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To keep Visual Studio Code from filling your drive during AI coding, first identify which folders are actually using the space, then review and remove inactive agent worktrees with VS Code’s built-in cleanup tool. If the system drive is still constrained, move VS Code-managed data to another location. AI tokens and context-window use are separate from local disk storage; the documented storage concern here is that worktree-isolated agent sessions can accumulate and use significant space.
Find what is using disk space
Start with your operating system’s storage settings or a trusted disk-usage tool to identify the largest directories. Then check whether VS Code’s inactive agent worktrees are a significant part of the total. The cleanup tool can show estimated worktree sizes before you choose what to remove.
Do not assume that long prompts or a large conversation context are filling the drive. Context refers to information supplied to the model, such as conversation inputs and workspace files; it is not a measure of local disk capacity. VS Code identifies isolated agent worktrees as a concrete source of disk use, but its documentation does not establish that token or context-window use fills local storage.
Clean up inactive agent worktrees safely
- Open the Command Palette in VS Code.
- Run Chat: Open Worktree Cleanup.
- Choose an inactivity filter: 7, 15, 30, 60, or 90 days.
- Review the listed sessions and their estimated sizes, then select only the inactive worktrees you no longer need.
VS Code is designed to preserve work during cleanup: it commits uncommitted changes to the session branch before removing a worktree. If changes cannot be preserved or removal cannot be completed safely, the worktree is left in place. The session and branch history remain, and restoring a session can recreate its worktree.
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This cleanup targets inactive session worktrees. It is not a general-purpose cleaner for extension folders, caches, build artifacts, or every other file associated with VS Code.
Use cleanup suggestions as a prompt, not a quota
To enable an in-product reminder, set chat.agentSessions.sessionStorageCleanupSuggestion.enabled to true. This experimental setting is disabled by default. The suggestion may appear when eligible inactive worktrees use at least 5 GiB or when 20 worktrees qualify.
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Those numbers are triggers for a suggestion, not a recommended storage limit and not an estimate of all VS Code data. Use the cleanup editor to review individual worktrees rather than treating either trigger as a quota.
Move VS Code-managed data off a constrained system drive
Relocation is useful when the system drive is tight and you want VS Code-managed data stored elsewhere. It changes where data is stored; it does not delete existing files or prevent storage from growing.
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- ADAPTS TO EVERY NEED: Whether using a PC or mobile phone, count on the T7 for extensive compatibility²; It’s a true team player when it comes to heavy-duty application usage or file-saving
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Portable Mode
Portable Mode keeps VS Code-managed data near the application. For supported Windows ZIP and Linux TAR.GZ distributions, create a data folder beside the application. On macOS, create a code-portable-data folder beside the application. VS Code’s Portable Mode documentation also explains migrating existing user data and extensions.
A portable external SSD can be a practical destination if it stays connected and you have a backup plan. That is a user choice based on the relocation option, not an official VS Code hardware recommendation.
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Custom directories
Alternatively, launch VS Code with --user-data-dir <dir> to choose a user-data directory and --extensions-dir <dir> to choose an extensions directory. Portable Mode takes precedence over these command-line directory options.
Choose between cleanup and relocation
| Option | Best when | What it changes | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worktree cleanup | Inactive agent worktrees are confirmed to be using space. | Removes selected inactive worktrees while preserving branch history. | Review sessions before cleanup; it does not target other VS Code storage. |
| Portable Mode or custom directories | The system drive is constrained and you want VS Code-managed data elsewhere. | Changes the storage location; it does not remove data or cap future growth. | The destination must remain available. Portable Mode overrides the custom-directory CLI options. |
Understand session history and sync
VS Code’s Copilot session-history documentation describes searchable agent-session history stored in a local SQLite database. Session sync is on by default in that documentation. Setting chat.sessionSync.enabled to false keeps session data local by changing sync behavior; it does not delete existing local data.
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If you need to delete session history or address a corrupted history database, follow the official session-history instructions rather than manually removing undocumented database files.
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