diff --git a/tools/verify-aot-autoinstrumentation-goal.py b/tools/verify-aot-autoinstrumentation-goal.py
index fffd6302..120151ef 100644
--- a/tools/verify-aot-autoinstrumentation-goal.py
+++ b/tools/verify-aot-autoinstrumentation-goal.py
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
+from verify_helpers import remove_publish_outputs
+
 
 ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
 
@@ -125,6 +127,11 @@ def main() -> None:
         action="store_true",
         help='Run only the container-backed "real * demo" verifiers.',
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--keep-publish",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Keep artifacts/publish after a successful run (default: removed — pure verification byproduct, multiple GB over the full demo matrix).",
+    )
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
     if args.list:
@@ -150,6 +157,11 @@ def main() -> None:
         if completed.returncode != 0:
             raise SystemExit(f"{name} failed with exit code {completed.returncode}")
 
+    # Only reached when every selected verifier passed; failures SystemExit above and
+    # keep artifacts/publish around for inspection.
+    if not args.keep_publish:
+        print(remove_publish_outputs())
+
     if commands == COMMANDS:
         print("aot-autoinstrumentation-goal-ok")
     else:
diff --git a/tools/verify-aot-publish-gate.py b/tools/verify-aot-publish-gate.py
index e8b05d27..c4fc70a5 100644
--- a/tools/verify-aot-publish-gate.py
+++ b/tools/verify-aot-publish-gate.py
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@
 import subprocess
 from pathlib import Path
 
+from verify_helpers import remove_publish_outputs
+
 ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
 DEMOS_DIR = ROOT / "demos"
 GENERATOR_PROJECT = (ROOT / "src" / "Qyl.OpenTelemetry.AutoInstrumentation.SourceGenerators"
@@ -186,6 +188,9 @@ def main() -> None:
     parser.add_argument("--strict-promotion", action="store_true",
                         help="treat a promotion (vendor demo gone warning-clean) as a gate failure")
     parser.add_argument("--list", action="store_true", help="print the classification and exit")
+    parser.add_argument("--keep-publish", action="store_true",
+                        help="keep artifacts/publish after a passing gate (default: removed — "
+                             "pure verification byproduct, multiple GB over the full matrix)")
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
     if args.list:
@@ -239,7 +244,10 @@ def main() -> None:
             fh.write(f"\n**{failures} failure(s), {promotions} promotion(s)** over {len(rows)} demo(s).\n")
 
     if failures:
+        # Keep artifacts/publish on failure so the offending binaries stay inspectable.
         raise SystemExit(f"aot-publish-gate FAILED: {failures} failure(s), {promotions} promotion(s)")
+    if not args.keep_publish:
+        print(remove_publish_outputs())
     print(f"aot-publish-gate-ok ({len(rows)} demos, {promotions} promotion notice(s))")
 
 
diff --git a/tools/verify_helpers.py b/tools/verify_helpers.py
index 93db1201..76613bfc 100644
--- a/tools/verify_helpers.py
+++ b/tools/verify_helpers.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import os
+import shutil
 import subprocess
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -9,6 +10,32 @@
 PROPS_PATH = ROOT / "Directory.Build.props"
 
 
+def remove_publish_outputs() -> str:
+    """Delete artifacts/publish and return a one-line summary of what was freed.
+
+    The AOT demos must publish into the repo's standard artifacts/ layout (redirecting
+    via --artifacts-path breaks the prebuilt-Analyzer path contract — see
+    verify-aot-publish-gate.py publish()), so every demo run regrows ~50-150 MB there
+    and a full matrix leaves multiple GB behind. The publish tree is a pure verification
+    byproduct — each verifier executes the binary and asserts within the same run — so
+    successful gates drop it; failed gates keep it for inspection.
+    """
+    publish_root = ROOT / "artifacts" / "publish"
+    if not publish_root.exists():
+        return "artifacts/publish absent — nothing to remove"
+
+    try:
+        size_bytes = sum(f.stat().st_size for f in publish_root.rglob("*") if f.is_file())
+        shutil.rmtree(publish_root)
+    except OSError as error:
+        # Best-effort hygiene: a locked file (AV scanner, IDE indexer, Windows handle)
+        # must not flip a passing gate into a false failure. Leave the remainder for
+        # the next run to sweep.
+        return f"artifacts/publish cleanup skipped: {error}"
+
+    return f"removed artifacts/publish ({size_bytes / (1024 * 1024):.0f} MB)"
+
+
 def clean_env() -> dict[str, str]:
     env = dict(os.environ)
     for key in list(env):