Latent
Also known as: Latent Mac Cleaner
Active · Website
Closed-source macOS cleaner for developer and AI-tool disk usage, native Swift/SwiftUI: draws the disk as one wheel grouped by the tool that owns each byte (120+ dev/AI tools: Ollama, LM Studio and Hugging Face models, Xcode simulators/device symbols/DerivedData, Docker, node_modules, Unity/Unreal/Godot, Solana/Foundry/Hardhat caches), marks each part R (re-downloadable or rebuildable, proven), I (may hold your work, locked), or P (protected), and sends removals to the Trash. Also does app uninstalls with leftovers, near-identical media grouping, and a memory/swap tab, and exposes a built-in MCP server so Claude, Codex or Cursor can read the scan and draft a cleanup the user confirms. Free scan plus first 10 GB free, then $12.99 one-time; notarized Apple-silicon DMG, no telemetry, no account.
- Platforms
- Interface
- Tech stack
- Swift + SwiftUI built with Swift Package Manager, no Electron (per r/sideprojects launch); getattrlistbulk scanner with an FSEvents-updated index; built-in MCP server (stdio, JSON-RPC); website and licence server on Cloudflare Workers; payments via Polar; notarized by Apple
- Features
- Dev-junk cleaning
- Its primary focus
- Development
- Solo developer · original author still leads
'I'm the solo developer of Latent' (r/sideprojects). FatTail Labs is a registered one-person Korean studio; release cadence and support replies are all the same person.
- License
- Proprietary
Closed source; no public repo. Distributed as a notarized DMG from latentmac.com/download and licensed through a Cloudflare Workers licence server (payments via Polar).
- Price
- One-time purchase
Free to scan plus first 10 GB of cleanup free, no time limit; then '$12.99 one-time for 3 Macs' (launch special $9.99); 14-day refund
- Launched
- Sep 3, 2026
first_release_at
- First release
- Sep 3, 2026
- Domain registered
- Aug 14, 2026 (latentmac.com)
- Last seen alive
- Oct 30, 2026
Checks
Mechanical checks derived from the fields above. Each row is one fact; "not yet checked" means exactly that, not a failure. There is no composite score; read them together.
| Track record | 58 days ago |
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| Source published | Not yet checked |
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| Release signing | Not yet checked |
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| Security contact | Not yet checked |
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| Reproducible builds | Not yet checked |
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| Telemetry | Not yet checked |
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| Runs elevated | Not yet checked |
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| Auto-update channel | Not yet checked |
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| Recent activity | Last seen yesterday |
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Research notes
- Author-admitted vibe coding ('built it with Claude Code as my pair programmer', vibecoded flair) yet the safety engineering is unusually explicit: per-item R/I/P marks, a 'proof ladder' (registry identity, recorded provenance, vendor contract, vendor documentation, observed experiment), Trash-only deletion, locked unproven rows, and a seven-day quarantine that watches whether a moved-aside folder comes back.
- First catalog entry that delegates cleaning decisions to AI agents: built-in MCP server (stdio, JSON-RPC) lets Claude, Codex or Cursor read the scan and draft a cleanup; deletions still require in-app confirmation.
- Markets itself head-on against incumbents: 'a CleanMyMac alternative for developers and AI builders'; posts argue CleanMyMac's cleared caches 'grow right back' and DaisyDisk 'stops at the folder'.
- In the r/macapps thread (post itself removed by reddit's spam filter) the author answered probing questions with per-registry verification mechanics: Hugging Face commit hashes, Ollama manifest digests, npm version-by-version shipped in 1.0.17.
- Also seeds promo comments under other people's posts (r/GetStartups, r/AppsWebappsFullstack, r/devops self-promo thread).
- Very fast release cadence: changelog.json shows 0.1.0 (2026-09-03) through 1.0.22 (2026-10-30), 40+ releases in under two months with localized notes, several same-day pairs.
- Serial-indie context: author Bernard D. Lee runs the FatTail Labs studio (Republic of Korea business reg 872-08-02753) with 6+ consumer apps (Renka, FoodIt ai, AGITQ, CityCat, Re:vive, PP Currency Converter); reddit history is a portfolio promotion log. Latent is its first desktop/dev-tool app.
- Tension to watch: closed source + licence server + paid cleanup of AI model folders, while selling 'no analytics, no telemetry, no account' and optional Full Disk Access.
Announcements
3 recorded (1 since removed)
Oct 30, 2026 r/sideprojects — I built a Mac disk cleaner that sees inside each dev and AI tool, not just big folders by u/dayenvironmental3454
Video post carrying the vibecoded flair and the Claude Code admission. A second comment is counted but does not render in archives (likely filtered).
Hi, I'm Bernard from FatTail Labs. I'm the solo developer of Latent, and this post is about my own app. — Intro cliche
The tools I tried didn't really fix it. Cache cleaners freed a few GB that filled right back up. Disk maps showed me that ~/Library/Developer was huge, but not what was inside it or which parts I still needed. — Problem statement
a native macOS app in Swift and SwiftUI, built with Swift Package Manager, no Electron — Virtue
No analytics, no telemetry, no account. — Trust signal
A built-in MCP server (stdio, JSON-RPC) lets Claude, Codex or Cursor read the scan and draft a cleanup that you confirm in the app. The website and licence server run on Cloudflare Workers, payments go through Polar, and the app is notarized by Apple. — Tech bingo
If something on your Mac is eating space and Latent doesn't recognize it yet, tell me in the comments. I'll add it! — Engagement hook
Oct 23, 2026 r/macbook — What was actually eating my Mac's disk (and why cleaners didn't help) by u/dayenvironmental3454
Earliest author promotion found; teaser-style post that discloses the app only at the end ('I ended up building a small app for this (Latent, I'm the developer)').
Oct 24, 2026 r/macapps — Latent - A CleanMyMac alternative for developers and AI builders by u/dayenvironmental3454removed
Removed by reddit's spam filter (removed_by_category 'reddit'); the thread carried the deepest technical discussion found - author named himself Bernard D. Lee, posted his LinkedIn, and disclosed per-registry verification mechanics plus heavy AI-tool use.
Cleaners like CleanMyMac only clear system caches and remove apps, so the disk fills right back up and the real cause never gets touched. My own Mac kept running out of space, so I built Latent. — Problem statement
no analytics, no telemetry, no account. Your files never leave yo — Trust signal
If a tool you use isn't recognized, tell me in the comments and I'll add it. — Engagement hook
Sources
Wrong, stale, or missing something? Flag this listing: corrections reach the site operator, not Latent's developer.