Is it safe to delete CocoaPods spec repos?
Local copies of the public CocoaPods Specs index, which CocoaPods uses to look up pods and their versions.
Safe
Its owner recreates it by itself when it needs it, and nothing you made is lost.
~/
What it is
CocoaPods keeps the index of public pods here. Current versions use the trunk folder, which holds only the parts of the index fetched from the CocoaPods CDN. Older setups cloned the whole Specs repository into a folder named master or cocoapods, which can take several gigabytes. CocoaPods fetches the index again when a project needs it. Private spec repos you added are kept in other folders and aren't included.
If it's removed
The next pod install fetches the index again, which takes longer and needs a network connection.
How it's removed
Moved to the Trash, where you can restore it.
The free analyzer finds it and explains it. Removing it is Pro, after a review sheet that lists every move and command. It starts checked in the Cleanup checklist, except inside Documents or Desktop.
Sources
- blog.cocoapods.org/CocoaPods-1.8.0-beta
- github.com/CocoaPods/Core/blob/master/lib/cocoapods-core/source/manager.rb
- github.com/CocoaPods/CocoaPods/blob/master/lib/cocoapods/sources_manager.rb
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.