My Drive had 4,372 files in 270 folders, 24 loose files in the main folder, the same documents copied into several folders, and names that told you nothing. In October 2026 I sorted it out once with AI: we built a structure, renamed the files and moved everything into place, finishing on 22 October.
A tidy Drive doesn’t stay tidy on its own, so a task in T3 now runs every 30 days to keep it that way.
The structure
Numbered folders, so their order never changes, and nothing else in the main folder. Three working folders sit on top:
- Inbox: anything new goes here, and the task files it, or I ask Claude to file it any time.
- AI Share: files I drop for Claude or ChatGPT to read. Anything changed in the last 30 days stays; older files get moved to their home.
- Temp: short-term files. Anything untouched for a week goes in the bin.
What it does every month
- Files the Inbox: opens each file to see what it is, moves it to its folder and renames it.
- Sorts AI Share and Temp by the rules above.
- Clears the main folder: any loose file goes to its home.
- Removes duplicates: looks for “Copy of” and “(1)” files created this month. A matching name and size only make a file a suspect. It bins a copy only once the content is confirmed the same (by checksum for uploaded files, by comparing the text for Google Docs), and otherwise leaves both and asks me. It used to go by size alone; I tightened it on 10 November.
- Important documents: only current ones stay in their folder. Expired copies, or ones replaced by a newer copy, move to an “Old” folder inside it and are never deleted. It also tells me what expires in the next three months.
- Reports back: what was renamed and moved, what was binned, what’s about to expire, and any questions.
If it can’t tell what a file is or where it belongs, it leaves it in the Inbox and asks me.
Naming
- All names in English.
- Files with a date:
YYYY-MM-DD Topic - Detail. - The original name goes in the file’s description in case I need it, with every number replaced by
#, so no sensitive number survives there. - No ID or account number ever goes in a file name, a description, or my notes.
How to set one up
Connect the AI to your Drive
Mine is connected to Claude through the Google Drive connector. Connect it in the agent that will run the job, then check on a throwaway file that it can rename, move, edit the description and bin.
Sort it out once
Look through my Drive and propose a numbered folder structure with an Inbox, an AI Share and a Temp folder. Don't move or delete anything until I approve the structure. Then file everything in batches. Name files in English; files with a date get YYYY-MM-DD Topic - Detail, and never invent a date for a file that has none. Keep the original name in the description with every number replaced by #. Never put an ID, account or card number in a name, a description or my notes.
Write the monthly rules and schedule them
Write me a rules note and save it as ~/notes/drive-tidy.md, for a monthly task:
1. Important documents are never binned, whatever the rules below say. If you're unsure whether a file is one, leave it and ask me.
2. File everything in Inbox: open a file if needed, move it to its folder and rename it by the naming rules (English; YYYY-MM-DD Topic - Detail for dated files; original name in the description with numbers replaced by #; no ID or account numbers anywhere).
3. In AI Share, keep anything changed in the last 30 days and file the rest.
4. In Temp, bin anything untouched for seven days and list what you binned.
5. File any loose file in the main folder.
6. For "Copy of" and "(1)" files created this month, compare the content (use the checksum where Drive gives one). Bin a copy only when the content matches; otherwise leave both and ask me.
7. Move old copies of important documents to an Old folder inside their folder. Tell me what expires in the next three months.
8. Finish with a short summary.
Then schedule a task that reads ~/notes/drive-tidy.md every 30 days. How to schedule is in the T3 post.
What I learned
- Binning happens in the main conversation. The bin tool doesn’t work inside sub-agents, so the task bins files itself rather than handing that to another agent.
- When unsure, ask. A file that stays in the Inbox is better than one lost in the wrong folder.
- The big tidy happens once; the monthly one is light. After the first sort, each month mostly handles what’s new, plus files that have aged out of Temp and AI Share, and documents nearing expiry.
A copy in Signal
The monthly report also goes to Signal, the app I built for my phone, and I can answer it there. Signal gets its own post, and I’ll link it here.
Tools
Next in the series: the homelab check.