset holds until you choose Auto or quit.
  9. Analyze and support: picking Analyze from the menu bar starts the disk scan right away, in-app support routes through the diagnostics bundle, and the thermal probe keys line up with the app's own SMC reader. Disk analysis also uses larger, easier-to-read text.

v1.8.0 Vesta

  1. Battery Care: a new power tool for supported MacBooks. While Mole is running it holds charging near 80% and resumes below 75%, so the battery spends less time sitting at a full charge. Battery Care and fan control share a single signed helper, so one admin approval is enough for both.
  2. Fan control: presets on Apple silicon no longer depend on a sudoers setup, and Mole now returns to Auto reliably after a failure, a relaunch, or a helper update.
  3. Optimize: the fixes you can see run first, covering Dock, input switching, iCloud Drive, AirDrop, Spotlight, and Notification Center, and the deeper maintenance that follows is grouped by startup, database, network and search, and system upkeep, so the outcome reads as a summary rather than a log.
  4. Updates: apps installed in external Applications folders now appear alongside everything else in the list and in update checks. Update All installs supported updates one at a time with live progress and cancels cleanly between apps, and App Store rows hide updates that require a newer macOS, holding until the version on disk has actually changed.
  5. Status and the menu bar: process rows appear sooner, GPU details load in the background, pinned processes stay in place, and battery health follows the capacity macOS reports. In the menu bar, network speed refreshes every second, the badge reflects the interface in use rather than a proxy placeholder, and new installs turn the runner on by default. Tapping a process also explains its origin more clearly, naming a shell or SSH session and warning when it is running from a deleted or replaced binary.
  6. Clean: scan sections appear the moment Clean opens, the completion totals stay steady instead of flickering at the end, and macOS wallpaper covers are kept safe from cleanup.
  7. Uninstall: removal details pre-scan as you hover, root-owned items remain in the list instead of quietly dropping out, and when every item is skipped Mole states it plainly rather than implying a clean sweep.
  8. Analyze: it opens on the whole-disk overview and draws the large treemaps first, filling in slower folder sizes in the background. App bundles now carry their real icons, long names shorten with a hover title, the smallest cells fold into Other, and very large flat folders collapse their long tail so the view never stalls.
  9. Everyday tools: Keep Screen On gains longer durations and keeps tasks alive with the lid closed, Clean Screen waits for the exit shortcut to be released before it resumes, a manual update refresh bypasses stale catalog caches, and skipping the intro no longer leaves Software on a single stale app cache.
  10. Fit and finish: keyboard focus stays visible, RunCat joins the runners, the planets track the display's refresh rate, Bluetooth battery accessories are grouped with clearer warnings, a slow Analyze scan shows a hint in a fixed spot, the app icon adapts to Dark Mode, diagnostics are easier to copy, and DMG downloads carry proper disk-image headers.

v1.7.1 Lyra

  1. Accessibility work guided by users with visual impairments: this release follows feedback from Mole users with visual impairments, making more buttons, metrics, and states read correctly with VoiceOver, smoothing keyboard paths, respecting Reduce Motion, and carrying the same accessibility care to the website.
  2. Status and the menu bar feel faster and steadier: the dashboard opens from your last snapshot while fresh data loads, process rows appear sooner, power and temperature readings line up better, and hidden Dock mode, restart launch, right-click menus, popovers, fan presets, and background sampling all hold together more reliably.
  3. Software management: Electron apps can update inside Mole alongside Sparkle, Homebrew, and the App Store, website installers download once and reopen from the local package, update checks can be filtered by source, uninstall connects startup items and package receipts, and stale update rows or missing startup files no longer linger.
  4. Cleanup review: WeChat media caches, oversized active logs, Xcode device artifacts, orphaned system services, Sparkle leftovers, Spotlight remnants, Safari container cache, and project artifacts such as dist or build are easier to review, group, exclude, or keep out of future cleanups.
  5. Privacy checks are quieter and more accurate: camera and microphone use is detected as it starts, system voice services no longer trigger false microphone alerts, trusted apps can be muted, and calls you start in the frontmost app stay quiet.
  6. License device management is easier: device lists load faster, all devices can be released at once, and moving Macs or hitting the device limit can be handled in the app.
  7. Analyze, Doctor, and Clean Screen are steadier: disk analysis uses less CPU on many-core Macs, tiny treemap blocks fold into Other, Doctor reports include more system state with stricter Full Disk Access checks, and Clean Screen now exits only after a deliberate move-and-hold.
  8. The planets look more natural: Earth uses a remastered NASA Blue Marble texture with soft cloud cover, sunlight comes from one direction, the spin stays steady, and all planets render a little larger in their frame.
  9. Fan control on Apple silicon: fan presets now apply reliably on Apple silicon Macs, including M4-class machines where the system thermal controller had kept fan writes locked.
  10. Menu bar and window fixes: the menu bar icon is restored when Control Center drops it, the popover stays compact on shorter screens, and the window now supports the standard full-screen shortcut.
  11. Clean refinements: AI tool caches such as ChatGPT, Codex, and Antigravity can be cleaned again, and the review selection controls are clearer.

