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jetstart clean

Stop Gradle daemons, kill Java language server processes, and remove build caches so that a project folder can be deleted on Windows. Optionally deletes the folder itself.

Why This Command Exists​

On Windows, several background processes hold open file handles on an Android project folder after jetstart dev is stopped:

  1. Gradle daemons — background JVM processes that stay alive between builds
  2. Editor Java language servers — the Kotlin Language Server, Gradle for Java, and Java Language Support extensions all run as java.exe and hold handles on .gradle/ and .kotlin/
  3. Node.js file watchers — JetStart's chokidar watcher may linger if dev was killed abruptly

Without cleaning these up first, Windows will show "Folder In Use" or EBUSY errors when you try to delete the project folder.

Usage​

jetstart clean [path] [options]

You can run it from inside the project folder or pass the path from anywhere:

# From inside the project
cd my-app
jetstart clean

# From the parent directory — no need to cd in
jetstart clean my-app

# From anywhere with a full or relative path
jetstart clean C:\Users\PC\Documents\my-app
jetstart clean ../projects/my-app

Options​

OptionDescription
[path]Path to the project folder. Defaults to the current directory if omitted.
--buildAlso remove app/build/ and build/ directories to free disk space. The next build will be slower as Gradle rebuilds from scratch.
--daemons-onlyOnly stop Gradle daemons. Skips cache removal and Node.js watcher cleanup — faster but less thorough.
--deleteDelete the project folder itself after releasing all locks. Uses rd /s /q on Windows, which bypasses shell-level locks that regular rm cannot.

What It Does​

Running jetstart clean executes these steps in order:

  1. Stops Gradle daemons gracefully via gradle --stop, then falls back to the project's gradlew wrapper
  2. Kills all java.exe processes — this removes Gradle daemons and editor language servers (Kotlin LS, Gradle for Java, Java LS). They restart automatically when your editor next needs them
  3. Kills Node.js file watchers whose command line references this project path
  4. Removes .gradle/ and .kotlin/ cache directories (primary sources of VS Code/editor locks)
  5. Removes .jetstart/ build cache
  6. (If --build) Removes app/build/ and build/
  7. (If --delete) Deletes the entire project folder using rd /s /q

Common Workflows​

Delete a project after stopping dev​

# 1. Stop the dev server (Ctrl+C in the terminal running jetstart dev)

# 2. Clean and delete from the parent folder
jetstart clean my-app --delete

Free disk space after a build​

cd my-app
jetstart clean --build

Only stop Gradle (fastest)​

cd my-app
jetstart clean --daemons-only

If the Folder Is Still Locked​

If jetstart clean runs successfully but you still can't delete the folder, your editor has it open in its Explorer panel. The editor itself (Electron-based apps like VS Code, Antigravity, Cursor) holds a directory handle on open workspace folders.

Fix:

In your editor, press Ctrl+Shift+P → type Close Folder → Enter

Then either delete the folder manually or run:

jetstart clean my-app --delete
tip

--delete uses cmd /c rd /s /q internally, which can delete folders that a normal rm -rf or File Explorer cannot, because it bypasses the shell namespace layer.

Troubleshooting​

"No Android project found in the current directory"​

You ran jetstart clean without a path argument and the current directory is not a JetStart project. Either cd into the project first, or pass the path:

# Wrong
cd ..
jetstart clean        # ← no path, not in a project

# Right
jetstart clean my-app

The folder still can't be deleted after --delete​

Your editor window has the folder open. Close the folder in your editor (see above), then run jetstart clean my-app --delete again.

See Also​