diff --git a/SECURITY_AUDIT.md b/SECURITY_AUDIT.md
index 4daeacc59..a60e28d9c 100644
--- a/SECURITY_AUDIT.md
+++ b/SECURITY_AUDIT.md
@@ -301,6 +301,8 @@ Key coverage areas include:
 - bundle ID boundary matching and malformed-ID rejection (`tests/uninstall_safety.bats`)
 - bash 3.2 empty-array nounset compatibility (`tests/uninstall_scan_bash32.bats`)
 
+Spotlight user search caches are protected from default `mo clean` removal. The explicit `mo optimize --spotlight-deep-reset` path is separate from normal cleanup and optimization, requires typed confirmation, and is limited to current-user Spotlight/CoreSpotlight cache targets before restarting indexing for `/`.
+
 ## Known Limitations and Future Work
 
 - Cleanup is destructive. Most cleanup flows do not provide undo.
diff --git a/bin/completion.sh b/bin/completion.sh
index a5f54d4b5..921895194 100755
--- a/bin/completion.sh
+++ b/bin/completion.sh
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ for entry in "${MOLE_COMMANDS[@]}"; do
 done
 command_words="${command_names[*]}"
 clean_option_words="--dry-run -n --external --whitelist --debug --help -h"
+optimize_option_words="--dry-run --spotlight-deep-reset --whitelist --debug --help -h"
 analyze_option_words="--json --help -h"
 purge_option_words="--paths --dry-run -n --include-empty --debug --help -h"
 
@@ -35,6 +36,11 @@ emit_fish_completions() {
     printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from clean" -l whitelist -d "Manage protected paths"\n' "$cmd"
     printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from clean" -l debug -d "Show detailed logs"\n' "$cmd"
     printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from clean" -l help -s h -d "Show help"\n' "$cmd"
+    printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from optimize optimise" -l dry-run -d "Preview optimization without making changes"\n' "$cmd"
+    printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from optimize optimise" -l spotlight-deep-reset -d "Rebuild Spotlight user search caches after confirmation"\n' "$cmd"
+    printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from optimize optimise" -l whitelist -d "Manage protected items"\n' "$cmd"
+    printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from optimize optimise" -l debug -d "Show detailed logs"\n' "$cmd"
+    printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from optimize optimise" -l help -s h -d "Show help"\n' "$cmd"
     printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from analyze analyse" -l json -d "Output analysis as JSON"\n' "$cmd"
     printf 'complete -f -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from analyze analyse" -l help -s h -d "Show help"\n' "$cmd"
     printf 'complete -c %s -n "__fish_seen_subcommand_from analyze analyse; and not __fish_seen_argument -l json -l help -s h" -a "(__fish_complete_directories)" -d "Path to analyze"\n' "$cmd"
@@ -338,6 +344,9 @@ _mole_completions()
             purge)
                 COMPREPLY=( \$(compgen -W "$purge_option_words" -- "\$cur_word") )
                 ;;
+            optimize|optimise)
+                COMPREPLY=( \$(compgen -W "$optimize_option_words" -- "\$cur_word") )
+                ;;
             completion)
                 COMPREPLY=( \$(compgen -W "bash zsh fish" -- "\$cur_word") )
                 ;;
@@ -387,6 +396,14 @@ EOF
         printf "                '--debug[Show detailed logs]' \\\\\n"
         printf "                '(-h --help)'{-h,--help}'[Show help]'\n"
         printf '            ;;\n'
+        printf '        optimize|optimise)\n'
+        printf '            _arguments \\\n'
+        printf "                '--dry-run[Preview optimization without making changes]' \\\\\n"
+        printf "                '--spotlight-deep-reset[Rebuild Spotlight user search caches after confirmation]' \\\\\n"
+        printf "                '--whitelist[Manage protected items]' \\\\\n"
+        printf "                '--debug[Show detailed logs]' \\\\\n"
+        printf "                '(-h --help)'{-h,--help}'[Show help]'\n"
+        printf '            ;;\n'
         printf '        completion)\n'
         printf "            _arguments '1:shell:(bash zsh fish)'\n"
         printf '            ;;\n'
diff --git a/bin/optimize.sh b/bin/optimize.sh
index c27adb271..e945f6bf6 100755
--- a/bin/optimize.sh
+++ b/bin/optimize.sh
@@ -191,6 +191,7 @@ main() {
     export MOLE_CURRENT_COMMAND="optimize"
 
