Cache Janitor
Keep media caches from eating your SSD and slowing your apps
Media cache and disk caches balloon over time, causing storage emergencies and performance regressions. This recipe turns cache cleanup from a panic action into a controlled, scheduled maintenance job — for Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and similar tools.
INGREDIENTS
PROMPT
Create a skill called "Cache Janitor". Inputs: - cache_paths (list) - delete_older_than_days - max_cache_gb - min_free_space_gb - require_apps_closed (true) Behavior: - On schedule and when free space is low, summarize cache usage, then delete according to policy. - Always write a log and ask for confirmation before deleting if the deletion exceeds 20GB.
How It Works
This skill monitors your media cache folders, reports sizes, and deletes cache files
older than your threshold or above your quota. It only runs when target apps are closed
and always writes a cleanup log so you know exactly what was removed.
What You Get
- Scheduled weekly cleanup or on-demand "clean now" command
- Emergency trigger when free disk space drops below your threshold
- Cache size report (top folders and files) before any deletion
- Cleanup log with what was deleted and how much space was recovered
- Safe-settings reminder for enabling auto-delete in app preferences
Setup Steps
- Add your cache paths (e.g., Adobe Media Cache Files, Media Cache)
- Set retention policy: delete files older than N days and/or enforce a max cache size
- Set a minimum free space threshold for emergency triggers
- Optionally schedule weekly runs (e.g., Sunday 2am)
Tips
- Always close Premiere Pro and After Effects before running cache cleanup
- 30 days retention + 150GB max is a reasonable starting point for most setups
- If playback suddenly gets choppy after weeks of smooth editing, bloated cache is a top suspect
- Confirmation is required before deleting more than 20GB in a single run