# Set artifact retention so storage stops growing

Build artefacts kept forever by default, given a retention policy with the storage trend attached.

Category: Build, containers, and artifacts
Source: https://letsship.ai/use-cases/set-artifact-retention
Published: 2026-08-25

## Goal

Define and apply a retention policy for build artefacts.

## Acceptance criteria

- A retention period is set per artefact type with a rationale
- Artefacts needed for compliance or rollback are excluded and named
- The storage trend is attached before and after
- The policy is documented where the pipeline is documented

## What lands as proof

The storage trend before and after, with the excluded artefact types named explicitly.

## Prompt

Copy this to an agent to open the ticket:

```text
Create a Linear issue in my team and assign it to the SHIP agent.

Title: Set artifact retention policy

Description: Define and apply a retention policy for build artefacts.

Acceptance criteria:
- A retention period is set per artefact type with a rationale
- Artefacts needed for compliance or rollback are excluded and named
- The storage trend is attached before and after
- The policy is documented where the pipeline is documented

Before you create the issue, check this repository's artefact storage usage and current retention settings.
```

## Questions

### What does the agent actually change?

The ticket is scoped to one outcome: define and apply a retention policy for build artefacts. Work that serves that outcome is in scope, and anything outside it is left for a separate ticket, so the pull request stays reviewable.

### How do I know the work is done?

The pull request carries the evidence, not only the diff. Here that means policy documented, storage trend attached, so a reviewer can confirm the result without reproducing the work locally.

### How much oversight does this need?

The run stops for the plan, and the review bar is raised afterwards so that smaller suggestions block the merge too, not only serious findings.