DBngin Sparkle PersistentDownloads Cache On Mac: Safe Cleanup

If DBngin repeatedly downloads updater DMGs, macOS can lose tens of gigabytes under a cache path that does not look like database storage. Close DBngin first, then separate updater cache from actual database files.

The Path To Check

The reported cache bucket is Sparkle updater data, not the databases DBngin manages:

~/Library/Caches/com.tinyapp.DBngin/org.sparkle-project.Sparkle/PersistentDownloads/

Users in the issue reported reclaiming large amounts of disk space from repeated update downloads. The important boundary is to clean this cache folder only, not DBngin's database data directories.

Safe Cleanup Boundary

• Usually safe: repeated updater DMGs or packages under PersistentDownloads, after DBngin is closed.
• Review first: any folder outside ~/Library/Caches/com.tinyapp.DBngin/ that is not clearly an updater cache.
• Do not touch blindly: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, or other database data directories managed by DBngin.

Measure Before Deleting

A quick size check gives you proof before moving anything to Trash:

CACHE="$HOME/Library/Caches/com.tinyapp.DBngin/org.sparkle-project.Sparkle/PersistentDownloads"
du -sh "$CACHE" 2>/dev/null
find "$CACHE" -maxdepth 2 -type f -print0 2>/dev/null |
  xargs -0 ls -lh 2>/dev/null |
  sort -k5 -h |
  tail -40

Cleanup Order

1. Quit DBngin completely.
2. Measure PersistentDownloads and confirm it contains update downloads.
3. Move only the contents of that cache folder to Trash.
4. Reopen DBngin and confirm your databases still start.
5. Empty Trash only after the app behaves normally.