📋 Table of Contents
- ⚡ Quick Start — Clean Your First Course
- Overview & Key Capabilities
- Navigation & Interface
- Scanning Your Course
- Files View & Filters
- File Flags & Protection
- Canvas Content Tab
- Quick Clean
- Course Health Score
- AI Analysis
- Activity Log
- Scan History
- Storage Breakdown
- Course Copy Prep
- Protected Folders
- Backup to Canvas Files
- FAQ & Tips
⚡ Quick Start — Clean Your First Course
1. Scan the course
Click Scan to inventory every file in the course. Holon Clean automatically flags unused, duplicate, and empty-folder items, and locks files that are linked from Canvas Modules so they can’t be deleted by accident. (See Scanning Your Course and File Flags & Protection.)
2. Review what was flagged
Use the Files view filters to focus on Unused, Duplicate, or Large files. Protected and module-linked files are clearly marked so you always know what is safe to remove. (See Files View & Filters.)
3. Delete in bulk — safely
Select the files you want gone and bulk-delete them. Everything moves to the Holon Clean Delete Recovery folder for one-click restore, and you can save a Backup Manifest (CSV) to Canvas Files first for an extra paper trail. (See Backup to Canvas Files.)
4. Or run Quick Clean
In a hurry? Quick Clean applies a best-practice cleanup preset in one click — ideal for end-of-term prep. (See Quick Clean and Course Copy Prep.)
5. Check health & content
Watch your Course Health Score climb as you clean, scan the Canvas Content tab for unpublished pages and empty assignments, and use AI Analysis for tailored recommendations. (See Course Health Score, Canvas Content Tab, and AI Analysis.)
1. Overview & Key Capabilities
Holon Clean runs entirely within Canvas. No separate login is required — your Canvas identity and course data are used automatically via your Canvas API token delivered through Holon Hub.
Key Capabilities
- Scan all course files and automatically flag unused, duplicate, and empty-folder items
- Module-linked file protection — files used in Canvas Modules are locked and cannot be accidentally deleted (a capability Canvas itself lacks)
- Bulk-delete with one-click recovery via the Holon Clean Delete Recovery folder
- Inline file rename without leaving the tool
- Storage Breakdown — visual display of storage by file type with unused file callouts
- Course Copy Prep — guided checklist to confirm a course is ready to copy to a new term
- Protected Folders — permanently exclude specific folders from unused detection
- Backup Manifest — save a CSV of selected files to Canvas Files before deleting
- Canvas Content scanning — find unpublished pages, assignments with no content, and items not in any module
- Quick Clean — one-click best-practice cleanup preset
- Course Health Score (0–100) calculated from unused file ratio and empty folder count
- AI Analysis powered by Claude for intelligent cleanup recommendations
- Activity Log records every action for audit and recovery
- Scan History tracks your course health over time
- Export results as CSV
2. Navigation & Interface
Topbar Elements
☰ Hamburger
Collapses or expands the left sidebar. The main content area slides to fill the space.
● Holon CLEAN badge
Brand identifier. The green dot confirms the tool is active and connected.
Avatar & Name
Your Canvas display name. Confirms which Canvas account is active.
A / A+ / A++
Accessibility font-size zoom controls. Enlarges text in the content area for readability.
Sidebar Navigation
| Menu Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | Overview of last scan results, quick actions, and course health |
| Files | Full file list with filters, flags, bulk-select and delete |
| Activity Log | Chronological record of every action taken (deletes, renames) |
| Scan History | Trend chart of scan results across multiple scans |
| AI Analysis | Claude-powered course cleanup recommendations |
| Copy Prep | Readiness checklist before copying the course for a new term |
| Protected Folders | Manage folders excluded from unused file detection |
| Product Guide | This document |
3. Scanning Your Course
How to Scan
- Click 🔍 Scan Course from the Dashboard or Files view
- A progress bar shows as Holon Clean retrieves files, checks usage, and analyzes content
- Results appear automatically when the scan completes
- The Course Health Score and stat cards update with the new data
What Gets Scanned
- All files in the course Files area (including hidden and locked files)
- All course folders (including nested)
- Pages, assignments, quizzes, and discussions (for file usage references)
- Module item links (to identify which files are used in modules)
4. Files View & Filters
Filter Tabs
| Filter | What it shows |
|---|---|
| All | Every file in the course |
| 🔴 Unused | Files not referenced in any page, assignment, quiz, discussion, or module |
| 🟡 Duplicates | Files with identical or near-identical names (after stripping copy suffixes like "(1)") |
| 📁 Empty Folders | Folders containing no files or subfolders |
| 📄 Canvas Content | Switches to the Canvas Content tab (pages, assignments, quizzes, discussions) |
Sorting & Searching
Click any column header (Name, Type, Size, Modified, Flags) to sort. Use the search box to filter by filename. Use the Type dropdown to filter by file category (PDF, Image, Video, etc.).
Layout Toggle
Switch between Row view (☰) for detailed lists and Card view (⊞) for visual thumbnail browsing. Hover over image thumbnails in card view for a preview.
Bulk Delete
- Select files using the checkboxes (or Select All Visible)
- Click 🗑 Delete Selected
- A confirmation modal shows exactly which files will be removed
- Deleted files move to the Holon Clean Delete Recovery folder in your course — they are not permanently deleted immediately
5. File Flags & Protection
Flag Types
🔒 Module-Locked
This file is linked in one or more Canvas Modules. It cannot be deleted from Holon Clean. To remove it, first unlink it from all modules in Canvas, then rescan. This protection is unique to Holon Clean — Canvas itself will let you delete module-linked files without warning.
