diff --git a/e2e/commonContext.go b/e2e/commonContext.go
index 312dd92cd..fcd05bdda 100644
--- a/e2e/commonContext.go
+++ b/e2e/commonContext.go
@@ -46,7 +46,9 @@ var (
 				output, err := Exec("vela system update")
 				gomega.Expect(err).NotTo(gomega.HaveOccurred())
 				gomega.Expect(output).To(gomega.ContainSubstring("syncing workload definitions from cluster..."))
-				gomega.Expect(output).To(gomega.ContainSubstring("successfully synced"))
+				gomega.Expect(output).To(gomega.ContainSubstring("sync"))
+				gomega.Expect(output).To(gomega.ContainSubstring("successfully"))
+				gomega.Expect(output).To(gomega.ContainSubstring("remove"))
 			})
 		})
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/commands/refresh.go b/pkg/commands/refresh.go
index a3a6b6a15..4aa3fb77e 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/refresh.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/refresh.go
@@ -38,22 +38,28 @@ func NewRefreshCommand(c types.Args, ioStreams cmdutil.IOStreams) *cobra.Command
 func RefreshDefinitions(ctx context.Context, c client.Client, ioStreams cmdutil.IOStreams) error {
 	dir, _ := system.GetCapabilityDir()
 
+	syncedTemplates := []types.Capability{}
 	ioStreams.Info("syncing workload definitions from cluster...")
 	templates, err := plugins.GetWorkloadsFromCluster(ctx, types.DefaultOAMNS, c, dir, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	ioStreams.Infof("get %d workload definitions from cluster, syncing...", len(templates))
+	syncedTemplates = append(syncedTemplates, templates...)
+	ioStreams.Infof("get %d workload definition(s) from cluster, syncing...", len(templates))
 	successNum := plugins.SinkTemp2Local(templates, dir)
-	ioStreams.Infof("%d workload definitions successfully synced\n", successNum)
+	ioStreams.Infof("sync %d workload definition(s) successfully\n", successNum)
 
 	ioStreams.Info("syncing trait definitions from cluster...")
 	templates, err = plugins.GetTraitsFromCluster(ctx, types.DefaultOAMNS, c, dir, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	ioStreams.Infof("get %d trait definitions from cluster, syncing...", len(templates))
+	syncedTemplates = append(syncedTemplates, templates...)
+	ioStreams.Infof("get %d trait definition(s) from cluster, syncing...", len(templates))
 	successNum = plugins.SinkTemp2Local(templates, dir)
-	ioStreams.Infof("%d trait definitions successfully synced\n", successNum)
+	ioStreams.Infof("sync %d trait definition(s) successfully\n", successNum)
+
+	legacyNum := plugins.RemoveLegacyTemps(syncedTemplates, dir)
+	ioStreams.Infof("remove %d legacy capability definition(s) successfully\n", legacyNum)
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/local.go b/pkg/plugins/local.go
index c5436b890..10c594758 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/local.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/local.go
@@ -139,6 +139,41 @@ func SinkTemp2Local(templates []types.Capability, dir string) int {
 	return success
 }
 
+// RemoveLegacyTemps will remove capability definitions under `dir` but not included in `retainedTemps`.
+func RemoveLegacyTemps(retainedTemps []types.Capability, dir string) int {
+	success := 0
+	retainedFiles := []string{}
+	subDirs := []string{GetSubDir(dir, types.TypeWorkload), GetSubDir(dir, types.TypeTrait)}
+	for _, tmp := range retainedTemps {
+		subDir := GetSubDir(dir, tmp.Type)
+		tmpFilePath := filepath.Join(subDir, tmp.Name)
+		retainedFiles = append(retainedFiles, tmpFilePath)
+	}
+
+	for _, subDir := range subDirs {
+		if err := filepath.Walk(subDir, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+			if info == nil || info.IsDir() {
+				// omit subDir or subDir not exist
+				return nil
+			}
+			for _, retainedFile := range retainedFiles {
+				if retainedFile == path {
+					return nil
+				}
+			}
+			if err := os.Remove(path); err != nil {
+				fmt.Printf("remove legacy %s err: %v\n", path, err)
+				return err
+			}
+			success++
+			return nil
+		}); err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+	}
+	return success
+}
+
 func LoadCapabilityFromSyncedCenter(dir string) ([]types.Capability, error) {
 	var tmps []types.Capability
 	files, err := ioutil.ReadDir(dir)
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/local_test.go b/pkg/plugins/local_test.go
index 4db7fe3cc..0f2fa22f3 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/local_test.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/local_test.go
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 )
 
-func TestLocalSink(t *testing.T) {
-	deployment := types.Capability{
+var (
+	deployment = types.Capability{
 		Name: "deployment",
 		Type: types.TypeWorkload,
 		Parameters: []types.Parameter{
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ func TestLocalSink(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	statefulset := types.Capability{
+	statefulset = types.Capability{
 		Name: "statefulset",
 		Type: types.TypeWorkload,
 		Parameters: []types.Parameter{
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func TestLocalSink(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	route := types.Capability{
+	route = types.Capability{
 		Name: "route",
 		Type: types.TypeTrait,
 		Parameters: []types.Parameter{
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@ func TestLocalSink(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
+)
+
+func TestLocalSink(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cases := map[string]struct {
 		dir    string
@@ -103,3 +106,43 @@ func testInDir(t *testing.T, casename, dir string, tmps, defexp []types.Capabili
 		assert.Equal(t, defexp, gotDef, casename)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRemoveLegacyTemps(t *testing.T) {
+
+	cases := []struct {
+		caseName string
+		newTemps []types.Capability
+		rmNum    int
+	}{
+		{
+			caseName: "remove all",
+			newTemps: []types.Capability{},
+			rmNum:    3,
+		},
+		{
+			caseName: "nothing removed",
+			newTemps: []types.Capability{deployment, statefulset, route},
+			rmNum:    0,
+		},
+		{
+			caseName: "remove part of existings",
+			newTemps: []types.Capability{statefulset, route},
+			rmNum:    1,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		runInDirRemoveLegacyTemps(t, c.caseName, c.newTemps, c.rmNum)
+	}
+}
+
+func runInDirRemoveLegacyTemps(t *testing.T, caseName string, newTemps []types.Capability, rmNum int) {
+	dir := "vela-test-rm-temps"
+	err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0755)
+	assert.NoError(t, err, caseName)
+	defer os.RemoveAll(dir)
+	existingTemps := []types.Capability{deployment, statefulset, route}
+	number := SinkTemp2Local(existingTemps, dir)
+	assert.Equal(t, 3, number)
+	resultRemoveNum := RemoveLegacyTemps(newTemps, dir)
+	assert.Equal(t, rmNum, resultRemoveNum, caseName)
+}