File Management (Brian)

Organize and maintain AI agent workspaces using structured directories, clear naming, regular audits, and safe cleanup of unused or dead files.

Security Scan

The skill's code and instructions are consistent with a local workspace auditing/cleanup tool and do not request unexpected credentials or network access.

Purpose & Capability

Name, description, SKILL.md, FILE-MANAGEMENT.md and the included audit-workspace.sh are aligned: all focus on scanning, reporting, and documenting files in a local OpenClaw workspace. There are no unrelated dependencies, credentials, or external endpoints requested.

Instruction Scope

Instructions and the audit script perform local filesystem and cron checks (find, du, grep, crontab), and FILE-MANAGEMENT.md explicitly references ~/.openclaw/skills/, agents, and crontab. This is appropriate for a file-management skill, but it does mean the skill will read potentially sensitive local files (agent persona, memory, logs). The provided script only reports findings and does not delete files.

Install Mechanism

No install spec — instruction-only plus a small bundled shell script. Nothing is downloaded or extracted from remote URLs and no new binaries are installed.

Credentials

The skill declares no environment variables or credentials. The instructions do use standard shell tools and reference local config paths (~/.openclaw/*), which is proportional to the stated purpose.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not forced-always, is user-invocable, and uses normal autonomous invocation defaults. It does not modify other skills or system-wide settings and does not request permanent elevated privileges.

Assessment

This skill appears to be a straightforward local workspace auditor. Before installing or running it: (1) Review the included audit-workspace.sh locally (it only lists and reports; it does not delete). (2) Be aware it reads your workspace, skills, and crontab entries — these can contain sensitive data (memories, logs, persona files). (3) Run the script on a non-production copy of your workspace first or point it at a limited directory. (4) Ensure you have backups or git/savepoints before performing any cleanup actions. (5) If you want automated deletion, implement a reviewed, reversible process (trash + git commits) rather than removing files immediately.

File Management Skill

A battle-tested approach to keeping your AI agent workspace organized and maintainable.

Overview

This skill documents the file management system developed through real-world use of OpenClaw. It covers workspace structure, naming conventions, dead file detection, and cleanup practices.

When to Use This Skill

• Onboarding a new agent or setting up a fresh workspace
• Performing periodic workspace audits
• Before making significant changes to workspace structure
• When workspace feels cluttered or disorganized

Core Principles

1. Every File Has a Purpose

• Active files: Scripts, configs, and data in use by cron jobs or agents
• Reference files: Documentation, strategies, and notes
• Archived files: Old versions, completed project artifacts
• Dead files: Abandoned scripts, old experiments, unused utilities

2. Structure Mirrors Function

workspace/
├── memory/          # Daily session logs and working context
├── skills/           # Installed skill directories
├── project-1/        # Project-specific directories
├── project-2/
├── ACTIVE.md         # Currently running projects & priorities
├── DREAMS.md         # Background processing notes
└── ARCHIVED/         # Completed or abandoned projects

3. Naming Conventions

• Scripts: Use .sh for bash, .py for Python, .js for JavaScript
• Logs: End with .log
• Configs: End with .json, .yaml, or .md
• Daily notes: memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md format

4. Audit Regularly

Run workspace audits monthly or after major changes. Use the audit script to identify:

• Dead files (no references from active crons or scripts)
• Large files consuming storage
• Outdated documentation

Quick Audit Commands

# Find files not referenced by any cron or script
grep -r "filename" ~/path/to/workspace/ --include="*.sh" --include="*.py" --include="*.js"

# Find recently modified files
find ~/path/to/workspace -type f -mtime -7

# Check disk usage by directory
du -sh ~/path/to/workspace/*/

Cleanup Best Practices

1. Never delete immediately — use trash instead of rm
2. Document before deleting — note what a file did in memory first
3. Verify before cleanup — confirm no active references
4. Commit before major cleanup — create a revert point

Full Documentation

See FILE-MANAGEMENT.md for the complete reference implementation, including:

• Directory structure explainer
• Active vs archived file definitions
• Dead file detection criteria
• Example cleanup checklists