🚫 Ignored
Files in folders you have marked as ignored. These are excluded from scan results and will never appear as unused. Useful for keeping template or reference files.
🔒 / 👁 Lock / Hidden icons
Canvas file visibility indicators. Locked files are available to instructors only; hidden files are not visible to students.
Unused stripe
A red corner stripe on file cards indicates the file is unused — not referenced anywhere in the course.
Inline Rename
Click the pencil icon (✎) next to any filename to rename it directly in the list. Changes are saved to Canvas immediately. No need to open the Canvas Files interface.
6. Canvas Content Tab
Content Filters
| Filter | What it finds |
|---|---|
| Unpublished | Content items students cannot see |
| Published | All visible content |
| No Content | Items with an empty body or description — often placeholder drafts |
| Not in Modules | Content that exists but is not linked from any module — students may not find it |
Select multiple items and use the Delete button to remove content directly from Canvas.
7. Quick Clean
Available Actions
Delete all unused files
Removes every file not referenced in any page, assignment, quiz, discussion, or module. Module-locked files are always excluded even if otherwise unused.
Delete empty folders
Removes folders that contain no files or subfolders.
Delete unpublished content with no content
Removes unpublished pages and assignments that have an empty body — typically leftover draft placeholders.
Each action can be checked or unchecked before running. A preview count shows how many items each action will affect.
8. Course Health Score
How It’s Calculated
| Factor | Impact |
|---|---|
| Unused file ratio | Up to −40 points (proportional to % unused) |
| Empty folders | −2 points per empty folder, up to −15 points |
Score Grades
| Score | Grade | Color |
|---|---|---|
| 80–100 | Good | Green |
| 60–79 | Fair | Amber |
| 40–59 | Needs Work | Orange |
| 0–39 | Critical | Red |
9. AI Analysis
Setup
- Get a free API key at console.anthropic.com
- Paste the key (starts with
sk-ant-) into the API Key field in the AI Analysis view - Click Save, then Analyze Course
What the AI Sees
Claude receives your scan summary: total file count, unused count, duplicate count, empty folder count, and the Course Health Score. It does not receive file names, file contents, or student data.
10. Activity Log
Use the Activity Log to:
- Audit what was deleted and when
- Identify which files are in the Delete Recovery folder
- Share a cleanup report with colleagues or administrators
Log entries persist for the lifetime of your course session and survive page refreshes.
11. Scan History
Each entry records: scan date, total files, unused files, total folders, and empty folder count. Running multiple scans across a semester shows whether your cleanup efforts are having an effect.
12. Storage Breakdown
Types covered: Video, Images, PDFs, Documents, Audio, and Other. Each row shows a proportional bar, total size for that type, and unused file count.
- Bar width is proportional to that type’s share of total course storage
- Solid portion = unused files in that type; faint fill = total used
- The red count = number of unused files in that category
The Could Free stat card in the top row shows the total MB/GB recoverable by deleting all unused files.
13. Course Copy Prep
It runs four checks: Unused Files, Duplicate Files, Empty Folders, and Empty Unpublished Content. Each failing check has a Review → button to jump directly to the relevant filter.
When all checks pass the banner shows Course is Copy-Ready ✓. Use Quick Clean All to resolve common issues in one click, then re-scan to confirm.
14. Protected Folders
How to Protect a Folder
- Run a scan and go to Files
- Filter to Empty Folders
- Click the 🛡 shield button next to any folder
- The folder appears in Protected Folders in the sidebar
Visit the Protected Folders view to see your protection list and remove entries. Protection persists across sessions until explicitly removed.
15. Backup to Canvas Files
The CSV is saved to Holon Clean Export Files in your Canvas Files as Holon-Clean-Backup-YYYY-MM-DD.csv, containing: File Name, Folder, Size, Type, Status (In Use / Unused), and Last Modified date.
The selection bar shows aggregate size of selected files (e.g. “14 files · 47.2 MB”) and the delete confirmation shows total size so you know exactly what you are recovering before confirming.
16. FAQ & Tips
A file shows as unused but I know it’s used. Why?
The file may be referenced in a question bank (which cannot be scanned), embedded via an external URL rather than a Canvas file link, or used in a course section Holon Clean doesn’t have access to. When in doubt, do not delete it.
Can I recover a deleted file?
Yes. Holon Clean moves deleted files to the Holon Clean Delete Recovery folder in your course’s Canvas Files area. Go to Files in Canvas, find that folder, and move the file back to its original location.
Why is a file showing as module-locked?
The file is linked as a module item in one of your course Modules. To delete it, remove it from the module in Canvas first, then run a new scan in Holon Clean.
My scan is slow. What’s happening?
Large courses with hundreds of files, pages, and assignments take longer to scan because Holon Clean checks each item for file usage references. This is normal. The progress bar shows the current stage.
Does Holon Clean delete files permanently?
No — files are moved to the Delete Recovery folder, not permanently deleted. Canvas does have its own permanent deletion after a file sits in trash for a period, so recover promptly if needed.
What’s the difference between Activity Log and Scan History?
Activity Log tracks actions you took (what you deleted or renamed). Scan History tracks scan snapshots over time (how many unused files existed at each scan date).