sccache

Why clean sccache?

• An oversized cache filled with old compiler outputs and compressed artifacts consumes several GB of SSD space, and you notice low disk warnings or failed builds when temporary files cannot be created
• Cache entries produced before a compiler, Rust toolchain, or build flag change can stop matching current inputs, so sccache falls back to misses and you see unexpectedly long rebuilds despite the cache taking lots of space
• Corrupted manifest or index metadata can make valid artifacts unreachable, which shows up as poor cache hit rates and compiles running as if sccache were barely helping
• Large numbers of stale object files from abandoned branches, target triples, or optimization modes bloat lookup work, and developers notice slower cache warm-up and less predictable incremental build times
• If the local cache directory is partially damaged after an interrupted write or abrupt shutdown, some compilations may recompile repeatedly because stored results can no longer be reused
• Shared compiler caches often outlive the projects that created them, so machines used for many Rust and C/C++ builds accumulate dead artifacts and users mainly notice that sccache keeps growing while current projects gain little benefit
• Cleaning removes only reusable build cache data, so the main visible effect is that the next compile takes longer while the cache repopulates, after which normal hit rates return

Common questions about sccache

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