I Built SlothSort AI: A Local-First File Organizer with AI-Powered Naming Suggestions 🦥

Have you ever opened a folder and found yourself staring at filenames like lec-3.pdf, stuff.txt, or IMG_2026.png, wondering what to rename first?

Renaming files one by one is repetitive. I wanted to build something that could make this process simpler while keeping the user in control.

🔗 GitHub Repository: https://github.com/Manish010325/slothsort-ai

SlothSort AI is a file organizer that uses a locally running AI model to suggest clearer, more consistent filenames.

Instead of automatically renaming everything, it follows a simple principle:

The user reviews the suggestions, selects the desired changes, and can undo the last rename operation.

I wanted to keep the stack straightforward while learning how a frontend, backend, file system operations, and a locally running AI model can work together.

The application works with filenames and file metadata; it doesn't need to read document contents to generate suggestions.

You'll need Node.js, npm, and Ollama installed.

git clone https://github.com/Manish010325/slothsort-ai.git cd slothsort-ai Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 2. Install dependencies

npm install Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 3. Download the model

ollama pull gemma4:e2b Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Make sure Ollama is running.

npm run dev Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

npm test Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode The current test suite covers folder scanning, AI suggestion validation, and rename/undo behavior. All nine tests passed in my latest local run.

I wanted to explore a practical use of AI without making a hosted AI service a requirement for filename suggestions.

Running the model locally keeps the inference process on the user's machine. However, this doesn't replace normal file backups or eliminate every possible file-system risk, so changes should still be reviewed carefully.

Building SlothSort AI helped me bring together several concepts:

One important lesson: getting AI to generate a suggestion is only part of the job. Building safeguards around what happens next matters just as much.

SlothSort AI is an open-source learning project, and I'd love for developers to explore the code, try it locally, and share constructive feedback.

🔗 Repository: https://github.com/Manish010325/slothsort-ai

I'd especially appreciate feedback on the filename suggestion workflow, file-safety checks, and ways to make the project more useful.

A question for the community: Would you prefer an AI file organizer that suggests filenames only, or one that also recommends folders and categories?

Expand Manish Kumar Yadav Manish Kumar Yadav Manish Kumar Yadav Follow CSE Student | Full-Stack Developer | Cloud Enthusiast | Open-Source Contributor | Hacktoberfest 2026 🚀 Location Ghaziabad Education Engineering Pronouns Mr Joined Oct 17, 2026 • Oct 24 Dropdown menu Copy link Hide I'd love to hear your feedback! 🦥

While building SlothSort AI, I wanted to explore how local AI could make everyday file management easier while keeping users in control.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks for checking out my project!

🔗 GitHub: github.com/Manish010325/slothsort-ai