Apps
Claude Code Cache
Claude Code stores reusable download and plugin cache data under its user profile so it does not need to fetch the same artifacts every time it starts or installs tooling. These folders typically contain downloaded package archives, extracted plugin payloads, temporary install artifacts, and metadata used to validate cached plugin and component downloads. Kudu removes only those cache files from ~/.claude/cache and ~/.claude/plugins/cache, leaving projects, checkpoints, conversation history, configuration, plugins, backups, and shell snapshots untouched.
Why clean Claude Code Cache?
- A partially downloaded component archive in Claude Code's cache can make plugin installs or updates loop endlessly, which shows up as repeated download attempts or install failures for the same plugin
- Stale plugin cache metadata can point Claude Code at an older extracted payload after an update, causing a plugin to load the wrong version or fail immediately at startup
- Corrupted temporary install artifacts in the plugins cache often surface as checksum or extraction errors, with plugins refusing to enable until the cached files are rebuilt
- Old cached download archives accumulate across plugin and component updates, so disk usage grows even though your active projects and conversation history have not increased
- If a cached dependency bundle was created before a plugin packaging change, Claude Code may spend extra time retrying validation and redownloading files, which users notice as slow plugin setup
- Broken cache entries can leave Claude Code stuck reusing invalid local artifacts instead of fetching clean ones, leading to recurring update prompts or plugins that never finish preparing
What gets cleaned
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
~/.claude/cache |
~/.claude/plugins/cache |
Frequently asked
Common questions about Claude Code Cache
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