v1.6.2 Cat's Eye

  1. Keep Screen On · New: keep your Mac awake from the menu bar, choose a duration, and let startup recovery stay silent instead of unexpectedly asking for admin permission.
  2. Privacy Check · New: the menu bar popover shows camera or microphone use, with localized notifications so privacy activity is visible without opening the main window.
  3. Clean Screen · New: turn the screen into a plain color so you can wipe the display and keyboard with a clean cloth, press Escape to exit, and optionally lock input.
  4. Software updates cover more apps: Software checks Mac App Store, Sparkle, Electron, Homebrew cask/formula, Homebrew catalog, and GitHub Releases fallback, with clearer progress and fewer false prompts from self-updating apps or locale-specific MAS states.
  5. Uninstall finds far more leftovers: residue detection now covers receipts, Launch Items, Group Containers, Darwin temporary caches, and more App Support traces; Clear Data keeps the app, and Full Disk Access checks for running apps, input methods, and Homebrew casks are steadier.
  6. Project cleanup: Mole finds large project folders such as build, dist, target, and node_modules, but leaves them unchecked for review; AI tool state stays protected, and Safari WebKitCache plus Zed stay review-only.
  7. Analyze scans faster: disk analysis uses faster concurrent sizing, cache reuse, and child-folder prewarming, so large folders open faster; near-equal folders read more clearly and tiny files fold into a tail summary.
  8. Optimize stays inside safer boundaries: VPN detection no longer depends only on utun; related optimizations are skipped when VPN, external audio, external displays, or Bluetooth keyboard and mouse devices are active.
  9. Doctor reports are more complete: diagnostics add display, external volume, network, and security context, so issue reports carry the details maintainers need.
  10. Software list: keeps uninstall sorting, refreshes newly installed apps with Command-R, and separates directly controlled, System Settings managed, and read-only startup items.
  11. Stability and polish: Status and menu bar readings now match more closely; Podman hints, completion summaries, right-click menus, hidden Dock, Command-Q, and menu bar panel ordering are steadier.
  12. 1.6.2 fixes: switching to Software no longer hangs; uninstall expansion no longer blanks the list; background sampling, window wake-up, and microphone false positives keep tightening.

Special thanks to @_huawuque and @liujiayi1111 for testing Mole and surfacing many real-world experience issues before the stable release.

v1.5.0 Sirius

  1. Menu bar runners: choose a small moving companion in the menu bar, keep live metrics visible, use the right-click quick menu, and run Mole as a menu-bar-only app without a Dock icon.
  2. Fan controls in Status: supported Macs can switch fans between Auto, Cool, and Quiet, with live RPM and safer automatic restore behavior.
  3. In-app app updates: the Software tab can check and install updates from Sparkle, Homebrew Cask and Formula, and the Mac App Store, with clearer progress and explicit App Store handoff when needed.
  4. Startup management: review Login Items, Launch Agents, Launch Daemons, and background items from the Software tab, then disable or reveal them without hunting through System Settings.
  5. Better uninstall coverage: app search understands common aliases, leftovers include input methods, and WeChat Input Method plus Doubao Input Method can now be found and removed safely.
  6. Safer cleanup: log cleanup now accepts only real rotated logs, protects proxy and VPN app state, and only unlocks generic Application Support cache leaves when strong Chromium/Electron markers are present.
  7. Analyze polish: clearer disk labels, smoother drill-down breadcrumbs, and better prefetching make large folder maps easier to read.
  8. License device management: activation flows handle device switching and reclaim paths more clearly, so moving Mole to a new Mac needs less support back-and-forth.
  9. Reliability fixes: Homebrew cancellation now stops the child process, fan presets recover correctly across upgrades, Trash validation is stricter, and menu-bar-only mode guards against ghost states.

