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This CLI tool provides an automated way to organize your files on your local machine.

67 starsJavaScript

Auto-organize – Clean up messy folders with a single npx command

by chris-corner·Feb 18, 2026·2 points·0 comments

AI Analysis

MidSolve My ProblemNiche Gem
The Take

Preview mode and overwrite protection show the author thought about safety — you can simulate changes with --preview and it avoids clobbering files. The ability to run via npx for one-offs, plus --only / --exclude flags and reuse of existing folders, make it a practical, low-friction utility. Not groundbreaking, but a tidy, sensible tool for a common pain point.

Category
Target Audience

Everyday users and developers comfortable with the terminal, power users who want quick, safe folder cleanup

Post Description

I created this because my Downloads folder was a graveyard of mixed images, PDFs, and audio files. I wanted a way to fix it without doing manual tasks.

How it works:

- It’s a CLI tool built with Node.js. You just navigate to any cluttered directory and run 'npx auto-organize'. It analyzes file extensions and groups them into "thematic" folders (e.g., .png and .jpg go into "Images").

Key Features:

- Zero Permanent Install: You can use 'npx auto-organize' for one-time cleanups or 'npm install -g auto-organize' for frequent use.

- Safe Moving: It doesn’t delete or rename anything, just moves files. It also detects and prevents overwriting files with the same name.

- Flexible: It includes flags like --only to target specific formats or --exclude to skip certain files.

- Smart Folders: It reuses existing directories instead of creating duplicates.

Tech Stack:

- Plain JavaScript (Node.js) with only two UI dependencies: 'Chalk' for terminal colors and 'Ora' for the spinner animation.

Future Idea:

- I’m thinking about allowing users to define their own category mappings (e.g., specific extensions for specific folder names).

Feedback, suggestions or contributions for improvement are very welcome.

- Repo (Open Source): https://github.com/ChristianRincon/auto-organize

- npm package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/auto-organize

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