file-organizer

• 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

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

From Your Home Directory

```

cd ~

```

Then run Claude Code and ask for help:

```

Help me organize my Downloads folder

```

```

Find duplicate files in my Documents folder

```

```

Review my project directories and suggest improvements

```

Specific Organization Tasks

```

Organize these downloads into proper folders based on what they are

```

```

Find duplicate files and help me decide which to keep

```

```

Clean up old files I haven't touched in 6+ months

```

```

Create a better folder structure for my [work/projects/photos/etc]

```

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 same name

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

```bash

# 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?

```

Example 1: Organizing Downloads (From Justin Dielmann)

User: "My Downloads folder is a mess with 500+ files. Help me organize it."

Process:

1. Analyzes Downloads folder
2. Finds patterns: work docs, personal photos, installers, random PDFs
3. Proposes structure:

- Downloads/

- Work/

- Personal/

- Installers/ (DMG, PKG files)

- Archive/

- ToSort/ (things needing decisions)

1. Asks for confirmation
2. Moves files intelligently based on content and names
3. Results: 500 files → 5 organized folders

Example 2: Finding and Removing Duplicates

User: "Find duplicate files in my Documents and help me decide which to keep."

Output:

```markdown

# Found 23 Sets of Duplicates (156 MB total)

• /Documents/proposal.pdf (2.3 MB, modified: 2024-03-15)
• /Documents/old/proposal.pdf (2.3 MB, modified: 2024-03-15)
• /Desktop/proposal.pdf (2.3 MB, modified: 2024-03-10)

Recommendation: Keep /Documents/proposal.pdf (most recent in correct location)

Delete the other 2 copies?

[Continue for all duplicates...]

```

Example 3: Restructuring Projects Folder

User: "Review my ~/Projects directory and suggest improvements."

Output:

```markdown

# Analysis of ~/Projects

• Mix of active and archived projects (3+ years old)
• No consistent naming convention
• Some projects at root, others in random subfolders
• Duplicate folders (project-name, project-name-old, project-name-v2)

```

Projects/

├── Active/

│ ├── client-work/

│ ├── side-projects/

│ └── learning/

├── Archive/

│ ├── 2022/

│ ├── 2023/

│ └── 2024/

└── Templates/

```

1. Move 12 projects not touched since 2022 → Archive/
2. Consolidate 4 duplicate project folders
3. Rename projects to consistent format: "client-name-project-name"
4. Create Archive for old work

Want me to implement this?

```

Example 4: Organizing Photos by Date

User: "Organize my photo folders by year and month."

Output: Creates structure like:

```

Photos/

├── 2023/

│ ├── 01-January/

│ ├── 02-February/

│ └── ...

├── 2024/

│ ├── 01-January/

│ └── ...

└── Unsorted/

```

Then moves photos based on EXIF data or file modification dates.

Downloads Cleanup

```

Organize my Downloads folder - move documents to Documents,

images to Pictures, keep installers separate, and archive files

older than 3 months.

```

Project Organization

```

Review my Projects folder structure and help me separate active

projects from old ones I should archive.

```

Duplicate Removal

```

Find all duplicate files in my Documents folder and help me

decide which ones to keep.

```

Desktop Cleanup

```

My Desktop is covered in files. Help me organize everything into

my Documents folder properly.

```

Photo Organization

```

Organize all photos in this folder by date (year/month) based

on when they were taken.

```

Work/Personal Separation

```

Help me separate my work files from personal files across my

Documents folder.

```

1. Start Small: Begin with one messy folder (like Downloads) to build trust
2. Regular Maintenance: Run weekly cleanup on Downloads
3. Consistent Naming: Use "YYYY-MM-DD - Description" format for important files
4. Archive Aggressively: Move old projects to Archive instead of deleting
5. Keep Active Separate: Maintain clear boundaries between active and archived work
6. Trust the Process: Let Claude handle the cognitive load of where things go

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)

• Setting up organization for a new computer
• Preparing files for backup/archiving
• Cleaning up before storage cleanup
• Organizing shared team folders
• Structuring new project directories