File Organizer Skill

Automatically organizes files into folders by type, making directories cleaner and easier to navigate.

When to Use

This skill activates when the user wants to organize files:

• "Organize files in this directory"
• "Sort these files by type"
• "Clean up my Downloads folder"
• "Categorize files into folders"
• "Organize my project files"

Instructions

Step 1: Analyze the Directory

First, scan the target directory to understand what files are present:

• List all files
• Identify file types
• Count files per category
• Note any existing organization

Step 2: Determine Organization Strategy

By File Type (Default):

Images/     - .jpg, .png, .gif, .svg, .webp, .ico
Documents/  - .pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .md, .rtf
Videos/     - .mp4, .avi, .mov, .mkv, .webm
Audio/      - .mp3, .wav, .flac, .m4a, .ogg
Archives/   - .zip, .tar, .gz, .rar, .7z
Code/       - .js, .py, .java, .cpp, .html, .css
Data/       - .json, .xml, .csv, .yaml, .sql
Executables/ - .exe, .app, .dmg, .deb
Others/     - Everything else

Alternative Strategies:

• By project (group related files)
• By date (today, this week, this month, older)
• By size (small, medium, large)
• Custom categories

Step 3: Ask for Confirmation

IMPORTANT: Always confirm before moving files!

Show the user:

• What files will be moved
• Where they will go
• How many files in each category

Example:

I'll organize 47 files into the following structure:

📁 Images/ (12 files)
   - photo1.jpg, screenshot.png, logo.svg, ...

📁 Documents/ (15 files)
   - report.pdf, notes.txt, readme.md, ...

📁 Videos/ (5 files)
   - tutorial.mp4, demo.mov, ...

📁 Code/ (8 files)
   - script.js, app.py, style.css, ...

📁 Archives/ (3 files)
   - backup.zip, data.tar.gz, ...

📁 Others/ (4 files)
   - unknown.xyz, file.tmp, ...

Proceed with organization? (y/n)

Wait for user confirmation before proceeding.

Step 4: Create Folders and Move Files

Only after confirmation:

1. Create category folders if they don't exist
2. Move files to appropriate folders
3. Handle naming conflicts (don't overwrite)
4. Keep track of what was moved

Step 5: Report Results

Show what was done:

✅ Organization complete!

Moved 47 files:
- 12 images → Images/
- 15 documents → Documents/
- 5 videos → Videos/
- 8 code files → Code/
- 3 archives → Archives/
- 4 others → Others/

Your directory is now organized!

File Type Categories

Images

.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .svg, .webp, .bmp, .ico, .tiff

Documents

.pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .md, .rtf, .odt, .pages

Spreadsheets

.xlsx, .xls, .csv, .ods, .numbers

Presentations

.ppt, .pptx, .key, .odp

Videos

.mp4, .avi, .mov, .mkv, .webm, .flv, .wmv, .m4v

Audio

.mp3, .wav, .flac, .m4a, .ogg, .wma, .aac

Archives

.zip, .tar, .gz, .rar, .7z, .bz2, .xz

Code/Development

.js, .ts, .py, .java, .cpp, .c, .h, .cs, .rb, .go, .rs, .php, .swift

Web Files

.html, .css, .scss, .sass, .less, .jsx, .tsx, .vue

Data Files

.json, .xml, .yaml, .yml, .toml, .ini, .sql, .db

Executables

.exe, .app, .dmg, .deb, .rpm, .msi, .sh, .bat

Examples

Example 1: Basic Organization

User: "Organize the files in my Downloads folder"

Response:

Analyzing Downloads folder...

