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file-organizer

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Triggers on cluttered folders, file chaos, storage cleanup, or directory restructuring needs. TRIGGER WHEN: organizing messy folders (Downloads, Desktop, Documents), finding duplicate files, cleaning up old files, restructuring project directories, separating work from personal files, or automating file cleanup tasks DO NOT TRIGGER WHEN: the task is outside the specific scope of this component.

Design

What this skill does


# File Organizer

## Instructions

### 1. Understand Scope

Ask clarifying questions before starting:
- Which directory needs organization?
- Main problem? (can't find things, duplicates, no structure, general mess)
- Files or folders to avoid? (active projects, sensitive data)
- How aggressive? (conservative vs comprehensive cleanup)

For broad reorganization, briefly propose a philosophy from the reference guide (PARA, Johnny Decimal, GTD, 7-Folder). Let user choose - never force one. Skip for scoped tasks like cleaning Downloads.

### 2. Analyze Current State

```bash
ls -la [target_directory]
find [target_directory] -type f -exec file {} \; | head -20
du -sh [target_directory]/* | sort -rh | head -20
find [target_directory] -type f | sed 's/.*\.//' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
```

Summarize: total files/folders, type breakdown, size distribution, date ranges, obvious issues.

**Anti-patterns to flag:**
- Desktop used as permanent archive (goal: zero permanent files on Desktop)
- Unnamed folders (`New Folder`, `New Folder (3)`)
- Broken versioning (`document_FINAL_v2_DEFINITIVE_copy.docx`)
- Downloads folder never cleaned (thousands of unsorted files)
- Same file duplicated across locations (use shortcuts instead)

### 3. Identify Organization Patterns

**By type:**
- Documents (PDF, DOCX, TXT), Images (JPG, PNG, SVG), Videos (MP4, MOV)
- Archives (ZIP, TAR, DMG), Code/Projects, Spreadsheets (XLSX, CSV), Presentations (PPTX, KEY)

**By purpose:**
- Work vs Personal, Active vs Archive, Project-specific, Reference, Temporary/scratch

**By date:**
- Current year/month, Previous years, Very old (archive candidates)

**Context-specific structures:**
- Photos/Video: `Year/YYYY-MM_event-location/` with RAW, Edited, Export subfolders
- Music: `Artist/[Year] Album/NN - Track.ext`
- Work projects: numbered prefixes (`01_Brief/`, `02_Research/`, `03_Assets/`, `04_Deliverables/`) with WIP/FINAL_APPROVED separation
- Finance/personal docs: include expiry dates in filenames (`passport_exp_2030.pdf`), organize by year then type
- Code: map local paths to remote URLs (`github.com/username/repo/`)

See `references/organization-guide.md` for detailed templates.

### 4. Find Duplicates

When requested:
```bash
find [directory] -type f -exec md5 {} \; | sort | uniq -d
find [directory] -type f -printf '%f\n' | sort | uniq -d
```

For each duplicate set: show paths, sizes, dates, recommend which to keep. ALWAYS confirm before deleting. Suggest shortcuts/aliases instead of keeping copies.

### 5. Propose Organization Plan

Present plan before making changes. Include:
- Current state summary (file count, size, type breakdown, problems found)
- Anti-patterns detected
- Proposed folder tree structure
- Changes to make: new folders, file moves, renames, deletions
- Files needing user decision (ambiguous placement)
- Ask for explicit approval before proceeding

### 6. Execute Organization

After approval, organize systematically.

**Rules:**
- Always confirm before deleting anything
- Log all moves for potential undo
- Preserve original modification dates
- Handle filename conflicts gracefully
- Stop and ask on unexpected situations

**File renaming conventions** (only when user agrees - never auto-rename):
- ISO dates: `YYYY-MM-DD` for correct alphabetical sort
- Formula: `[Date]_[Context]_[Description]_[Version].ext`
- Zero-padded versions: `v01`, `v02` (minor: `v01.1`)
- Separators: `kebab-case` or `snake_case` (never spaces)
- All lowercase, filenames under 25-30 chars, let folder context provide the rest
- Zero-pad sequences: `001`, `002` (prevents `1, 10, 11, 2` sort)
- Status prefixes when useful: `WIP_`, `DRAFT_`, `REVIEW_`, `APPROVED_`
- Avoid: `< > : " / \ | ? *`, accents, emoji, leading dots, Windows reserved names (`CON`, `PRN`, `AUX`, `NUL`)
- Watch full path length approaching Windows 260-character limit

### 7. Provide Summary

After organizing, report:
- Folders created, files organized, space freed, anti-patterns fixed
- New folder tree structure
- Maintenance schedule (below)
- Custom bash commands for ongoing cleanup

**Maintenance Schedule:**

| Frequency | Time | Tasks |
|-----------|------|-------|
| Weekly | 15 min | Empty Downloads, process Inbox to zero, verify recent files are in place |
| Monthly | 45 min | Scan for duplicates, verify backups, archive completed projects |
| Quarterly | 2 hrs | Disk space audit, archive projects inactive 3+ months, test backup restore |
| Yearly | Half day | Disaster recovery test, retention policy review, structure update |

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