v1.4.1 Venus

  1. Menu bar panel · New: live CPU, memory, and network speed in the menu bar, with an icon-only compact mode and a right-click quick menu.
  2. Software update checks · New: Mole now watches for new versions of your apps across the App Store, Sparkle, and Electron, and flags unseen updates with a sidebar badge.
  3. Status redesigned: new battery and disk tiles. Battery shows health and the most power-hungry app, disk uses color to signal when space runs low, and network now draws dual up and down sparklines.
  4. Clearer cleanup: see the exact path and progress while scanning, results sorted by impact, a lifetime cleanup total on the completion screen, and items you can exclude for good.
  5. Uninstall and Optimize: sort the app list by name, size, or install date, uninstall apps on external drives, and clear leftover files scattered across the system, all with a single admin prompt.
  6. Settings and window: a Launch at Login toggle, native macOS fullscreen, and a wider default window that always stays within the visible screen.
  7. More stable and secure: new battery and high-CPU alerts in Doctor, trial and license data moved to the Keychain, 53 missing translations filled across nine languages, and background sampling pauses when the window is hidden.
  8. Fixes and polish: Optimize no longer restarts Bluetooth, so a connected wireless mouse or keyboard can't drop while it runs. Broken login-item cleanup now skips apps that live on an unplugged external drive. Licensing no longer shows a Keychain access prompt, and battery tile spacing and other small details are refined.

v1.3.0 Libra

  1. Cleanup safety: reclaimed space is now measured from the filesystem with hardlink-aware exclusive sizing. Sensitive remnants such as keychains and credentials stay visible for review instead of being silently hidden. Root-owned apps go through the recoverable Trash path.
  2. Uninstall: iOS wrapper apps and bilingual apps are now detected and removable. Dock ghosts, login items, and launch agents are cleaned in one pass with a single admin prompt.
  3. Clean review: results sorted by deletion impact (regenerable caches first, user-visible state last). Completion screen shows cumulative lifetime cleanup stats.
  4. Status: click any column header to sort the process list; click a row to pin it so it stays visible across refreshes.
  5. Analyze: narrow treemap cells now rotate labels vertically so directory names stay readable.
  6. Doctor: built-in diagnostic report from the Help menu covering permissions, system pressure, disk space, and operations logs.
  7. Languages: French and German across the Mac app and website, with localized screenshots.

v1.2.0 Polaris

  1. No more keychain password prompts on launch or passive license reads.
  2. No more TCC dialogs when scanning without Full Disk Access.
  3. Overlay panels no longer flash white on first render.
  4. ESC key now reliably dismisses all overlays and cancels running operations.
  5. Status dashboard uses less CPU.
  6. Refined planet colors and accent palette.

v1.1.0 Halley

  1. System cache cleanup with admin privileges (1-3 GB typical).
  2. Uninstall now auto-quits running apps and cleans up Dock and login items.
  3. All 22 optimize tasks run (admin tasks via one-time auth).
  4. 50+ new app cache targets (Steam, Notion, IINA, Raycast, and more).
  5. Homebrew cask --zap for thorough removal.
  6. Root-owned app uninstall via Finder.

v1.0.0 Nova

  1. Five tools in one app: Clean, Uninstall, Optimize, Analyze, Status.
  2. Launch early-bird license: $9 during the launch window, 14-day refund.
  3. Built-in license activation, two devices per key.
  4. Conservative safety defaults: protected paths, full review before any cleanup, Trash by default for app uninstalls.