Read-only view of what fills a Mac: disk usage, cleanup candidates, largest items, app leftovers.

How do I install CoreTend?

Install CoreTend via npm from https://registry.npmjs.org, then add the server config to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code).

Is CoreTend open source?

Yes, CoreTend is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Source code is available at https://github.com/ahmetbsbnr/coretend.

What category does CoreTend belong to?

CoreTend is listed under Other MCP servers on MCPFind.

CoreTend — MCP Server for Other

Four spaces

Space	The question it answers
Home	How is my Mac, and what can I do now? The space CoreTend can give back, one button away.
Space	What takes the space? A map of your home folder, large files and exact duplicates.
Clean	What can I remove safely? 14 rules read at once — caches, logs, Xcode, simulators, npm, pnpm, Gradle, Cargo, Mail — safe items ticked, one review, Undo.
Apps	Which apps take space or start on their own? Uninstall completely: the app and the files it left.

History of every scan and move stays at the sidebar's foot.

Around the Mac

Shortcuts and Siri: Get Free Space, Get Space to Clear, Open CoreTend (read and open only).
Widget: free space and what the last Clean found.
Finder: right-click a folder › Analyze with CoreTend; or drop it on the Dock icon.
System features (optional): tidy /Library/Caches and turn third-party system services on or off through a small signed helper, installed only when you turn it on in Settings › System (decision 0006).

What CoreTend will never do

Erase anything for good. Moves go to the macOS Trash after your review; CoreTend checks each item again just before, and Undo puts it back.
Scare you. No health score, no alarm, no invented figure.
Watch you. No account, no telemetry. The only request asks this site whether an update exists, and you can turn it off in Settings.

Install

Download CoreTend-2.2.0-universal.dmg (notarized) from Releases or the site.
Homebrew: brew install --cask ahmetbsbnr/coretend/coretend (also links coretend in your PATH)
Terminal and AI assistants: coretend on npm — npx coretend clean · npx -y coretend mcp; see CLI.md.

macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel. English and French (follows macOS). CoreTend asks for Full Disk Access once, to read Mail, Safari and app data; without it, it reads what macOS allows.

Build from source

swift build --product CoreTendApp   # the app
swift build --product CoreTendCLI   # a read-only command-line tool
make qualify                        # every test, gate and check
make package-local                  # an unsigned CoreTend.app in Artifacts/

Swift 6, SwiftPM; one runtime dependency, Sparkle, for signed updates. The code is organised in modules: DesignSystem (the Serre design and the living greenhouse), ScanCore (read-only scanning), SafetyCore (the only code that may move a file — to the Trash), Domain, Persistence, AppShell and the app itself, plus the widget (CoreTendWidget), the Finder menu (CoreTendFinder) and the optional system helper (CoreTendHelper, HelperProtocol), which link no other package.

Contributing

Read CONTRIBUTING.md and GOVERNANCE. Security issues: SECURITY.md. Code under Apache 2.0, documentation under CC BY 4.0.

Set up in your AI client

AI clientOperating system

Merge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-github-ahmetbsbnr-coretend": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "coretend"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.

Claude Desktop setup reference

Compatible MCP Clients

CoreTend works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.

Claude Desktop~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.

Cursor~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect.

VS Code.vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.

Windsurf~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect.

Claude Code.mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.

CoreTend