Folder Cleanup Plan as a Dry-Run Manifest

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Paste a plain-text inventory of one folder into any AI chat that accepts text. No terminal, API key or installation is needed. This prompt only plans; it cannot see, move, rename, back up or delete your files.

Input to paste (replace with your own): one line per item, in the form FileName | Type | Size | Date modified | Short note. Add subfolders as top-level lines only. Do not paste file contents unless a name is ambiguous. For large folders, send batches of 40 and wait before the plan is finalized. A fictional shape example:

2026-03 receipt.pdf | PDF | 210 KB | 2026-03-04 | utility bill
notes.txt | TXT | 3 KB | 2026-01-18 | meeting notes

How to use it: paste the full prompt below, then paste your inventory. Or paste the inventory first, then the prompt.

Check the output: every manifest row must map back to a line you supplied (no phantom files). Low-confidence and unresolved items must reappear in the questions section. Any delete suggestion must be labelled for your manual confirmation. The prompt should also state your next step: review the manifest, then back up the folder before any change.

Setup and permissions

Nothing to install, and no account beyond your chat tool. The prompt requests no file access: it works entirely from text you type or paste. It therefore needs a filled-in inventory; entries missing a required field stay in an Unresolved list instead of being guessed. It cannot open, scan or back up anything, and it must not invent dates, sizes, contents or file relationships. Folder names should stay short and portable across operating systems, and renames that may break links should be flagged as a risk. Actions are split into reversible ones (Keep, Move, Rename) and irreversible ones (Delete), and a file may only be marked Delete-Candidate if you explicitly asked to identify deletions — and even then only for your manual confirmation.

FAQ

Can it delete or rename my files? No. It can only revise the plan. You carry out every change yourself, after reviewing the manifest and backing up the folder.

What if my inventory is incomplete? Entries missing a needed field go to the Unresolved list with a question, rather than being classified by guesswork, and the prompt should tell you which files cannot be classified before anything is touched.

Complete reusable prompt

You are helping me plan a folder cleanup before anything on my computer is changed. There is no automatic access here: you cannot see my folders, and pasting this prompt cannot move, rename or delete anything. We are only preparing a plan I will review and carry out myself.

MY INPUT I will paste an inventory of a single folder. Each entry should look like: FileName | Type | Size | Date modified | Short note about what it is. Include subfolders only as a top-level line, and do not paste file contents unless a name is ambiguous. If I have many files, split the inventory into batches of 40 and tell me to send the next batch before you finalize.

YOUR TASK

1. Read only the inventory I provide. If any entry lacks a needed field, keep the file in an 'Unresolved' list rather than guessing what it is.
2. Propose a target folder structure with short, consistent folder names and a one-line purpose for each folder.
3. Create a dry-run manifest: one row per file with Current path, Proposed path, Action (Keep/Move/Rename/Archive-Elsewhere/Delete-Candidate/Review), Confidence (High/Medium/Low), Reason, and any conflict.
4. Flag duplicates, near-duplicates or version chains (for example report_final vs report_final_v2) only when you can justify the match from the names, dates and sizes I gave.
5. Separate reversible actions (Keep, Move, Rename) from irreversible ones (Delete). Never put a file in Delete-Candidate unless I explicitly asked to identify deletions, and even then mark it for my manual confirmation.
6. Produce a short 'Questions before I touch anything' list for files you cannot classify.

OUTPUT FORMAT

• Section 1: Proposed folder tree, with one-line purpose per folder.
• Section 2: Dry-run manifest table, sorted by target folder, using the columns above.
• Section 3: Unresolved items and questions.
• Section 4: A manual alternative: brief step-by-step instructions for someone doing this without an AI tool, including how to copy the manifest into a spreadsheet and sort it themselves before editing.

RULES

• Do not claim you have opened, scanned or backed up my files.
• Do not invent dates, sizes, contents or file relationships that are not in my inventory.
• If I ask you to go ahead and make changes, restate that you can only revise the plan.
• Keep names short and usable across operating systems: avoid characters that are often invalid, and avoid renaming files in ways that break links unless you note the risk.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLE INPUT (for shape only) 2026-03 receipt.pdf | PDF | 210 KB | 2026-03-04 | utility bill 2026-03 receipt (1).pdf | PDF | 210 KB | 2026-03-04 | same bill notes.txt | TXT | 3 KB | 2026-01-18 | meeting notes client_logo_final_v2.png | PNG | 480 KB | 2025-11-30 | logo

For that example, a good manifest would map the two receipt files to a Receipts/2026 folder with one marked as a likely duplicate for me to confirm, keep notes.txt in Notes, and place the logo in a Design/ClientAssets folder with a note that the '_v2' suffix may be a final version. A wrong answer would silently delete one receipt, guess the logo is unused, or rename notes.txt without saying why.

CHECKS BEFORE YOU FINISH

• Every manifest row traces to an entry I supplied; no phantom files.
• Every Low-confidence or unresolved row appears again in Section 3.
• No Delete-Candidate row without an explicit note that I must confirm it manually.
• Folder names are consistent and do not exceed a sensible depth of two or three levels.
• Tell me the next action I should take myself: review the manifest, then back up the folder before any changes.

References and reuse

• ChatGPT release notes · Reviewed 2026-10-04

Original TokRepo prompt · CC BY 4.0. Reference documents retain their own rights.