rename-files_skill

Overview

This skill analyzes file contents and proposes context-aware, standardized filenames to make archives scannable and sortable. It applies date-first conventions for transactional or periodic documents and content-first conventions for creative or evergreen files. The skill can handle single files, lists of files, or entire folders and presents a safe preview before any rename is applied.

How this skill works

It inspects files using text extraction, OCR, and basic vision analysis, supplemented by existing filename patterns and metadata. Based on detected document type it suggests names using ISO 8601 date formats, entity and item descriptors, or media conventions (including TV episode mode). The skill returns a preview table of original vs proposed names, flags items it couldn’t analyze, and waits for user confirmation before renaming.

When to use it

• Organizing mixed downloads with inconsistent, messy filenames
• Standardizing receipts, invoices, bank statements, and periodic reports
• Preparing creative projects, photos, and drafts for archiving
• Renaming large media folders to Plex-friendly TV episode format
• Cleaning filenames before backup or version control ingestion

Best practices

• Prefer ISO 8601 dates (YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM) for time-sensitive files
• Put the date at the start for transactional items and at the end for creative works
• Remove technical metadata and problematic characters (:*?"<>|#%&)
• Limit previews to 15 files at once and note un-analyzable files
• Confirm all proposed changes before executing bulk renames

Example use cases

• Rename a downloads folder full of mixed invoices and receipts into YYYY-MM-DD Entity Type - Details.pdf
• Convert scattered project drafts into Description - Date or Description - Context Date for easy lookup
• Standardize recurring statements to YYYY-MM Entity - Type for monthly archives
• Clean TV rips to 'Show Name - sXXeYY - Episode Title.extension' for media servers
• Tidy a photo collection to 'Vacation Photos - Location YYYY' or 'Event - YYYY-MM-DD'