BrewSweep

A fast, terminal-based tool for managing your Homebrew packages by tracking their usage and helping you identify packages that can be safely removed. Built with Rust and ratatui for a responsive TUI experience.

What is it?

BrewSweep scans your installed Homebrew packages (both formulas and casks) and displays them sorted by last access time. This makes it easy to identify:

• Never-used packages - Installed but never accessed
• Rarely-used packages - Haven't been used in months or years
• Recently-used packages - Actively used packages to keep

The tool provides a clean, interactive interface for viewing package details and safely removing unused packages to free up disk space. Sweep away the clutter and keep only what you actually use!

Features

📊 Smart Package Analysis

• Real-time scanning of all Homebrew formulas and casks
• Last access time tracking using filesystem metadata
• Automatic sorting by usage (least recently used first)
• Detailed package information including installation paths

🎯 Easy Package Management

• Interactive table view with keyboard navigation
• Package details screen showing comprehensive information
• Safe deletion workflow with confirmation dialogs
• Real-time uninstall output showing brew command progress

🖥️ Terminal UI

• Responsive interface built with ratatui
• Color-coded display with multiple themes
• Keyboard shortcuts for efficient navigation
• Progress indicators for all operations

⚡ Performance

• Fast scanning using parallel processing
• Non-blocking UI - responsive during operations
• Memory efficient handling of large package lists
• Background operations for deletions

Installation

Prerequisites

• Rust (1.70 or later) - Install Rust
• Homebrew installed and in PATH - Install Homebrew
• macOS (primary platform)

Using Cargo (Recommended)

cargo install brewsweep

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/DrudgeRajen/brewsweep.git
cd brewsweep

# Build and install
cargo build --release

# Run the application
./target/release/brewsweep

Using Cargo from Git

# Install directly from git
cargo install --git https://github.com/DrudgeRajen/brewsweep.git

Usage

Basic Workflow

1. Start the application

   brewsweep
   

2. Scan packages

   • Press Space to start scanning your Homebrew installation
   • Watch real-time progress as packages are discovered

3. Browse packages

   • Use ↑/↓ arrow keys to navigate the package list
   • Packages are automatically sorted with least-used first

4. View details

   • Press Enter on any package to see detailed information
   • View last access time, type, and installation path

5. Delete packages

   • Press d to delete a selected package
   • Confirm with y or cancel with n
   • Watch real-time output from the brew uninstall command

Keyboard Controls

Main Table

Package Details

Deletion Confirmation

Package Information Display

The tool displays packages with the following information:

• Package Name - The Homebrew package identifier
• Type - Formula (command-line tool) or Cask (GUI application)
• Last Accessed - Human-readable time since last use:
  • "Never accessed" - Package never used
  • "2 hours ago" - Recently used
  • "3 months ago" - Moderately old
  • "1 year ago" - Very old, candidate for removal
• Path - Installation location on your system

Sorting Logic

Packages are automatically sorted by usage to prioritize cleanup candidates:

1. Never accessed packages (top of list)

   • Easiest to identify for removal
   • Safe to delete if you don't recognize them

2. Oldest accessed packages

   • Haven't been used in months/years
   • Good candidates for cleanup

3. Recently accessed packages (bottom of list)

   • Actively used, probably should keep
   • Latest access times

Development

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/DrudgeRajen/brewsweep.git
cd brewsweep
cargo build --release

Dependencies

This project uses the following Rust crates:

• ratatui - Terminal user interface

• crossterm - Cross-platform terminal handling

• color-eyre - Error handling and reporting

• unicode-width - Text width calculation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/DrudgeRajen/brewsweep.git
cd brewsweep
cargo build
cargo run

Running Tests

cargo test

Code Style

This project uses standard Rust formatting:

cargo fmt
cargo clippy

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with ratatui for the excellent terminal UI framework
• Uses crossterm for cross-platform terminal support
• Error handling powered by color-eyre
• Inspired by the need to manage ever-growing Homebrew installations efficiently

Support

If you find this tool useful, please consider:

• ⭐ Starring the repository
• 🐛 Reporting bugs and issues
• 💡 Suggesting new features
• 🤝 Contributing code improvements

Happy Homebrew sweeping! 🧹✨

Keep your system lean and your packages meaningful.