Gradle Cache
Gradle stores downloaded dependency artifacts, transformed jars, Kotlin and Java compilation outputs, file-hash metadata, wrapper distributions, and build cache entries under ~/.gradle/caches, alongside daemon log files under ~/.gradle/daemon. These caches exist to avoid re-downloading modules and to reuse previous task outputs, but stale transform results, corrupted module metadata, or oversized daemon logs can cause puzzling build behavior. Kudu removes Gradle’s disposable caches and daemon log files so the next build can regenerate them, without touching your project sources, settings, accounts, or passwords.
Why clean Gradle Cache?
- Corrupted dependency artifacts or module metadata in ~/.gradle/caches can trigger checksum mismatches, ZipException errors, or builds that suddenly fail while resolving the same libraries that worked before
- Stale transformed jars and artifact transform outputs can survive plugin or dependency changes, leading to NoSuchMethodError, duplicate class conflicts, or code that compiles against the wrong binary until the cache is rebuilt
- Build cache entries reused after environment changes can cause tasks to be marked up-to-date incorrectly, so edits appear to be ignored and the app runs old code until a clean rebuild happens
- Gradle daemon log files in ~/.gradle/daemon can grow large over time, wasting disk space and making it harder to spot current failures because old stack traces and warnings drown out new ones
- Cached wrapper distributions, downloaded modules, and incremental compilation state can consume multiple gigabytes, which users notice as a steadily shrinking system drive even when project folders stay small
- After JDK, Android Gradle Plugin, or Kotlin plugin updates, old cache state can produce unexplained compilation errors or very slow first builds while Gradle retries and reindexes everything
- Some Gradle caches use SQLite-backed metadata stores, and page fragmentation can leave these databases larger and slower than necessary; rebuilding them is effectively like a VACUUM rewrite that compacts pages without deleting your project data
Cache paths Kudu targets
Windows
~/.gradle/caches |
~/.gradle/daemon |
macOS
~/.gradle/caches |
~/.gradle/daemon |
Linux
~/.gradle/caches |
~/.gradle/daemon |
Common questions about Gradle Cache
Download Kudu and reclaim your disk space.
Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No account required, no feature gates, no telemetry without consent. All cleaning targets are open source and community-auditable.