Windows 11 Storage Governance Kit
中文文档 | English
A Codex Skills kit for fixing Windows 11 system-drive bloat.
This project turns a practical Windows 11 C-drive cleanup workflow into a reusable agent skill and reference runbook. The core idea is not simply to delete files. It is to govern the system drive: classify what is safe to clean, move large regenerable caches away from C:, configure package managers and developer tools to use stable non-system locations, and keep Windows-managed directories under official maintenance paths.
What Problem It Solves
Windows 11 machines often accumulate tens or hundreds of gigabytes under:
%TEMP%, C:\Windows\Temp, update caches, and delivery optimization data.AppData\Local and AppData\Roaming.- Electron updater leftovers and browser profile caches.
C:\Windows\Installer, WinSxS, WindowsApps, and other system-managed stores.- winget, Scoop, npm, pip, NuGet, Rust, Playwright, Puppeteer, Hugging Face, and Torch caches.
- NVIDIA/DirectX shader caches, game launchers, AI models, and developer SDKs.
Most cleanup guides treat these as isolated junk folders. That is not enough. The same bloat returns unless the machine has a storage policy.
This kit provides that policy.
Core Principles
- Observe before deleting. Find the real large directories first.
- Classify by risk. Cache, app data, installer cache, system servicing data, and user files require different treatment.
- Use official tools first. WinSxS, Windows Update, Store/UWP apps, Visual Studio, drivers, and MSI repair should not be handled by blind filesystem deletion.
- Migrate what will grow again. Developer caches, package caches, downloads, models, game libraries, and shader caches should have explicit non-system locations.
- Do not move whole system state. Do not junction
C:\Windows\Installer, C:\Windows\WinSxS, C:\Program Files\WindowsApps, the whole user profile, the whole AppData, or the whole ProgramData.
- Protect privacy. The skill defaults to template-only planning and does not inspect local user folders, registry, environment variables, logs, or package inventories unless explicitly asked.
Repository Layout
.
├── docs/
│ ├── windows-11-c-drive-governance.md
│ ├── compatibility.md
│ ├── trigger-tuning.md
│ └── ...
├── examples/
│ ├── dry-runs.md
│ ├── usage-benchmark.md
│ └── replay-log-template.md
├── scripts/
│ ├── install.ps1
│ └── validate-pack.py
├── skills/
│ └── win11-storage-governance/
│ ├── SKILL.md
│ ├── agents/openai.yaml
│ └── references/
├── README.md
├── README.zh-CN.md
├── skill-pack.json
└── VERSION
The Skill
Skill name:
win11-storage-governance
Use it when the user asks about:
- Windows 11 C-drive bloat.
AppData, C:\Windows\Installer, WinSxS, or WindowsApps.- winget versus Scoop.
- Moving package-manager, developer, AI, browser, or shader caches.
- Designing a recurring cleanup policy.
- Creating a safe cleanup plan for one Windows 11 device or a fleet of similar devices.
The skill is intentionally concise. Detailed logic lives in:
skills/win11-storage-governance/references/safety-model.mdskills/win11-storage-governance/references/runbook.mdskills/win11-storage-governance/references/device-profile-template.md
Install the Codex Skill
From the repository root:
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\install.ps1
Install to a custom skills root:
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\install.ps1 -DestinationRoot "C:\Users\<User>\.codex\skills"
Overwrite an existing installed copy:
powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\install.ps1 -Force
Example Prompt
Use $win11-storage-governance to create a safe Windows 11 C-drive cleanup and storage migration plan for a developer workstation. Do not inspect the local machine.
For a local audit, be explicit:
Use $win11-storage-governance to inspect this Windows 11 machine and report what is safe to clean. Do not delete anything.
Validation
Validate the pack:
python .\scripts\validate-pack.py .
Validate the skill with Codex's system skill validator when available:
python C:\Users\<User>\.codex\skills\.system\skill-creator\scripts\quick_validate.py .\skills\win11-storage-governance
If your Python environment does not have PyYAML, run the validator through your preferred isolated tool runner, for example:
uvx --with pyyaml python C:\Users\<User>\.codex\skills\.system\skill-creator\scripts\quick_validate.py .\skills\win11-storage-governance
Safety Notice
This project is conservative by design. It will not recommend manual deletion of Windows servicing stores or installer caches. In particular:
- Do not manually delete
C:\Windows\Installer.
- Do not manually delete
C:\Windows\WinSxS.
- Do not manually move
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps.
- Do not junction the whole
AppData, user profile, or ProgramData.
For high-risk areas, use official tools, vendor uninstallers, repair utilities, quarantine workflows, and rollback plans.
License
MIT License.
一个 Codex Skills 工具包，把一套实用的 Windows 11 C 盘清理工作流变成可复用的 agent 技能和参考手册，用于治理存储空间（而不只是删文件）。