AdventDevInc/kudu

Overview

Kudu is a cross-platform desktop utility that cleans caches and leftover files, scans for malware, and manages privacy settings on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its feature set includes system, browser, app and game cache cleaning, registry and startup management, a disk analyzer, a software updater, performance monitoring and scheduled scans. All processing is described as running locally, with no ads, bundled software or upsells, and the code is published under MIT.

It is aimed at users who want a self-hosted alternative to commercial PC cleanup suites and at contributors who can add new cleaning targets through plain JSON rules.

Get started

1. Open the GitHub Releases page and download the package for your platform: a .exe installer, portable ZIP or EXE for Windows (x64/ARM64), a .dmg for macOS (Intel or Apple Silicon), or an .AppImage/.deb for Linux (x64/arm64).
2. Install the package. The installer is recommended if you want automatic updates and scheduled scans at startup; portable builds keep settings in AppData and must be updated manually.
3. Launch the app and review the cleaning items it lists before removing anything, since the tool deletes files by design.

A scriptable CLI is also documented for command-line workflows, and the cleaner directory lists supported applications.

Requirements and limits

• Windows ARM64 builds target Windows 11 on ARM; separate ARM64 build details are available.
• macOS may show administrator prompts for Privacy Shield and permission errors; the macOS permissions guide covers these cases.
• Removing files is destructive and the software is provided as-is without warranty, so preview selections before deletion.
• Custom cache folders, including portable apps on another drive, are configured under Settings → Custom cleaning folders; see the custom-folder guide for preview and Trash recovery.
• New app support is added through JSON rules following the Cleaner Rules Guide.
• The desktop tools are free; the project accepts sponsorship.

HotRepo's take

The repository has 4,329 stars and 360 forks at the recorded snapshot on 2026-11-13, when it gained 24 stars in the TypeScript daily list and reached position 11. That places it among the more visible TypeScript projects of the day, while the project is still young, having been created in March 2026. Its differentiation rests on being open source and auditable for what is otherwise a crowded cleanup-utility category, but no download or execution in this review verifies that the published binaries match the repository source.