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SAFETY.md

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Safety & Risk Levels

This document describes what the app can change, what it will not touch, and the safeguards around each workflow.

Core principles

  1. Nothing is deleted blindly. Cleanup targets are listed before deletion with name, path, category, size, and risk.
  2. Safe items are preselected. Moderate items require explicit opt-in.
  3. Filters never change selection. Changing the Disk Cleanup filter only changes what is visible in the review list.
  4. Quick Clean is safe-only. The Overview screen never submits Moderate items.
  5. Startup changes are reversible. The app only changes launch-on-sign-in state.
  6. System processes stay protected in the UI. The Memory screen disables destructive actions for those entries.

Risk categories

Safe

These items are fine to remove and can be regenerated automatically.

Examples:

  • %TEMP%
  • C:\Windows\Temp
  • browser caches
  • crash dumps
  • thumbnail caches
  • recycle bin contents

Moderate

These items are usually safe to remove, but the next use of the related tool may need to re-download or rebuild data.

Examples:

  • npm, pip, Cargo, NuGet, and Go caches
  • Windows Update download leftovers
  • large diagnostic/log caches

Advanced

The UI keeps an Advanced filter reserved for future cleanup targets, but the current Rust backend does not emit Advanced items.

If Advanced items are added later, they should require stronger confirmation and clearer warnings than the current Safe/Moderate workflow.

Disk Cleanup safeguards

  • The app auto-scans on entry, but it does not auto-clean.
  • Safe items are selected by default.
  • Moderate items stay unselected until the user explicitly adds them.
  • The sticky action bar shows the exact current selection before cleanup.
  • A dedicated cleaning screen is shown during deletion so the user knows work is in progress.
  • Cleanup results show both successful and skipped items.
  • Locked files are skipped instead of forcing deletion.

Startup Manager safeguards

The Startup Manager never uninstalls software.

  • Disabling a registry-backed item updates StartupApproved\Run.
  • Disabling a shortcut-backed item moves it to the .disabled folder so it can be restored.
  • Enabling reverses the same mechanism.

Memory safeguards

  • System processes show a "Protected" label instead of a kill button.
  • Killing a non-system process is equivalent to using Task Manager's "End task."
  • If termination fails, the backend returns an error and the UI displays it instead of crashing.

What is never touched

The app does not delete or modify:

  • personal files in Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Videos, or Music
  • browser bookmarks, passwords, history, or extensions
  • installed applications
  • critical Windows system files
  • game saves or normal app settings

Error handling

  • Cleanup skips locked or inaccessible files.
  • The result log reports per-item success or failure.
  • Failed cleanup, process, or startup actions are surfaced in the UI with error messages and retry options.
  • A top-level Error Boundary catches unexpected render crashes and shows a styled recovery screen instead of a blank page.