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

1. Analyzes Current Structure: Reviews your folders and files to understand what you have
2. Finds Duplicates: Identifies duplicate files across your system
3. Suggests Organization: Proposes logical folder structures based on your content
4. Automates Cleanup: Moves, renames, and organizes files with your approval
5. Maintains Context: Makes smart decisions based on file types, dates, and content
6. Reduces Clutter: Identifies old files you probably don't need anymore

Instructions

When a user requests file organization help:

1. 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)

1. Analyze Current State

Review the target directory:

```bash # 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 -rn ```

Summarize findings:

- Total files and folders - File type breakdown - Size distribution - Date ranges - Obvious organization issues

1. Identify Organization Patterns

Based on the files, determine logical groupings:

By Type:

- 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)

By Purpose:

- Work vs. Personal - Active vs. Archive - Project-specific - Reference materials - Temporary/scratch files

By Date:

- Current year/month - Previous years - Very old (archive candidates)

1. Find Duplicates

When requested, search for duplicates:

```bash # 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 -n ```

For 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

1. Propose Organization Plan

Present a clear plan before making changes:

```markdown # 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) ```

1. Execute Organization

After approval, organize systematically:

```bash # 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

1. Provide Summary and Maintenance Tips

After organizing:

```markdown # 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)

Example

User request:

Organize my Downloads folder into a predictable structure, show the proposed moves first, and avoid deleting files.

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.