Digital Janitor – A 1-click Python script to auto-sort messy downloads
File sorter by extension—every OS ships this in five minutes as a script.
This CLI tool provides an automated way to organize your files on your local machine.
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.
Everyday users and developers comfortable with the terminal, power users who want quick, safe folder cleanup
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
File sorter by extension—every OS ships this in five minutes as a script.
NotebookLM folder organization when Google could ship this natively in days.
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File auto-organizer by extension—rm/mv already do this, just less convenient.
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