diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 11f2868f..1bb81d31 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ For a single-host prototype, use Docker Compose with the repo root [`docker-comp
 cp .env.example .env
 ./scripts/prototype-up.sh
 pnpm prototype:self-test
+pnpm docker:clean
 ```
 
 See [docs/PROTOTYPE_DEPLOYMENT.md](docs/PROTOTYPE_DEPLOYMENT.md) for the required environment variables and day-to-day commands.
diff --git a/docs/PROTOTYPE_DEPLOYMENT.md b/docs/PROTOTYPE_DEPLOYMENT.md
index d01ca606..e7564943 100644
--- a/docs/PROTOTYPE_DEPLOYMENT.md
+++ b/docs/PROTOTYPE_DEPLOYMENT.md
@@ -65,10 +65,13 @@ docker compose logs -f mailpit
 pnpm prototype:self-test
 ./scripts/prototype-self-test.sh
 docker compose down
+pnpm docker:clean
 ```
 
 `pnpm prototype:self-test` is the stable host-side smoke-test entrypoint. It runs the same end-to-end check as the underlying shell script, but gives ops a single repo-level command to remember.
 
+`pnpm docker:clean` opens an interactive Docker cleanup menu. Use it for escalating cleanup levels from status-only and compose shutdown through repo volume cleanup, image pruning, and full Docker volume pruning.
+
 The Cosmos Data Explorer is exposed on `http://localhost:1234`.
 Azurite Blob Storage is exposed on `http://localhost:10000`.
 Mailpit SMTP listens on `localhost:1025` and the Mailpit inbox UI is exposed on `http://localhost:8025`.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index cc863741..a966a610 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
     "format:check": "prettier --check \"**/*.{ts,tsx,js,jsx,json,md,yml,yaml}\"",
     "audit": "pnpm -r audit --audit-level moderate",
     "clean": "pnpm -r exec rm -rf dist",
+    "docker:clean": "./scripts/docker-clean.sh",
     "dns:godaddy:bytelyst": "./scripts/godaddy-sync-bytelyst-dns.sh",
     "prototype:self-test": "./scripts/prototype-self-test.sh",
     "release": "./scripts/gitea/release-packages.sh",
diff --git a/scripts/docker-clean.sh b/scripts/docker-clean.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..af3095fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/docker-clean.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,300 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# docker-clean.sh - Interactive Docker cleanup for the ByteLyst platform prototype.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+RED=$'\033[0;31m'
+GREEN=$'\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW=$'\033[1;33m'
+CYAN=$'\033[0;36m'
+BOLD=$'\033[1m'
+DIM=$'\033[2m'
+NC=$'\033[0m'
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+
+log() { echo -e "${CYAN}[docker-clean]${NC} $*"; }
+ok() { echo -e "${GREEN}OK:${NC} $*"; }
+warn() { echo -e "${YELLOW}WARN:${NC} $*"; }
+err() { echo -e "${RED}ERROR:${NC} $*" >&2; }
+
+require_docker() {
+  if ! command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    err "Docker CLI is not installed or not on PATH."
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  if ! docker info >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    err "Docker daemon is not reachable. Start Docker Desktop or your Docker daemon and try again."
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  if ! docker compose version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    err "Docker Compose plugin is not available. Install/update Docker Desktop or the docker compose plugin."
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+run_cmd() {
+  echo -e "${DIM}$*${NC}"
+  "$@"
+}
+
+confirm() {
+  local prompt="$1"
+  read -r -p "$(echo -e "${BOLD}${prompt}${NC} [y/N] ")" answer
+  case "${answer:-}" in
+    y|Y|yes|YES) return 0 ;;
+    * ) return 1 ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+compose_status() {
+  log "Compose services in $REPO_ROOT"
+  cd "$REPO_ROOT"
+  run_cmd docker compose ps
+  echo ""
+  log "Docker disk usage"
+  run_cmd docker system df
+}
+
+stop_compose() {
+  log "Stopping compose services"
+  cd "$REPO_ROOT"
+  run_cmd docker compose stop
+}
+
+down_compose() {
+  log "Removing compose containers and networks"
+  cd "$REPO_ROOT"
+  run_cmd docker compose down --remove-orphans
+}
+
+down_compose_with_volumes() {
+  cd "$REPO_ROOT"
+  run_cmd docker compose down --remove-orphans --volumes
+}
+
+safe_prune() {
+  log "Pruning stopped containers, unused networks, dangling images, and build cache"
+  run_cmd docker container prune --force
+  run_cmd docker network prune --force
+  run_cmd docker image prune --force
+  run_cmd docker builder prune --force
+}
+
+unused_image_prune() {
+  run_cmd docker image prune --all --force
+  run_cmd docker builder prune --all --force
+}
+
+full_prune() {
+  run_cmd docker system prune --all --volumes --force
+}
+
+builder_prune() {
+  log "Pruning Docker builder cache"
+  run_cmd docker builder prune --all --force
+}
+
+show_menu() {
+  cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}Docker Cleanup Menu${NC}
+
+Repo: $REPO_ROOT
+
+  ${BOLD}1${NC}) Status only
+     Show compose services and Docker disk usage.
