Storage
The Storage settings control how Aegis AI manages disk space for recorded clips and model files.
Open via ⚙️ Settings → System → Storage, which opens a modal with a dedicated Storage tab.
Storage Overview
The overview panel shows a snapshot of your current disk usage:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Used | Current disk usage by Aegis AI (clips + models combined) |
| Available | Free space remaining on the drive where clips are stored |
| Clip Count | Number of recorded clips currently on disk |
| Model Storage | Space used by downloaded AI models (VLM, LLM, skill models) |
This gives you a quick health check — if "Available" is low, consider adjusting your storage mode or retention policy.
Storage Modes
Choose how Aegis manages disk space. Only one mode is active at a time:
Free Space Mode (Recommended for Most Users)
Aegis deletes the oldest clips when free disk space drops below a threshold. This protects your system from running out of disk space.
- Minimum Free Space — set the threshold (e.g., 10 GB). When free space drops below this, old clips are pruned automatically.
Best for: Users who share their disk with other applications and want to ensure Aegis never fills it up.
Max Usage Mode
Aegis AI is limited to a maximum total disk usage across all clips.
- Max Usage — set the cap (e.g., 50 GB). Aegis deletes the oldest clips to stay under this limit.
Best for: Users who want to allocate a fixed budget of disk space to Aegis without worrying about other applications.
Fixed Size Mode
Aegis maintains a fixed allocation. Storage behaves like a ring buffer — new clips replace the oldest ones once the allocation is full.
- Fixed Size — set the allocation (e.g., 100 GB).
Best for: Dedicated security machines where you want predictable, constant disk usage. Once the allocation is full, the oldest clips are silently removed as new ones arrive.
Choosing a Storage Mode
| Scenario | Recommended Mode | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Shared computer (also used for work/gaming) | Free Space | 10–20 GB minimum free |
| Dedicated security machine | Fixed Size | 100–500 GB allocation |
| Limited disk space | Max Usage | 20–50 GB cap |
| External drive with lots of space | Free Space or Max Usage | 5 GB minimum free or 200 GB cap |
| NAS mount | Max Usage | Based on NAS allocation |
Retention Policy
Set a maximum age for clips, independent of storage mode:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Retention Period | Delete clips older than X days (e.g., 7, 14, 30, 90 days) |
| Disable Retention | Keep clips indefinitely (subject to storage mode limits) |
The retention policy runs alongside the storage mode — whichever threshold is hit first triggers deletion. For example, if you set Free Space mode with 10 GB minimum and a 30-day retention period, clips older than 30 days are always deleted, and clips of any age are deleted when free space drops below 10 GB.
Choosing a Retention Period
| Scenario | Recommended Retention |
|---|---|
| Daily monitoring, limited storage | 7 days |
| General home security | 14–30 days |
| Business or rental property | 30–90 days |
| Legal or insurance requirements | 90+ days (ensure adequate storage) |
| Maximum storage efficiency | 7 days with Free Space mode |
Custom Media Path
By default, Aegis stores clips in the application data folder. Change this to any directory:
- Click Change Path
- Browse to a folder (e.g., an external drive, NAS mount, second hard drive)
- Existing clips are not moved — only new clips go to the new path
Good Media Path Locations
| Location | Advantages | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Default (app data) | Zero setup | Shares space with OS and apps |
| External HDD | Massive capacity, cheap | Slower writes, must stay connected |
| External SSD | Fast, portable | More expensive per GB |
| NAS mount | Network storage, redundancy | Requires network mount setup |
| Second internal drive | Fast, large | Requires dual-drive setup |
If you're monitoring 5+ cameras with 30-day retention, clips can easily reach 100–500 GB. An external drive keeps your boot drive clean and provides easy backup by physically disconnecting the drive.
Usage Trend Chart
An interactive chart at the bottom shows storage usage over time:
- Daily storage consumption (area chart) — shows how much space clips consume per day
- Total clip count trend — number of clips over time
- Growth pattern identification — helps spot unexpected growth (e.g., a camera recording far more than expected, suggesting a misconfigured motion sensitivity)
Use this chart to predict when you'll hit your storage limit and adjust settings proactively.