Developer & ITOriginal Reddit post
Using an App to Monitor File System Changes for Uninstalling Applications
I was wondering if anyone has experience using an app to monitor file system changes for the purpose of uninstalling applications, I found a tool called FSMonitor, which seems to do that. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but I assume it tracks which application created each file, allowing you to locate all files created by that app and completely uninstall it.
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AppCleaner and Pearcleaner will both help with uninstall cleanup. Didn’t know about FSMonitor. Thanks for the link. I used to use fseventer back in the day, and it looks like it’s been discontinued.
I use Appcleaner
I use Mole for cleaning the mac after I have deleted an app
So how exactly do you call mole then?
You will not understand much from the tree fsmonitor creates
This looks like what I need. I am terrified of installing anything vibe coded, not knowing where they will hide things. I have PearCleaner and I have used others, but I can always find extra files.
It sounds like you are describing: UninstallPKG (free) https://www.corecode.io/uninstallpkg/
i use AppDelete, but i think its not available anymore. My tests from a few years ago showed that AppDelete deletes the most, followed closely by AppCleaner.
I use Pearcleaner / Free / OSS https://amit9838.github.io/brewlens/#/cask/pearcleaner
You're solving a harder problem than necessary. For the "uninstall an app cleanly" use case, dedicated uninstallers like PearCleaner (free, open-source) or AppCleaner already know where Mac apps typically store files — `~/Library/Preferences`, `~/Library/Application Support`, caches, LaunchAgents — and find them by bundle identifier. No need to pre-monitor the install. FSMonitor is useful for watching what an app actually does while running or during a specific operation. Different tool for a different job.