+
+  ${BOLD}2${NC}) Stop compose services
+     Keeps containers, networks, volumes, and images.
+
+  ${BOLD}3${NC}) Remove compose containers and networks
+     Runs compose down with orphan cleanup. Keeps repo volumes.
+
+  ${BOLD}4${NC}) Remove compose containers, networks, and repo compose volumes
+     Deletes prototype state for this repo's compose project.
+
+  ${BOLD}5${NC}) Safe global prune
+     Removes stopped containers, unused networks, dangling images, and build cache.
+
+  ${BOLD}6${NC}) Deeper image/cache prune
+     Removes all unused images and build cache.
+
+  ${BOLD}7${NC}) Full global Docker prune
+     Removes all unused Docker resources, including unused volumes.
+
+  ${BOLD}8${NC}) Builder cache only
+     Removes Docker build cache.
+
+  ${BOLD}q${NC}) Quit
+
+EOF
+}
+
+describe_level() {
+  case "$1" in
+    1)
+      cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}You selected: Status only${NC}
+
+This will:
+  - Show this repo's Docker Compose services.
+  - Show Docker disk usage.
+  - Not stop, remove, or prune anything.
+
+After this, everything will remain exactly as it is.
+EOF
+      ;;
+    2)
+      cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}You selected: Stop compose services${NC}
+
+This will:
+  - Stop containers from this repo's Docker Compose stack.
+  - Keep the containers, networks, images, and volumes.
+  - Preserve prototype data in Cosmos, Azurite, and Mailpit volumes.
+
+After this, the stack will be stopped but can be resumed with:
+  ./scripts/prototype-up.sh
+EOF
+      ;;
+    3)
+      cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}You selected: Remove compose containers and networks${NC}
+
+This will:
+  - Stop and remove this repo's compose containers.
+  - Remove compose networks and orphan containers.
+  - Keep repo compose volumes.
+  - Preserve prototype data in Cosmos, Azurite, and Mailpit volumes.
+
+After this, containers will be recreated the next time you start the prototype.
+EOF
+      ;;
+    4)
+      cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}You selected: Remove compose containers, networks, and repo compose volumes${NC}
+
+This will:
+  - Stop and remove this repo's compose containers.
+  - Remove compose networks and orphan containers.
+  - Delete this repo's compose volumes.
+  - Delete prototype state stored in local Cosmos, Azurite, and Mailpit volumes.
+
+After this, the next prototype start will recreate empty local backing services.
+EOF
+      ;;
+    5)
+      cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}You selected: Safe global prune${NC}
+
+This will:
+  - Remove all stopped Docker containers.
+  - Remove unused Docker networks.
+  - Remove dangling image layers.
+  - Remove unused Docker build cache.
+  - Keep named volumes.
+  - Keep images that are still tagged or used by containers.
+
+After this, Docker should use less disk space while preserving volumes.
+EOF
+      ;;
+    6)
+      cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}You selected: Deeper image/cache prune${NC}
+
+This will:
+  - Remove all unused Docker images, not just dangling layers.
+  - Remove all unused Docker build cache.
+  - Keep images used by existing containers.
+  - Keep named volumes.
+
+After this, future builds and starts may need to pull or rebuild images.
+EOF
+      ;;
+    7)
+      cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}You selected: Full global Docker prune${NC}
+
+This will:
+  - Remove stopped containers across Docker.
+  - Remove unused networks across Docker.
+  - Remove all unused images.
+  - Remove build cache.
+  - Remove all unused volumes, including volumes from other projects if Docker considers them unused.
+
+After this, Docker disk usage should drop the most, but other local projects may need to recreate data volumes.
+EOF
+      ;;
+    8)
+      cat <<EOF
+
+${BOLD}You selected: Builder cache only${NC}
+
+This will:
+  - Remove Docker build cache.
+  - Keep containers, images, networks, and volumes.
+
+After this, future Docker builds may be slower until the cache is rebuilt.
+EOF
+      ;;
+    q|Q)
+      exit 0
+      ;;
+    *)
+      err "Unknown cleanup level: $1"
+      return 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+run_level() {
+  case "$1" in
+    1) compose_status ;;
+    2) stop_compose ;;
+    3) down_compose ;;
+    4) down_compose_with_volumes ;;
+    5) safe_prune ;;
+    6) unused_image_prune ;;
+    7) full_prune ;;
+    8) builder_prune ;;
+    q|Q) exit 0 ;;
+    *) err "Unknown cleanup level: $1"; exit 1 ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+if [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; then
+  warn "This script is interactive and does not accept CLI parameters. Ignoring: $*"
+fi
+
+show_menu
+read -r -p "Select cleanup level: " LEVEL
+describe_level "${LEVEL:-q}"
+
+if [[ "${LEVEL:-q}" == "1" ]]; then
+  echo ""
+  require_docker
+  run_level "$LEVEL"
+  ok "Done."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo ""
+if ! confirm "Proceed with this cleanup?"; then
+  warn "Cancelled. No cleanup was performed."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo ""
+require_docker
+run_level "${LEVEL:-q}"
+ok "Done."