Developer Tools Cache
macOS stores temporary data for Apple’s developer tooling under com.apple.DeveloperTools, including downloaded documentation and symbol indexes, asset and package fetch caches, derived metadata, and SQLite support files such as WAL and SHM journals. These caches speed up Xcode-adjacent tasks like opening docs, resolving symbols, indexing SDK content, and reusing previously fetched developer resources, but they can become stale after Xcode, SDK, or Command Line Tools updates. Kudu removes only the disposable cache contents in this folder, including transient databases and journal files, without touching projects, source code, signing identities, accounts, or preferences.
Why clean Developer Tools Cache?
- Outdated symbol and documentation indexes after an Xcode or SDK update can make Quick Help show missing entries or old API references until the cache is rebuilt
- Corrupted downloaded asset or package cache files can cause repeated fetch failures, stuck progress indicators, or resources that never finish loading in Apple developer tools
- Stale metadata from previous Command Line Tools installs can leave code completion and symbol lookup inconsistent, with some frameworks resolving while others appear missing
- SQLite cache databases in this folder accumulate free pages and fragmentation over time; vacuuming rewrites the file compactly without deleting rows, which reduces bloat and can improve lookup responsiveness
- Leftover WAL and SHM journal files from interrupted writes can keep cache databases larger than expected and contribute to slow startup or repeated reindexing behavior
- A cache built against an older SDK can cause mismatched documentation snippets, unavailable symbols, or delayed indexing immediately after installing a new macOS SDK
- Excessive growth in Developer Tools cache data can consume several gigabytes on disk, which users usually notice as shrinking free space even though projects themselves have not grown
Cache paths Kudu targets
macOS
~/Library/Caches/com.apple.DeveloperTools |
Common questions about Developer Tools 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.