Weights & Biases ML Experiment Local Run Directory (wandb/run-*)

Bottom Line: It is 100% safe to delete local wandb/ run folders. Weights & Biases caches metrics and media artifacts locally before syncing them to your cloud dashboard.

Why Does wandb Local Run Cache Exist?

wandb tracks machine learning experiments (wandb.init()). It saves local logs, media artifacts (generated images, audio samples), and system metrics inside a wandb/ folder in your project root.

• Primary Purpose: Local buffer for experiment tracking telemetry before cloud sync.
• Storage Impact: Generative AI experiments (e.g., logging 1,000 generated images per epoch) inflate wandb/ to 2 GB to 30 GB+.

What Happens If You Delete wandb Local Run Caches?

• System Safety: ✅ 100% Safe to Delete. Synced experiment metrics remain accessible on your cloud wandb.ai dashboard.
• Reclaimed Storage: Frees 2 GB to 30 GB+ of SSD storage space.

How to Clear wandb Local Run Caches

# Clear local synced wandb run folders via CLI
wandb sync --clean

# Or manually delete local run folders
rm -rf wandb/run-*

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I disable local wandb media saving?

Call wandb.init(settings=wandb.Settings(save_code=False)) in your script to prevent local file duplication.