CACHE
Tavern keeps metadata and media below the platform cache directory ($XDG_CACHE_HOME/tavern on Linux). Tavern clears the directory when the cache schema changes.
- Tavern refreshes catalogs after 12 hours, curation after 6 hours, and tap metadata after 24 hours.
- Version history has a 24-hour TTL. Doctor reports stay in memory for one hour; Run Again forces a new check, and failed checks do not renew the cache.
- Stale catalog data remains usable while Tavern refreshes it or the machine is offline.
- JSON writes are atomic. Corrupt JSON is removed instead of being mistaken for an empty catalog.
- Reads update access time, and the 256 MiB quota evicts least-recently-used files first.
- Paths are resolved and checked before reads, writes, eviction, or clearing, so cache operations cannot escape Tavern's directory.
Preferences shows the current cache size and offers Clear Cache. Clearing affects downloaded metadata and images only; it never uninstalls packages or removes Homebrew state.