Found 23 files:
- 8 images (jpg, png)
- 6 PDFs
- 3 zip files
- 4 videos (mp4)
- 2 other files

I'll organize them like this:

📁 Images/ (8 files)
   - vacation-photo.jpg
   - screenshot-2024.png
   - logo-design.png
   [... 5 more]

📁 Documents/ (6 files)
   - invoice-march.pdf
   - book-chapter.pdf
   [... 4 more]

📁 Archives/ (3 files)
   - project-backup.zip
   - photos.zip
   - code-samples.zip

📁 Videos/ (4 files)
   - tutorial.mp4
   - meeting-recording.mp4
   [... 2 more]

📁 Others/ (2 files)
   - data.tmp
   - notes.unknown

Proceed with this organization? (Type 'yes' to confirm)

Example 2: Custom Categories

User: "Organize files but put all media (images and videos) together"

Response:

Analyzing directory with custom categories...

I'll use these categories:
- Media/ (images + videos)
- Documents/ (all documents)
- Code/ (development files)
- Archives/ (compressed files)
- Others/

Found 34 files:

📁 Media/ (15 files)
   Images: photo1.jpg, graphic.png, logo.svg
   Videos: clip.mp4, demo.mov

📁 Documents/ (12 files)
   - report.pdf, notes.txt, readme.md, ...

📁 Code/ (5 files)
   - app.js, styles.css, index.html, ...

📁 Archives/ (2 files)
   - backup.zip, files.tar.gz

Proceed? (yes/no)

Example 3: Handle Conflicts

User: "Organize this folder"

Response:

Analyzing folder...

⚠️  Note: Some folders already exist
- Images/ folder exists with 5 files
- Documents/ folder exists with 3 files

I'll move files without overwriting existing ones.
If a file with the same name exists, I'll rename it:
- photo.jpg → photo-2.jpg (if photo.jpg exists)

Planning to organize 20 new files:

📁 Images/ (7 new files)
   Will be added to existing Images/ folder

📁 Documents/ (8 new files)
   Will be added to existing Documents/ folder

📁 Videos/ (5 new files)
   New folder will be created

Proceed? (yes/no)

Safety Features

Always Confirm First

Never move files without user approval:

Before moving files:
1. Show what will be moved
2. Show where it will go
3. Warn about conflicts
4. Wait for confirmation

Handle Naming Conflicts

If file already exists:

# Don't overwrite!
# Instead, rename: file.txt → file-2.txt

Preserve File Integrity

• Don't modify file contents
• Keep file permissions
• Maintain timestamps
• Don't corrupt files

Provide Undo Information

After organizing, note:

To undo this organization:
1. Select all files in subdirectories
2. Move them back to parent directory
3. Delete empty folders

Or use: /undo-organization command

Tips

For Best Results

• Work on one directory at a time
• Back up important files first
• Test with a small folder first
• Review the plan before confirming

For Custom Organization

Tell the skill your preferences:

• "Put code and web files together"
• "Create a folder for work documents"
• "Keep all media files in one place"

For Large Directories

• Organize by date first, then by type
• Consider creating subfolders
• May want to organize in stages

Common Use Cases

Downloads Folder

Organize by type, move old files to archive

Project Directory

Organize by function: source/, tests/, docs/, configs/

Media Collection

Organize photos by date, videos by type

Work Files

Organize by project or client

Bash Commands Used

List files:

ls -la

Create folder:

mkdir -p "FolderName"

Move files:

mv "source.ext" "Destination/source.ext"

Handle conflicts:

# Check if file exists before moving
if [ -f "Destination/file.ext" ]; then
  mv "file.ext" "Destination/file-2.ext"
else
  mv "file.ext" "Destination/file.ext"
fi

Edge Cases

Empty Directory

✨ This directory is already clean! No files to organize.

All Files Same Type

All 15 files are images. Would you like to:
1. Organize by date
2. Organize by size
3. Leave as is

Hidden Files

Found 3 hidden files (.env, .gitignore, .config)
These are typically important config files.
Organize them? (yes/no/skip)

Symbolic Links

⚠️  Found 2 symbolic links
Moving these could break links. Recommended action:
- Skip symbolic links
- Leave in original location

Remember

• Always ask permission: Never move files without confirmation
• Show the plan: User should know exactly what will happen
• Handle conflicts: Don't overwrite existing files
• Be safe: Preserve file integrity
• Provide context: Explain what you're doing and why
• Make it reversible: Provide undo instructions