Build ci and package artifact sprawl control
When to use
Storage is disappearing without human activity, or CI artifacts are accumulating.
Procedure
- Attribute space to artifact classes: build outputs, caches, package stores, CI logs and artifacts, container layers, model weights, worktrees.
- Identify which are regenerable and at what cost to regenerate.
- Set retention per class rather than one global rule.
- Trim the regenerable classes with the cheapest-to-rebuild first.
- Add cache cleanup to the same cadence rather than as a manual rescue.
Decision rules
- Regenerable is not free: a cache that takes an hour to rebuild has a cost, and the eviction policy must account for it.
- CI artifacts are usually the easiest large win and the least examined.
- Never clear a package store that a pinned build depends on without checking the pin.
- Run caches hold state that makes the next run fast; treat them as an asset with a retention policy.
Decision-output clarification
Separate the observed artifact type and proposed policy from the eligible cleanup candidate and recommended policy. A pinned package store with no passed dependency check is not eligible for removal; reject a global cache-age rule in favour of per-class retention. Cheap regeneration and expiry do not grant removal authority: analysis-only work still needs a separate approved removal decision.
Before returning a structured result, check that each field answers the requested proposition, uses the requested types and vocabulary, and agrees with the explanation. Saved evidence is not an action performed by you; a recommended next step is not an executed action.
Pitfalls
- Deleting a shared build cache and slowing every subsequent job.
- Assuming a container layer set reclaims what the tool advertises.
- Clearing the store that serves the offline rebuild you will need.
Done
Space is attributed by class, retention is set per class, and the largest reclaim came from the cheapest-to-regenerate class.