     local health_json
+    local spotlight_deep_reset="false"
     for arg in "$@"; do
         case "$arg" in
             "--help" | "-h")
@@ -203,6 +204,9 @@ main() {
             "--dry-run")
                 export MOLE_DRY_RUN=1
                 ;;
+            "--spotlight-deep-reset")
+                spotlight_deep_reset="true"
+                ;;
             "--whitelist")
                 manage_whitelist "optimize"
                 exit 0
@@ -230,6 +234,19 @@ main() {
         echo -e "${YELLOW}${ICON_DRY_RUN} DRY RUN MODE${NC}, No files will be modified\n"
     fi
 
+    load_whitelist "optimize"
+    if [[ "$spotlight_deep_reset" == "true" ]]; then
+        if command -v is_whitelisted > /dev/null && is_whitelisted "spotlight_deep_reset"; then
+            opt_msg "Skipped (whitelisted): Spotlight Deep Reset"
+            printf '\n'
+            return 0
+        fi
+        announce_action "Spotlight Deep Reset" "Disable indexing, clear user search caches, and rebuild Spotlight" "confirm"
+        opt_spotlight_deep_reset
+        printf '\n'
+        return 0
+    fi
+
     if ! command -v bc > /dev/null 2>&1; then
         echo -e "${YELLOW}${ICON_ERROR}${NC} Missing dependency: bc"
         echo -e "${GRAY}Install with: ${GREEN}brew install bc${NC}"
@@ -263,7 +280,6 @@ main() {
         stop_inline_spinner
     fi
 
-    load_whitelist "optimize"
     if [[ ${#CURRENT_WHITELIST_PATTERNS[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
         local count=${#CURRENT_WHITELIST_PATTERNS[@]}
         if [[ $count -le 3 ]]; then
diff --git a/lib/core/help.sh b/lib/core/help.sh
index 0c045d575..4f4551714 100644
--- a/lib/core/help.sh
+++ b/lib/core/help.sh
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ show_optimize_help() {
     echo ""
     echo "Options:"
     echo "  --dry-run         Preview optimization without making changes"
+    echo "  --spotlight-deep-reset"
+    echo "                    Rebuild Spotlight by clearing user search caches after confirmation"
     echo "  --whitelist       Manage protected items"
     echo "  --debug           Show detailed operation logs"
     echo "  -h, --help        Show this help message"
diff --git a/lib/manage/whitelist.sh b/lib/manage/whitelist.sh
index e438cb734..99e51f8d8 100755
--- a/lib/manage/whitelist.sh
+++ b/lib/manage/whitelist.sh
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ Memory Optimization|memory_pressure_relief|optimize_task
 Network Stack Refresh|network_stack_optimize|optimize_task
 Permission Repair|disk_permissions_repair|optimize_task
 Spotlight Optimization|spotlight_index_optimize|optimize_task
+Spotlight Deep Reset|spotlight_deep_reset|optimize_task
 Periodic Maintenance|periodic_maintenance|optimize_task
 Shared File Lists|shared_file_list_repair|optimize_task
 Disk Health|disk_verify|optimize_task
diff --git a/lib/optimize/tasks.sh b/lib/optimize/tasks.sh
index ea1880b53..16e3ca947 100644
--- a/lib/optimize/tasks.sh
+++ b/lib/optimize/tasks.sh
@@ -840,6 +840,155 @@ opt_spotlight_index_optimize() {
     fi
 }
 
