Ballast

Ballast is a menu bar app for macOS that finds and safely removes disk space left behind by developer tools.

Ballast is a menu bar application for macOS designed to reclaim disk space occupied by leftover developer tools, runtimes, containers, and caches. It scans over sixty developer toolchains, including Ruby, Node, Python versions, Docker images, Xcode simulators, local databases, and AI models. The app identifies what is currently in use by checking pinned project versions, running databases, and active git worktrees with open pull requests. Before taking any action, Ballast displays a complete preview of steps, commands, and paths, and flags items that require user confirmation. It requires no account or up-front permissions and logs all actions locally.

Ballast at a glance

Best for: Software engineer
Runs on: macOS
Pricing: Free
Released: October 2026
Category: AI coding tool
Website: github.com/linearza/ballast

Key features

Scans developer clutter across over 60 tools
Identifies active versions and running databases
Previews every removal step and command
Sends deleted files to the Trash
Flags files located in iCloud Drive
Runs without requiring an account or up-front permissions
Logs all actions to a local log file

Use it for

Cleaning up old Ruby, Node, and Python versions
Removing unused Docker images and build caches
Deleting merged git worktrees and old build output
Clearing downloaded AI models and package manager caches

Alternatives to Ballast

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Gtree — Runs multiple AI coding agents together and flags file overlaps.
FuelBar for Mac and Windows — Monitors multiple AI coding usage limits in one small always-on-top interface.
Flisk — Eliminates local infrastructure setup pain and AI hallucination.

All Ballast alternatives