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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/adileo/squirreldisk/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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General Questions

Yes, SquirrelDisk is completely safe and open source. You can inspect the entire source code on GitHub.What it does:
  • Scans your disk to analyze file sizes using the parallel-disk-usage engine
  • Displays results in an interactive sunburst chart
  • Can delete files you explicitly select (permanently, not to trash)
What it doesn’t do:
  • No telemetry or analytics collection
  • No network connections (except for checking updates on launch)
  • No data sent to external servers
  • No access to files you don’t explicitly scan
The app uses Tauri (Rust + WebView) which provides a secure, sandboxed environment. File system access is restricted to only the operations needed (scanning and deletion).
Code signing certificates cost hundreds of dollars per year (300−400forWindows,300-400 for Windows, 99/year for macOS). To keep SquirrelDisk completely free and open source, the developer has chosen not to pay for these certificates.This means:
  • Windows will show “Windows protected your PC” warnings
  • macOS Gatekeeper will block the app initially
  • Some antivirus software may flag it as potentially unwanted
This is normal for unsigned open source software. Many popular open source tools face the same issue.To verify safety:
  • Only download from the official GitHub releases page
  • Check the source code yourself on GitHub
  • The app is licensed under AGPL-3.0, guaranteeing transparency
Read more about this issue: Why codesigning is problematic for open source
No. SquirrelDisk does not collect any usage data, analytics, or telemetry.The only network connection the app makes is:
  • Checking for updates on app launch (contacts squirreldisk.com/api/updates/)
  • This can be disabled if you prefer
All scanning and analysis happens entirely on your local machine. No data about your files or disk usage is ever sent anywhere.You can verify this by:
  • Checking the source code on GitHub
  • Using network monitoring tools to observe the app’s connections
  • Running the app completely offline (updates won’t check, but everything else works)
SquirrelDisk uses apparent size (logical file size) rather than size-on-disk, which means:Apparent size:
  • The actual amount of data in the file
  • What you see in most file properties dialogs
  • More consistent across different file systems
Why not size-on-disk?
  • Size-on-disk varies based on block size and file system
  • Includes metadata and file system overhead
  • Less meaningful for comparing actual data usage
Accuracy considerations:
  • Hard links: Each hard link is counted separately (may inflate totals)
  • Symbolic links: Not followed by default (to prevent circular references)
  • Sparse files: Counted at apparent size, not actual disk usage
  • Compressed file systems: Shows uncompressed size
For most use cases (finding large files to delete), apparent size is the most useful metric.
No. Deletion through SquirrelDisk is permanent.When you delete files using SquirrelDisk:
  • Files bypass the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (macOS/Linux)
  • They are immediately removed from the file system
  • Recovery is extremely difficult or impossible
Always double-check what you’re deleting. Consider moving important files to a backup location before deletion if you’re unsure.
Best practices:
  • Review the delete queue carefully before confirming
  • Start with small, obviously unnecessary files
  • Keep backups of important data
  • Use your OS’s native file manager for important deletions if you want trash/recycle bin protection

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Technical Questions

There are several reasons a folder might not appear in your scan results:1. Permission restrictions:
  • You don’t have read access to the folder
  • System folders are protected by the OS
  • The folder requires administrator/root privileges
2. Intentionally excluded paths: When scanning from root (/), SquirrelDisk automatically excludes:
  • /dev - Device files
  • /proc - Process information
  • /mnt - Mount points
  • /cdrom - CD-ROM mount
  • /media - Removable media
  • /Volumes - macOS volume mounts
  • /System - macOS system files
These are excluded to prevent errors and meaningless results.3. Size threshold: By default, SquirrelDisk uses a minimum ratio filter. Very small folders (less than 1% of total scanned size) may not appear in the chart to keep it readable.4. Scan errors: Check the error count in the progress indicator. If there are many errors, some folders couldn’t be read.
SquirrelDisk is an open source alternative with some key differences:vs. WinDirStat:
  • ✅ Much faster scanning (parallel engine)
  • ✅ Modern, clean interface
  • ✅ Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)
  • ✅ Sunburst chart instead of treemap
  • ⚠️ Still in alpha, less mature
vs. DaisyDisk:
  • ✅ Free and open source (DaisyDisk is $9.99)
  • ✅ Cross-platform (DaisyDisk is macOS only)
  • ✅ Similar sunburst visualization
  • ⚠️ Less polished UI
  • ⚠️ Fewer features currently
vs. WizTree:
  • ✅ Cross-platform (WizTree is Windows only)
  • ✅ Open source
  • ⚠️ Slower on Windows (WizTree uses MFT parsing)
  • ⚠️ Different visualization approach
SquirrelDisk advantages:
  • Built with modern tech (Rust + Tauri)
  • Active development and open to contributions
  • Privacy-focused (no telemetry)
  • Free forever, no ads or upsells
Yes! SquirrelDisk is fully open source under the AGPL-3.0 license.What this means:
  • All source code is available on GitHub
  • You can inspect, modify, and distribute the code
  • You can contribute improvements
  • Commercial use is allowed
  • If you modify and distribute it, you must also share your changes
Technology stack:
  • Backend: Rust (via Tauri framework)
  • Frontend: React + TypeScript
  • Disk scanning: parallel-disk-usage (also open source)
  • Visualization: D3.js
You can build SquirrelDisk from source yourself if you prefer:
git clone https://github.com/adileo/squirreldisk.git
cd squirreldisk
npm install
npm run tauri build
Please report bugs on GitHub Issues.See the Reporting Bugs page for detailed information on what to include in your report.Quick version:
  1. Search existing issues first
  2. Create a new issue with:
    • Your OS and version
    • SquirrelDisk version (currently 0.3.4)
    • Steps to reproduce
    • Expected vs actual behavior
    • Screenshots if helpful
  3. Be clear and respectful
You can also join the Discord community to discuss issues informally.
Contributions are welcome! Here’s how you can help:For developers:
  • Browse open issues for bugs to fix or features to implement
  • Submit pull requests with improvements
  • Help review pull requests from other contributors
  • Improve documentation
For non-developers:
  • Report bugs you encounter
  • Suggest features on GitHub Discussions
  • Help other users on Discord
  • Share SquirrelDisk with others who might find it useful
  • Write tutorials or blog posts
Getting started:
  1. Fork the repository on GitHub
  2. Join the Discord community
  3. Read the code - the developer notes it’s still “spaghetti” and needs refactoring, so don’t be intimidated!
  4. Start with small improvements or bug fixes
The project maintainer describes the codebase as needing refactoring, which means there’s plenty of opportunity to make meaningful improvements!

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