+_opt_spotlight_deep_reset_collect_targets() {
+    local -a patterns=(
+        "$HOME/Library/Metadata/CoreSpotlight"
+        "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Spotlight"*
+        "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.spotlight"*
+    )
+
+    local target
+    for target in "${patterns[@]}"; do
+        [[ -e "$target" || -L "$target" ]] || continue
+        printf '%s\n' "$target"
+    done
+}
+
+_opt_spotlight_deep_reset_target_allowed() {
+    local target="$1"
+    [[ -n "$target" ]] || return 1
+    [[ "$target" == "$HOME/"* ]] || return 1
+    [[ ! -L "$target" ]] || return 1
+
+    case "$target" in
+        "$HOME/Library/Metadata/CoreSpotlight") return 0 ;;
+        "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Spotlight"*) return 0 ;;
+        "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.spotlight"*) return 0 ;;
+    esac
+
+    return 1
+}
+
+_opt_spotlight_deep_reset_remove_target() {
+    local target="$1"
+
+    if ! _opt_spotlight_deep_reset_target_allowed "$target"; then
+        echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_WARNING}${NC} Refusing unexpected Spotlight target: $target"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if [[ "${MOLE_DRY_RUN:-0}" == "1" ]]; then
+        echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_DRY_RUN}${NC} Would remove $target"
+        log_operation "${MOLE_CURRENT_COMMAND:-optimize}" "DRY_RUN" "$target" "spotlight deep reset"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    if rm -rf "$target"; then
+        log_operation "${MOLE_CURRENT_COMMAND:-optimize}" "REMOVED" "$target" "spotlight deep reset"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    log_operation "${MOLE_CURRENT_COMMAND:-optimize}" "FAILED" "$target" "spotlight deep reset"
+    return 1
+}
+
+_opt_spotlight_deep_reset_confirmed() {
+    local expected="RESET SPOTLIGHT"
+    local typed="${MOLE_SPOTLIGHT_DEEP_RESET_CONFIRM:-}"
+
+    if [[ -z "$typed" ]]; then
+        echo -ne "  ${PURPLE}${ICON_ARROW}${NC} Type ${YELLOW}${expected}${NC} to continue: "
+        IFS= read -r typed || typed=""
+    fi
+
+    [[ "$typed" == "$expected" ]]
+}
+
+opt_spotlight_deep_reset() {
+    local -a targets=()
+    local target
+    while IFS= read -r target; do
+        [[ -n "$target" ]] || continue
+        targets+=("$target")
+    done < <(_opt_spotlight_deep_reset_collect_targets)
+
+    echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_WARNING}${NC} Spotlight deep reset will rebuild user search caches"
+    echo -e "  ${GRAY}${ICON_LIST}${NC} Search results may be incomplete while macOS rebuilds the index"
+
+    if [[ ${#targets[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
+        echo -e "  ${GRAY}${ICON_EMPTY}${NC} No user Spotlight cache targets found"
+    else
+        echo -e "  ${GRAY}${ICON_LIST}${NC} Targets:"
+        for target in "${targets[@]}"; do
+            echo -e "    ${GRAY}-${NC} $target"
+        done
+    fi
+
+    if [[ "${MOLE_DRY_RUN:-0}" == "1" ]]; then
+        echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_DRY_RUN}${NC} DRY RUN: would run mdutil off/on and rebuild /"
+        for target in "${targets[@]}"; do
+            _opt_spotlight_deep_reset_remove_target "$target" || true
+        done
+        opt_msg "Spotlight deep reset preview complete"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    if ! _opt_spotlight_deep_reset_confirmed; then
+        echo -e "  ${GRAY}${ICON_EMPTY}${NC} Spotlight deep reset cancelled"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    if ! ensure_sudo_session "Spotlight deep reset requires admin access"; then
+        echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_WARNING}${NC} Spotlight deep reset skipped · admin access required"
+        return 0
+    fi
+
+    local indexing_disabled=false
+    if sudo mdutil -i off / > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        indexing_disabled=true
+        opt_msg "Spotlight indexing paused"
+    else
+        echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_WARNING}${NC} Failed to pause Spotlight indexing"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if pgrep -x corespotlightd > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        if killall corespotlightd > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            opt_msg "CoreSpotlight service restarted"
+        else
+            echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_WARNING}${NC} Failed to restart CoreSpotlight service"
+        fi
+    fi
+
+    local failed=0
+    for target in "${targets[@]}"; do
+        if _opt_spotlight_deep_reset_remove_target "$target"; then
+            opt_msg "Removed $target"
+        else
+            failed=$((failed + 1))
+        fi
+    done
+
+    if [[ "$indexing_disabled" == "true" ]]; then
+        if sudo mdutil -i on / > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            opt_msg "Spotlight indexing resumed"
+        else
+            echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_WARNING}${NC} Failed to resume Spotlight indexing"
+            return 1
+        fi
+    fi
+
+    if sudo mdutil -E / > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        opt_msg "Spotlight deep rebuild started"
+        echo -e "  ${GRAY}Indexing will continue in background${NC}"
+    else
+        echo -e "  ${YELLOW}${ICON_WARNING}${NC} Failed to start Spotlight rebuild"
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    [[ "$failed" -eq 0 ]]
+}
+
 # Dock cache refresh.
 opt_dock_refresh() {
     local dock_support="$HOME/Library/Application Support/Dock"
@@ -1393,6 +1542,7 @@ execute_optimization() {
         network_stack_optimize) opt_network_stack_optimize ;;
         disk_permissions_repair) opt_disk_permissions_repair ;;
         spotlight_index_optimize) opt_spotlight_index_optimize ;;
+        spotlight_deep_reset) opt_spotlight_deep_reset ;;
         launch_agents_cleanup) opt_launch_agents_cleanup ;;
         periodic_maintenance) opt_periodic_maintenance ;;
         shared_file_list_repair) opt_shared_file_list_repair ;;
diff --git a/tests/completion.bats b/tests/completion.bats
index 3d188c9d7..a9d52e0a1 100755
--- a/tests/completion.bats
+++ b/tests/completion.bats
@@ -85,10 +85,11 @@ setup() {
 	[[ "$output" == *"complete -F _mole_completions mole mo"* ]]
 }
 
