File Organizer
When to Use This Skill
- Your Downloads folder is a chaotic mess
- You can't find files because they're scattered everywhere
- You have duplicate files taking up space
- Your folder structure doesn't make sense anymore
- You want to establish better organization habits
- You're starting a new project and need a good structure
- You're cleaning up before archiving old projects
What This Skill Does
- Analyzes Current Structure: Reviews your folders and files to understand what you have
- Finds Duplicates: Identifies duplicate files across your system
- Suggests Organization: Proposes logical folder structures based on your content
- Automates Cleanup: Moves, renames, and organizes files with your approval
- Maintains Context: Makes smart decisions based on file types, dates, and content
- Reduces Clutter: Identifies old files you probably don't need anymore
Instructions
When a user requests file organization help:
- Understand the Scope Ask clarifying questions:
- Which directory needs organization? (Downloads, Documents, entire home folder?) - What's the main problem? (Can't find things, duplicates, too messy, no structure?) - Any files or folders to avoid? (Current projects, sensitive data?) - How aggressively to organize? (Conservative vs. comprehensive cleanup)
- Analyze Current State Review the target directory:
# Get overview of current structure ls -la [target_directory] # Check file types and sizes find [target_directory] -type f -exec file {} \; | head -20 # Identify largest files du -sh [target_directory]/* | sort -rh | head -20 # Count file types find [target_directory] -type f | sed 's/.*\.//' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rnSummarize findings:
- Total files and folders - File type breakdown - Size distribution - Date ranges - Obvious organization issues
- Identify Organization Patterns Based on the files, determine logical groupings: By Type: By Purpose: By Date:
- Documents (PDFs, DOCX, TXT) - Images (JPG, PNG, SVG) - Videos (MP4, MOV) - Archives (ZIP, TAR, DMG) - Code/Projects (directories with code) - Spreadsheets (XLSX, CSV) - Presentations (PPTX, KEY) - Work vs. Personal - Active vs. Archive - Project-specific - Reference materials - Temporary/scratch files - Current year/month - Previous years - Very old (archive candidates)
- Find Duplicates When requested, search for duplicates:
# Find exact duplicates by hash find [directory] -type f -exec md5 {} \; | sort | uniq -d # Find files with similar names find [directory] -type f -printf '%f\n' | sort | uniq -d # Find similar-sized files find [directory] -type f -printf '%s %p\n' | sort -nFor each set of duplicates:
- Show all file paths - Display sizes and modification dates - Recommend which to keep (usually newest or best-named) - Important: Always ask for confirmation before deleting
- Propose Organization Plan Present a clear plan before making changes:
# Organization Plan for [Directory] ## Current State - X files across Y folders - [Size] total - File types: [breakdown] - Issues: [list problems] ## Proposed Structure [Directory]/ ├── Work/ │ ├── Projects/ │ ├── Documents/ │ └── Archive/ ├── Personal/ │ ├── Photos/ │ ├── Documents/ │ └── Media/ └── Downloads/ ├── To-Sort/ └── Archive/ ## Changes I'll Make 1. **Create new folders**: [list] 2. **Move files**: - X PDFs → Work/Documents/ - Y images → Personal/Photos/ - Z old files → Archive/ 3. **Rename files**: [any renaming patterns] 4. **Delete**: [duplicates or trash files] ## Files Needing Your Decision - [List any files you're unsure about] Ready to proceed? (yes/no/modify) - Execute Organization After approval, organize systematically:
# Create folder structure mkdir -p "path/to/new/folders" # Move files with clear logging mv "old/path/file.pdf" "new/path/file.pdf" # Rename files with consistent patterns # Example: "YYYY-MM-DD - Description.ext"Important Rules:
- Always confirm before deleting anything - Log all moves for potential undo - Preserve original modification dates - Handle filename conflicts gracefully - Stop and ask if you encounter unexpected situations
- Provide Summary and Maintenance Tips After organizing:
# Organization Complete! ✨ ## What Changed - Created [X] new folders - Organized [Y] files - Freed [Z] GB by removing duplicates - Archived [W] old files ## New Structure [Show the new folder tree] ## Maintenance Tips To keep this organized: 1. **Weekly**: Sort new downloads 2. **Monthly**: Review and archive completed projects 3. **Quarterly**: Check for new duplicates 4. **Yearly**: Archive old files ## Quick Commands for You # Find files modified this week find. -type f -mtime -7 # Sort downloads by type [custom command for their setup] # Find duplicates [custom command]Want to organize another folder?
Best Practices
Folder Naming
- Use clear, descriptive names
- Avoid spaces (use hyphens or underscores)
- Be specific: "client-proposals" not "docs"
- Use prefixes for ordering: "01-current", "02-archive"
File Naming
- Include dates: "2024-10-17-meeting-notes.md"
- Be descriptive: "q3-financial-report.xlsx"
- Avoid version numbers in names (use version control instead)
- Remove download artifacts: "document-final-v2 (1).pdf" → "document.pdf"
When to Archive
- Projects not touched in 6+ months
- Completed work that might be referenced later
- Old versions after migration to new systems
- Files you're hesitant to delete (archive first)