~/.local was 1.4 GB, and it was almost all one AI tool's versions
Command-line tools install into ~/.local/bin and keep data in ~/.local/share. Measured at 1.4 GB, what each part was and what is safe to remove.
~/.local is the user-level install location from the Linux world. Tools put their executables in ~/.local/bin and their data in ~/.local/share, and several popular installers, including pipx, uv and Claude Code's native installer, use it on a Mac too.
| Folder | Size | Put there by |
|---|---|---|
share/claude | 1.1 GB | Claude Code, four versions and a helper app |
bin | 134 MB | Launchers for several command-line tools |
share/cursor-agent | 132 MB | Cursor's terminal agent |
pipx | 32 MB | Python tools installed with pipx |
share/devin | 29 MB | An AI agent's data |
Check yours
du -sh ~/.local/* ~/.local/share/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -10
ls -la ~/.local/binWhat is safe
- Old versions a tool keeps are the main win. Claude Code's are covered in Claude Code taking up space.
- A tool you no longer use: uninstall it with its own command,
pipx uninstall,uv tool uninstalland so on, rather than deleting folders, so its launcher inbingoes too. ~/.local/share/uvholds uv's Python versions and tools, in the uv cache.- Do not empty
binwholesale. It is on your PATH, and the commands in it are ones you installed.
Its sibling for caches is ~/.cache, and the whole set of hidden folders is in dot folders taking up space.
Common questions
What is ~/.local on a Mac?
A hidden folder where command-line tools install for your user: executables in ~/.local/bin and data in ~/.local/share.
Is it safe to delete ~/.local/share?
Not all at once. It holds installed tools' data. Remove individual tools with their own uninstall commands, or old versions a tool keeps.
Why is ~/.local so big?
On the Mac measured, 1.1 GB of its 1.4 GB was Claude Code keeping four installed versions.
What is ~/.local/bin?
A folder of launchers for tools installed per user. It is usually on your PATH, so emptying it breaks those commands.