File Organizer

Organize files and folders with analysis, duplicate detection, and automated cleanup.

Workflow

1. Clarify Scope

Before touching any files, confirm with the user:

• Target directory (Downloads, Documents, Projects, etc.)
• Goal (find duplicates, restructure, archive old files)
• Files/folders to exclude (active projects, sensitive data)
• Aggressiveness (conservative sort vs. comprehensive cleanup)

2. Analyze Current State

ls -la [target_directory]
du -sh [target_directory]/* | sort -rh | head -20

Summarize: total files, file type breakdown, size distribution, obvious issues.

3. Detect Duplicates (When Requested)

# Find exact duplicates by hash
find [directory] -type f -exec md5 {} \; | sort | uniq -d

For each duplicate set, show:

• All file paths with sizes and modification dates
• Recommendation on which to keep (newest or best-named)

CRITICAL: Always ask for confirmation before deleting any file.

4. Propose Organization Plan

Present the plan as a structured summary before executing:

Current: X files across Y folders, Z GB total
Proposed structure:
  [Directory tree]
Changes:
  - Create: [new folders]
  - Move: [file counts per destination]
  - Rename: [patterns]
  - Delete: [duplicates/trash, with user approval]
Files needing your decision: [list unclear items]

Wait for explicit approval before proceeding.

5. Execute

mkdir -p "path/to/new/folders"
mv "old/path/file.pdf" "new/path/file.pdf"

Rules:

• Never delete without confirmation
• Log all moves for potential undo
• Preserve original modification dates
• Handle filename conflicts (append suffix, never overwrite)
• Stop and ask if anything unexpected occurs

6. Report Results

After completion, provide:

• Files organized count
• Space freed (if duplicates removed)
• New folder structure tree
• Maintenance tips (weekly sort, monthly archive review)

Common Patterns

Naming Conventions

• Files: YYYY-MM-DD-description.ext for dated files
• Folders: lowercase with hyphens (client-proposals, not Client Proposals)
• Remove download artifacts: doc-final-v2 (1).pdf to doc.pdf

Error Handling

• If permission denied: inform user which files need elevated permissions
• If disk full during moves: stop, report progress so far, suggest freeing space first
• If filename conflict: append -1, -2 suffix, never silently overwrite
• If EXIF data unavailable for photos: fall back to file modification date
• If target directory does not exist: create it with mkdir -p, do not fail silently