vix clean

vix clean removes local project cache directories.

Use it when you want to clean generated state from the current project without deleting the global Vix cache.

bash

vix clean

Overview

vix clean is a project-local cleanup command.

It removes only:

txt

.vix/
build/

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It does not remove global Vix data.

That means it keeps:

txt

~/.vix/
~/.vix/registry/
~/.vix/store/
~/.vix/global/
~/.vix/cache/

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Use vix clean when the project-local state is stale, broken, or no longer needed.

Usage

bash

vix clean

What it removes

vix clean removes these directories from the current project:

txt

.vix/
build/

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Example:

txt

my-app/
├── .vix/
├── build/
├── src/
├── vix.app
└── vix.json

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After:

bash

vix clean

the project becomes:

txt

my-app/
├── src/
├── vix.app
└── vix.json

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What it does not remove

vix clean does not remove global Vix state.

It does not remove:

txt

~/.vix/
~/.vix/registry/index/
~/.vix/store/git/
~/.vix/global/installed.json
~/.vix/cache/build/

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So your registry index, global packages, and global store remain available.

Basic usage

Run it inside a Vix project:

bash

cd api
vix clean

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Output shape:

txt

Clean
  removing .vix/
  removing build/

✔ Project cache cleaned

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If nothing exists to clean:

txt

Clean

⚠ Nothing to clean

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When to use it

Use vix clean when:

txt

local generated state is stale
the project cache is broken
you want a fresh local build directory
you want to remove generated project files
you want to retry dependency integration cleanly

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Common cases:

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix build

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or:

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix dev

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Clean before rebuilding

bash

vix clean
vix build

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Use this when you want to remove the default local build directory before building again.

Clean before development mode

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix dev

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Use this when project-local generated state may be stale before running development mode.

Clean after dependency issues

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix check --tests

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Use this when dependency integration files under .vix/ may be outdated or broken.

Difference between `vix clean` and `vix reset`

Command	Purpose
`vix clean`	Remove `.vix/` and `build/` from the current project.
`vix reset`	Run project cleanup and reinstall project dependencies.

Use vix clean when you only want to delete local generated state.

Use vix reset when you want cleanup plus dependency reinstall.

Clean workflow

Manual workflow:

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix build

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Equivalent higher-level workflow:

bash

vix reset
vix build

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Important behavior

vix clean ignores extra arguments in the current implementation.

The intended command is:

bash

vix clean

There are no command options in the current implementation.

Options

vix clean currently has no options.

Command	Description
`vix clean`	Remove `.vix/` and `build/` from the current project.
`vix clean --help`	Show command help.

Commands reference

Command	Description
`vix clean`	Clean project-local generated state.
`vix reset`	Clean and reinstall project dependencies.
`vix install`	Install dependencies from `vix.lock`.
`vix build`	Build the project.
`vix dev`	Run the development workflow.
`vix info`	Inspect Vix paths and cache locations.
`vix store`	Manage the local package store.

Common workflows

Clean local project state

bash

vix clean

Clean and reinstall dependencies

bash

vix clean
vix install

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Clean and rebuild

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix build

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Clean before dev mode

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix dev

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Clean before validation

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix check --tests

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Common mistakes

Expecting `vix clean` to remove global cache

vix clean does not remove:

txt

~/.vix/

For global store cleanup, use:

bash

vix store path
vix store gc --project --dry-run

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For registry metadata, use:

bash

vix registry path
vix registry sync

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For environment inspection, use:

bash

vix info

Expecting `vix clean` to reinstall dependencies

vix clean only removes local directories.

After cleaning, run:

bash

vix install

or use:

bash

vix reset

when you want cleanup plus reinstall.

Running outside the project directory

Wrong:

bash

cd ..
vix clean

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Correct:

bash

cd api
vix clean

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vix clean works relative to the current directory.

Expecting it to remove every build directory

The current implementation removes:

txt

.vix/
build/

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It does not remove every possible custom build folder.

If your project uses a custom build folder such as:

txt

build-ninja/
build-release/

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remove it manually or use the command that created it if another workflow manages that directory.

Expecting it to remove global packages

vix clean does not remove global packages.

Use:

bash

vix list -g
vix uninstall -g <package>

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for global packages.

Troubleshooting

`Nothing to clean`

This means neither .vix/ nor build/ exists in the current directory.

It is not an error.

You can continue with:

bash

vix install
vix build

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Project still behaves strangely after clean

Run:

bash

vix reset

or manually run:

bash

vix clean
vix install
vix check --tests

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Dependency state still looks wrong

Refresh the registry and reinstall:

bash

vix registry sync
vix clean
vix install

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Global cache issue remains

Inspect Vix global paths:

bash

vix info

Then inspect the store:

bash

vix store path

Preview cleanup before deleting anything:

bash

vix store gc --project --dry-run

Best practices

Run vix clean from the project root.

Use it for project-local generated state only.

Run vix install after cleaning when the project depends on registry packages.

Use vix reset when you want the full clean plus reinstall workflow.

Use vix info before touching global cache or store data.

Do not use vix clean when you only want to remove a dependency. Use vix remove.

Do not use vix clean when you want to remove Vix from the machine. Use vix uninstall.

Command	Purpose
`vix reset`	Clean and reinstall project dependencies.
`vix install`	Install dependencies from `vix.lock`.
`vix build`	Build the project.
`vix dev`	Run the project in development mode.
`vix check`	Validate project health.
`vix info`	Show Vix paths and cache locations.
`vix store`	Manage the local package store.
`vix remove`	Remove a project dependency.
`vix uninstall`	Remove Vix or a global package.

Next step

Continue with project reset.

Open the vix reset guide

vix clean ​

Overview ​

Usage ​

What it removes ​

What it does not remove ​

Basic usage ​

When to use it ​

Clean before rebuilding ​

Clean before development mode ​

Clean after dependency issues ​

Difference between vix clean and vix reset ​

Clean workflow ​

Important behavior ​

Options ​

Commands reference ​

Common workflows ​

Clean local project state ​

Clean and reinstall dependencies ​

Clean and rebuild ​

Clean before dev mode ​

Clean before validation ​

Common mistakes ​

Expecting vix clean to remove global cache ​

Expecting vix clean to reinstall dependencies ​

Running outside the project directory ​

Expecting it to remove every build directory ​

Expecting it to remove global packages ​

Troubleshooting ​

Nothing to clean ​

Project still behaves strangely after clean ​

Dependency state still looks wrong ​

Global cache issue remains ​

Best practices ​

Related commands ​

Next step ​

vix clean

Overview

Usage

What it removes

What it does not remove

Basic usage

When to use it

Clean before rebuilding

Clean before development mode

Clean after dependency issues

Difference between `vix clean` and `vix reset`

Clean workflow

Important behavior

Options

Commands reference

Common workflows

Clean local project state

Clean and reinstall dependencies

Clean and rebuild

Clean before dev mode

Clean before validation

Common mistakes

Expecting `vix clean` to remove global cache

Expecting `vix clean` to reinstall dependencies

Running outside the project directory

Expecting it to remove every build directory

Expecting it to remove global packages

Troubleshooting

`Nothing to clean`

Project still behaves strangely after clean

Dependency state still looks wrong

Global cache issue remains

Best practices

Related commands

Next step