The mixed convective transport in a vertically shear-driven square cavity with a rotating circular porous cylinder is investigated numerically in two dimensions. This study aims to enhance the understanding of heat distribution within a closed environment containing intricate electronic systems and heat exchangers by employing a porous media modeling approach. The vertical walls of the enclosure are kept isothermal, while both the horizontal walls are assumed to be adiabatic. Upward progress is being made by the left wall at a constant translational speed. The porous circular cylinder is inserted within the square cavity concentrically, which is then rotated both clockwise and counter-clockwise. While the Reynolds number based on the motion of the lid is maintained constant at Re = 100, the porosity of the cylinder fluctuates in accordance with the Darcy number range 10−6 ≤ Da ≤ 10−2 The streamline and the isotherm patterns for a range of controlling factors, including the Richardson number (0.5 ≤ Ri ≤ 10) and the dimensionless rotational speed ( − 5 ≤ Ω ≤ 5 ) are used to show how the flow and the thermal fields within the enclosure evolve. Additionally, the entropy generation is calculated and compared for the above mentioned parameters. The irreversibility generation as well as the flow and the heat transfer phenomena are observed to be significantly influenced by the rotation and the porosity of the cylinder.