-@test "completion bash includes current clean, analyze, and purge options only" {
+@test "completion bash includes current clean, optimize, analyze, and purge options only" {
 	run "$PROJECT_ROOT/bin/completion.sh" bash
 	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
 	[[ "$output" == *"--dry-run -n --external --whitelist --debug --help -h"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"--dry-run --spotlight-deep-reset --whitelist --debug --help -h"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"--json --help -h"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"--paths --dry-run -n --include-empty --debug --help -h"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" != *"--select"* ]]
@@ -116,12 +117,13 @@ setup() {
 	[[ "$output" == *"clean:Free up disk space"* ]]
 }
 
-@test "completion zsh includes current clean, analyze, and purge options only" {
+@test "completion zsh includes current clean, optimize, analyze, and purge options only" {
 	run "$PROJECT_ROOT/bin/completion.sh" zsh
 	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
 	[[ "$output" == *"--dry-run"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"--external"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"--whitelist"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"--spotlight-deep-reset"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"--json"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"--include-empty"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" != *"--select"* ]]
@@ -145,12 +147,13 @@ setup() {
 	[ "$mo_count" -gt 0 ]
 }
 
-@test "completion fish includes current clean, analyze, and purge options only" {
+@test "completion fish includes current clean, optimize, analyze, and purge options only" {
 	run "$PROJECT_ROOT/bin/completion.sh" fish
 	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
 	[[ "$output" == *"-l dry-run"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"-l external"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"-l whitelist"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"-l spotlight-deep-reset"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"-l json"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"-l include-empty"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" != *"-l select"* ]]
diff --git a/tests/optimize.bats b/tests/optimize.bats
index 0821a39aa..4b6f60290 100644
--- a/tests/optimize.bats
+++ b/tests/optimize.bats
@@ -761,6 +761,135 @@ EOF
 	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
 	[[ "$output" == *"Permission Repair|disk_permissions_repair|optimize_task"* ]]
 	[[ "$output" == *"Login Items Audit|login_items_audit|optimize_task"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"Spotlight Deep Reset|spotlight_deep_reset|optimize_task"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "optimize help documents spotlight deep reset option" {
+	run env HOME="$HOME" PROJECT_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT" "$PROJECT_ROOT/mole" optimize --help
+
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	[[ "$output" == *"--spotlight-deep-reset"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"Spotlight"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "spotlight deep reset dry-run lists exact targets without sudo or deletion" {
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Metadata/CoreSpotlight"
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Spotlight"
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.spotlightLower"
+
+	run env HOME="$HOME" PROJECT_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT" MOLE_DRY_RUN=1 bash --noprofile --norc <<'EOF'
+set -euo pipefail
+source "$PROJECT_ROOT/lib/core/common.sh"
+source "$PROJECT_ROOT/lib/optimize/tasks.sh"
+
+sudo() {
+	echo "UNEXPECTED_SUDO:$*"
+	return 1
+}
+export -f sudo
+
+opt_spotlight_deep_reset
+[[ -d "$HOME/Library/Metadata/CoreSpotlight" ]]
+[[ -d "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Spotlight" ]]
