clean

/dotnet:clean

Recursively clean build artifacts (bin/obj folders) with options for package cache and artifacts folders.

Arguments

Parse arguments from $ARGUMENTS:

Flag	Description	Default
--all	Clean bin, obj, packages, and artifacts	false
--packages	Also clear NuGet packages cache for solution	false
--artifacts	Also clean publish/artifacts folders	false
--project <path>	Target specific project (fuzzy matching)	All projects
--dry-run	Show what would be deleted without deleting	false

Workflow

Step 1: Locate Target

If --project specified:

1. Use Glob to find matching .csproj file
2. Scope cleaning to that project's directory only

If no project specified:

1. Find solution file in current/parent directories
2. Clean all projects in solution directory tree

Step 2: Find Directories to Clean

Always clean:

• **/bin/ directories
• **/obj/ directories

If --packages or --all:

• Local .packages/ folder if exists
• NuGet HTTP cache for this solution (use dotnet nuget locals http-cache --clear)

If --artifacts or --all:

• **/publish/ directories
• **/artifacts/ directories
• **/.artifacts/ directories (SDK-style artifacts output)

Step 3: Calculate Size

Before deletion, calculate total size:

# For each directory found, sum sizes
du -sh <directories>

Step 4: Execute or Report

If --dry-run:

Would delete the following directories:

  bin/obj folders:
    src/MyApp/bin/ (45 MB)
    src/MyApp/obj/ (12 MB)
    tests/MyApp.Tests/bin/ (23 MB)
    tests/MyApp.Tests/obj/ (8 MB)

  Total: 88 MB across 4 directories

Run without --dry-run to delete.

If NOT --dry-run:

1. Delete directories using platform-appropriate commands:

   • Windows: Remove-Item -Recurse -Force or rm -rf (Git Bash)
   • Unix: rm -rf

2. Report results:

Cleaned 4 directories, freed 88 MB

  Deleted:
    src/MyApp/bin/
    src/MyApp/obj/
    tests/MyApp.Tests/bin/
    tests/MyApp.Tests/obj/

Step 5: Clear NuGet Cache (if requested)

If --packages or --all:

dotnet nuget locals http-cache --clear
dotnet nuget locals temp --clear

Report cache clearing results.

Platform Considerations

Windows (Git Bash):

find . -type d \( -name "bin" -o -name "obj" \) -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true

Windows (PowerShell) - AVOID: Do NOT use PowerShell for deletion. Use Git Bash rm -rf instead.

Unix/macOS:

find . -type d \( -name "bin" -o -name "obj" \) -exec rm -rf {} + 2>/dev/null || true

Output Format

Dry Run:

[DRY RUN] Would clean the following:

bin/obj folders (4 directories, 88 MB):
  - src/MyApp/bin/ (45 MB)
  - src/MyApp/obj/ (12 MB)
  - tests/MyApp.Tests/bin/ (23 MB)
  - tests/MyApp.Tests/obj/ (8 MB)

Run without --dry-run to delete.

Actual Clean:

Cleaned .NET build artifacts

  Removed: 4 directories
  Freed: 88 MB

  Directories deleted:
    - src/MyApp/bin/
    - src/MyApp/obj/
    - tests/MyApp.Tests/bin/
    - tests/MyApp.Tests/obj/

With Packages:

Cleaned .NET build artifacts and NuGet cache

  Build artifacts: 4 directories, 88 MB
  NuGet HTTP cache: cleared
  NuGet temp cache: cleared

  Total freed: ~150 MB

Examples

# Clean bin and obj folders
/dotnet:clean

# Preview what would be cleaned
/dotnet:clean --dry-run

# Clean everything including package cache
/dotnet:clean --all

# Clean specific project
/dotnet:clean --project MyApp.Api

# Clean including artifacts folders
/dotnet:clean --artifacts

Safety

• Always shows what will be deleted before proceeding (unless --dry-run)
• Does not delete source files
• Does not delete git-tracked files
• Skips directories that fail to delete (reports them)