5. Maintenance
Forge maintenance trims generated operational files according to your configured retention settings.
Run:
Forge: Vault Maintenance
Maintenance is intended for Forge-generated operational material, not personal notes.
It helps keep the Forge workspace tidy over time by pruning old reports, backups, and history files that gradually accumulate during normal usage.
What Maintenance Manages
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Backup retention days | Removes old patch backups after the configured age |
| Inbox retention days | Defines when inbox files become stale |
| Inbox retention action | Either deletes stale inbox files during maintenance or leaves them for Vault Lint to list under Needs Review |
| Lint history retention days | Removes older lint history entries |
| Lint history max entries | Caps the total number of lint history records |
| Patch report retention | Keeps only the newest patch report set |
Maintenance only targets generated operational content plus inbox notes when inbox retention is set to delete.
If inbox retention is set to list under Needs Review, maintenance leaves inbox notes untouched and Vault Lint reports them as review items instead.
Why Maintenance Exists
Forge intentionally keeps operational files visible inside the vault.
That includes:
- backups
- reports
- repair manifests
- lint history
- export summaries
- patch archives
This improves transparency and reviewability.
But over time, those files can accumulate.
Maintenance helps prevent the Forge workspace from slowly turning into a small archaeological dig site full of historical lint reports from six months ago.
Typical Maintenance Workflow
A common workflow looks like this:
- Run Vault Lint
- Apply repairs or patches
- Export summaries if needed
- Run maintenance occasionally
- Keep only recent operational history
Most users only need maintenance periodically.
Daily maintenance is usually unnecessary unless the vault generates a large amount of operational output.
Recommended Use
Run maintenance manually at first.
This helps you understand:
- what gets retained
- what gets deleted
- how quickly reports accumulate
- which retention windows feel comfortable
After that, you can optionally enable:
Run maintenance after patch
in:
Settings → Patch
This automatically runs maintenance after successful patch operations.
Most users should leave automatic maintenance disabled until their patch workflows become predictable.
What Maintenance Does Not Do
Maintenance does not:
- delete personal notes
- reorganize the vault
- rewrite metadata
- normalize content
- repair structures
- modify schemas
It only manages generated Forge operational files.
Suggested Retention Strategy
A practical starting point:
| Item | Suggested Retention |
|---|---|
| Patch backups | 14–30 days |
| Patch reports | 7–14 days |
| Lint history | 30–90 days |
| Inbox retention | Start with warnings, then switch to delete if the inbox is truly disposable |
Longer retention is useful for:
- large migrations
- active vault restructuring
- shared vaults
- experimental schema work
Shorter retention keeps the operational workspace lighter and easier to navigate.
Maintenance and Safety
Forge intentionally separates:
- operational cleanup
- vault modification workflows
Maintenance should feel low-risk and predictable.
If you are uncertain about retention settings:
- keep longer retention windows
- review generated files manually first
- shorten retention gradually over time
Storage is usually cheaper than regret.
