--- name: file-organizer description: "Intelligently organizes files and folders by understanding context, finding duplicates, and suggesting better organizational structures. Use when user wants to clean up directories, organize downlo..." risk: unknown source: community date_added: "2026-02-27" --- # 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) 2. **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 3. **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) 4. **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 5. **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) ``` 6. **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 7. **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)