Title: Bauhaus File Cleanup for Tainacan
Author: bauhaustech
Published: July 7, 2026
Last modified: July 7, 2026
---
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# Bauhaus File Cleanup for Tainacan
By [bauhaustech](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bauhaustech/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan.1.0.0.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/)
## Description
Tainacan does not reliably remove uploaded files from disk when items are permanently
deleted. In particular, files of **private items** — which Tainacan stores in prefixed`
_x_` folders — are left orphaned in the uploads directory, slowly bloating
disk usage. Tainacan’s own code documents this as an unresolved TODO (`Private_Files::
rename_item_and_collection_folder_path` returns early on permanent deletion).
This add-on fixes that. While it is active, permanently deleting an item always
removes its files by default. You can disable this behaviour from **Settings Bauhaus
File Cleanup for Tainacan** if you need to temporarily keep files while the plugin
stays active.
This is an independent add-on developed by Bauhaus Tech. It is **not affiliated
with, endorsed by, or part of** the Tainacan project.
It works by hooking WordPress’ `before_delete_post`, which fires on every permanent
deletion regardless of where it was triggered:
* the Tainacan admin trash (REST API);
* the bulk-edit “delete” background process;
* the WordPress admin “Empty Trash”;
* WP-CLI (`wp tainacan ...` garbage collector);
* any other `wp_delete_post( $id, true )` call.
For each deleted Tainacan item it:
1. Deletes the remaining attachment posts (document, child attachments, thumbnail)
forcing real file removal (bypassing the media trash).
2. Removes the item’s dedicated upload folder recursively — covering WordPress-generated
derivative image sizes and the private `_x_` folders — by reconstructing the path
from the item and collection IDs instead of trusting the (often out-of-sync) attachment
metadata.
When a whole collection is permanently deleted, its entire `tainacan-items/` folder is removed too.
### Important notes
* This is **destructive and irreversible**: files are deleted from disk, not sent
to a trash. This is intentional — it is what the plugin exists to do.
* Each Tainacan item owns an isolated upload folder, so deleting it does not affect
other items. The plugin does **not** scan metadata for attachments shared across
items; if you reuse a single attachment across multiple items, deleting one item
may remove that shared file.
* Sending an item to the trash does nothing — cleanup only happens on **permanent**
deletion.
## Installation
1. Upload the `bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`,
or install the ZIP via **Plugins Add New Upload Plugin**.
2. Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” menu in WordPress.
3. Ensure Tainacan is installed and active.
4. Visit **Settings Bauhaus File Cleanup for Tainacan** to toggle the behaviour on
or off. The plugin defaults to enabled.
## FAQ
### Does it delete files when I just trash an item?
No. It only acts on permanent deletion (emptying the trash / “delete permanently”).
### Can I keep the files?
Visit **Settings Bauhaus File Cleanup for Tainacan** and uncheck the toggle. The
plugin stays active but stops removing files. You can also deactivate the plugin
entirely — with it inactive, WordPress/Tainacan behave as before.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“Bauhaus File Cleanup for Tainacan” is open source software. The following people
have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
* [ bauhaustech ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bauhaustech/)
* [ Fred Marvila ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/marvila/)
[Translate “Bauhaus File Cleanup for Tainacan” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.0
* Initial release. Fixes orphaned files left by Tainacan on permanent deletion —
including the private items “_x_” folders. Includes a settings page under Settings
Bauhaus File Cleanup for Tainacan with an enable/disable toggle (defaults to
enabled), path traversal protection, and recursive folder cleanup of all derivative
sizes.
## Meta
* Version **1.0.0**
* Last updated **12 hours ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 5.5 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.0**
* PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
* Tags
* [attachments](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/attachments/)[cleanup](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/cleanup/)
[disk space](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/disk-space/)[tainacan](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/tainacan/)
[uploads](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/uploads/)
* [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ bauhaustech ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bauhaustech/)
* [ Fred Marvila ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/marvila/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/bauhaus-file-cleanup-for-tainacan/)