--- name: "cruft" section: "8" platform: "linux" package: "cruft-ng" version: "0.9.71" release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/cruft" --- # cruft(8) Check the filesystem for cruft (missing and unexplained files) ## NAME cruft - Check the filesystem for cruft (missing and unexplained files) ## SYNOPSIS **cruft \[ FILE \]** ## DESCRIPTION **cruft** is a program that goes over the Debian packaging system's database, and compares the contents of that with the files actually on your system, and produces a summary of the differences. ## OPTIONS If a file is provided, cruft-ng will analyze this single file and print matching package(s) name(s).\ Without any option, cruft-ng will analyze the whole system. ## FILES A user can tune execution by providing extra configuration files: - **/etc/cruft/ignore** Do not process paths listed in this file, this can speed-up matching. Example values: /var/schroot/, /var/www/ ... This will override the default **/usr/share/cruft/ignore** - **/etc/cruft/filters/\*** Rules (glob-patterns) similar that are similar to those built-in into *cruft* package. The uppercase files are always processed, the lowercase ones are processed when matching package is installed. - **/etc/cruft/explain/\*** Shell scripts that will print-out a list of temporary file belonging to a package. The uppercase files are always processed, the lowercase ones are processed when matching package is installed. ## ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES It is possible to get some debugging information from cruft by setting the variable **DEBUG.** ## CAVEAT The cleansing command **apt purge '~c'** should be run beforehand. Beware that this may cleanse old databases and currently unused settings you would have liked to preserve. ## SEE ALSO Documentation from original cruft package: https://github.com/a-detiste/cruft/blob/master/README ## AUTHOR This manual page was written by Alexandre Detiste \, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others).