Is it safe to delete asdf tool versions?
Versions of languages and tools that asdf has installed through its plugins, one folder for each tool and version.
Review first
It's your own data, or hard to recreate. Decide item by item.
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What it is
asdf installs each version you ask for, such as a Node.js, Ruby or Erlang version, into this folder, and creates shims so the right version runs in each project. Versions stay until you uninstall them, so the folder grows as you add new ones. asdf uninstalls one version at a time.
If it's removed
Projects that ask for an uninstalled version can't run it until you install it again with asdf.
What to do instead
asdf manages these versions and can uninstall the ones you no longer use. Your projects' .tool-versions files say which versions they need.
The free analyzer finds it and explains it. The app never removes it.
Sources
- asdf-vm.com/manage/configuration.html
- asdf-vm.com/manage/versions.html
- asdf-vm.com/plugins/create.html
Last checked on 26 Sep 2026. Every entry is written and checked by hand; the app and the command-line tool use the same words.