Upgrade Cleanup
cisco.iosxe.upgrade.cleanup reclaims flash space on each targeted Cisco IOS-XE device after an upgrade has been verified, removing software that is no longer in use. Run it as the last step of the upgrade flow.
Using It
What gets removed depends on Upgrade Mode. In install mode the step runs install remove inactive, letting the device delete packages that are not part of the running software; confirmation prompts are answered automatically. In bundle mode the step lists the .bin images on flash, keeps every image referenced by the boot configuration, keeps the newest old images up to Versions to Keep (default 1, sorted by filename), and deletes the rest with delete /force.
The "Remove inactive packages/old images" toggle is the master switch: when it is off, the step does nothing and succeeds immediately with a "skipped" summary. Versions to Keep applies to bundle mode only. Max Parallel Devices controls how many devices are cleaned concurrently.
Output
Later steps can read the step's result under its node id, for example {{ steps.NODE_ID.summary }}. The step's metrics contain success_count, failure_count, total_removed (items removed across all devices), and output_context, a mapping keyed by device id whose entry holds removed_packages, the list of packages or files removed on that device.
One evidence artifact is saved per device, named Cleanup: <device> - success or failure; a device that could not be attempted at all (no management host, an unexpected error) gets Cleanup Error: <device> instead - with the cleanup transcript and the list of removed items. The summary line reports how many devices were cleaned and how many items were removed.
When It Fails
The step fails when no target devices are configured, when no upgrade driver exists for the configured platform and mode, or when any device fails: a missing management host, an SSH or command error, or — in install mode — install remove inactive output containing an error or failure marker. In bundle mode a single image that cannot be deleted is logged and skipped without failing the device, so the step reports the files it did remove.
All devices must succeed for the step to succeed. The step's default timeout is 7200 seconds; the install remove inactive command itself is given up to five minutes per device. Cleanup only removes inactive software, so it is safe to rerun.