The app is slow
The window lags, your computer freezes, or long jobs stall.
Quick question
What is slow?
Typing or scrolling lags
The window lags while you type or scroll
Read it in Yardmaster or my computer feels slowLow Power Mode drops blur, heavy animations and shadows. It takes effect at once.
Real-conversation layout (under Show advanced, on at first) shows only your messages and the agent's final replies, folding tool work into an "N actions" pill. It is the biggest saving on busy chats; check it is still on.
Keep GPU Acceleration on. Turning it off makes everything slower, unless you are chasing a graphics glitch.
Low Power ModeSettings, Performance · Default: OffDisables GPU-expensive visual effects (background blur, heavy animations, decorative shadows) for smoother rendering on integrated graphics and low-power laptops. Takes effect immediately, no restart required.Open in YardmasterOpens Yardmaster. Don't have it? DownloadMy whole computer freezes, then No, or I don't know
Start here: turn on Lite mode
Read it in Yardmaster or my computer feels slowOpen Settings > Performance.
Turn on Lite mode (optimize for a less powerful computer).
One switch turns on Low Power Mode, holds new sessions when memory is low, releases memory from idle sessions on Windows, staggers loading at startup and stops keeping extra chats ready in the background. Turn it off and your previous settings come back.
Lite mode (optimize for a less powerful computer)Settings, Performance · Default: OffOne switch to make Yardmaster lighter on low-spec machines: turns on Low Power Mode, holds new sessions when memory is low, reclaims RAM from idle sessions (Windows), staggers session loading, and stops keeping extra chats pre-built in the background. Turn it off to restore your previous settings. Startup-related changes take effect on the next launch.Open in YardmasterOpens Yardmaster. Don't have it? DownloadIf Yardmaster ever offered you a Make Yardmaster lighter button, it turns on this same switch.
My whole computer freezes, then Yes, and it still freezes
Free memory
Read it in Yardmaster or my computer feels slowStop sessions you are not using. Open Manage sessions from the toolbar's ... menu and stop the ones you do not need, or archive finished ones.
Let idle sessions give memory back. Release idle sessions to reclaim more RAM (under Show advanced, on at first after 15 minutes) frees about 250 to 450 MB from each session that has been waiting on you. The chat stays on screen; your next message reloads it.
Close other heavy programs, such as browsers with many tabs.
Release idle sessions to reclaim more RAMSettings, Performance · Default: 15 minutesFully releases the background Claude engine of a session that finished its turn and has been waiting on you for at least this many minutes, reclaiming all of its RAM (~250-450 MB each), not just trimming it. The conversation stays on screen; your next message reloads it in the background (a slightly longer first reply). Sessions waiting on a question or plan keep their engine. Set to 0 to disable. Works on every platform.Open in YardmasterOpens Yardmaster. Don't have it? DownloadLong jobs stall when I step away
Long jobs stall when you step away
Read it in Yardmaster or my computer feels slowYour computer may be going to sleep. Turn on Keep computer awake while sessions are running (off at first). It stops the computer sleeping only while a session is working; the screen can still turn off. It works on Windows and macOS.
If Yardmaster closed or crashed while the computer was asleep, the same switch helps. You can also quit Yardmaster before the computer sleeps. Sessions that were working come back when you open it again.
Keep computer awake while sessions are runningSettings, Performance · Default: OffPrevents your computer from going to sleep while one or more sessions are running, so long jobs keep working when you step away. The display can still sleep to save power; only system sleep is blocked. Sleep returns to normal the moment every session finishes. Works on Windows and macOS; on Linux it depends on your desktop environment. Off by default.Open in YardmasterOpens Yardmaster. Don't have it? DownloadMy drive is filling up
Your drive is filling up
Read it in Yardmaster or my computer feels slowYardmaster keeps everything in one database file. It hands freed space back to your drive by itself, a little at a time while your computer is not busy. To shrink it all at once:
Open Settings > Diagnostics and find the Session Turns Cache card, which shows your Database size.
Click Reclaim disk space, then Clear & schedule.
Restart Yardmaster when it suits you. The file shrinks while the app starts.
Your conversations are not affected.
If your database was created by an older Yardmaster, you may see "Reclaiming disk space..." once while it starts, even though you did not click the button. That one-time step lets it free space in the background from then on, with no restart.
A test or build will not stop
A test or build will not stop
Read it in Yardmaster or my computer feels slowWhen agents run tests, builds or dev servers in your projects, one can keep running after its session is done and hold your processor. Job Monitor lists the test, build and dev server processes it detects, with their CPU and memory use, so you can stop the one that is stuck.
Open Settings > Optional Features and turn on Show Job Monitor in sidebar (off at first).
In the sidebar, open Developer Tools, then Job Monitor.
Click Kill on the stuck row and confirm.
Show Job Monitor in sidebarSettings, Optional FeaturesShow the Job Monitor entry in the sidebar, a read-only dashboard of running test/build processes.Open in YardmasterOpens Yardmaster. Don't have it? Download