+[[ -d "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.spotlightLower" ]]
+EOF
+
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	[[ "$output" == *"DRY RUN"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"$HOME/Library/Metadata/CoreSpotlight"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Spotlight"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.spotlightLower"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" != *"UNEXPECTED_SUDO"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "spotlight deep reset dry-run refuses matching symlinks without aborting preview" {
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Caches"
+	ln -s "$HOME" "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.SpotlightLink"
+
+	run env HOME="$HOME" PROJECT_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT" MOLE_DRY_RUN=1 bash --noprofile --norc <<'EOF'
+set -euo pipefail
+source "$PROJECT_ROOT/lib/core/common.sh"
+source "$PROJECT_ROOT/lib/optimize/tasks.sh"
+
+opt_spotlight_deep_reset
+[[ -L "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.SpotlightLink" ]]
+EOF
+
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	[[ "$output" == *"Refusing unexpected Spotlight target"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"Spotlight deep reset preview complete"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "spotlight deep reset requires typed confirmation" {
+	run env HOME="$HOME" PROJECT_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT" MOLE_SPOTLIGHT_DEEP_RESET_CONFIRM="wrong" bash --noprofile --norc <<'EOF'
+set -euo pipefail
+source "$PROJECT_ROOT/lib/core/common.sh"
+source "$PROJECT_ROOT/lib/optimize/tasks.sh"
+
+ensure_sudo_session() {
+	echo "UNEXPECTED_SUDO_SESSION"
+	return 1
+}
+
+opt_spotlight_deep_reset
+EOF
+
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	[[ "$output" == *"cancelled"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" != *"UNEXPECTED_SUDO_SESSION"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "spotlight deep reset deletes only approved targets and rebuilds index" {
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Metadata/CoreSpotlight"
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Spotlight"
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.spotlightLower"
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.SpotlightExtra"
+	mkdir -p "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Unrelated"
+
+	run env HOME="$HOME" PROJECT_ROOT="$PROJECT_ROOT" MOLE_SPOTLIGHT_DEEP_RESET_CONFIRM="RESET SPOTLIGHT" \
+		MOLE_OPTIMIZE_SUDO_AVAILABLE="true" bash --noprofile --norc <<'EOF'
+set -euo pipefail
+source "$PROJECT_ROOT/lib/core/common.sh"
+source "$PROJECT_ROOT/lib/optimize/tasks.sh"
+
+trace="$HOME/spotlight-reset.log"
+: > "$trace"
+
+ensure_sudo_session() { return 0; }
+sudo() {
+	printf 'sudo %s\n' "$*" >> "$trace"
+	case "$1 $2 $3" in
+		"mdutil -i off"|"mdutil -i on"|"mdutil -E /") return 0 ;;
+	esac
+	return 1
+}
+killall() {
+	printf 'killall %s\n' "$*" >> "$trace"
+	return 0
+}
+pgrep() {
+	[[ "$1" == "-x" && "$2" == "corespotlightd" ]]
+}
+_opt_spotlight_deep_reset_remove_target() {
+	printf 'delete %s\n' "$1" >> "$trace"
+	rm -rf "$1"
+}
+
+opt_spotlight_deep_reset
+cat "$trace"
+[[ ! -e "$HOME/Library/Metadata/CoreSpotlight" ]]
+[[ ! -e "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Spotlight" ]]
+[[ ! -e "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.spotlightLower" ]]
+[[ ! -e "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.SpotlightExtra" ]]
+[[ -d "$HOME/Library/Caches/com.apple.Unrelated" ]]
+EOF
+
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	[[ "$output" == *"sudo mdutil -i off /"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"killall corespotlightd"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"delete $HOME/Library/Metadata/CoreSpotlight"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"sudo mdutil -i on /"* ]]
+	[[ "$output" == *"sudo mdutil -E /"* ]]
 }
 
 @test "_login_item_app_exists finds nested helper app bundles" {