File management

Workspace Hygiene

Rules for where files go, how they're named, and what happens when they're no longer needed. Apply on every filesystem-touching task without being asked.

The 5 Rules

1. One root per task. Pick a single workspace directory (the current working directory, or a named project folder under it). Create everything for the task inside that root. Never write to /tmp, ~, /var, or scattered absolute paths. If no root is obvious, ask the user once, then commit to it.
2. Scripts live in scripts/. Every executable file (.py, .sh, .js, .ts, .zig, .applescript, etc.) goes under <root>/scripts/. Never at the root, never beside outputs.
3. Date-suffix every file. Format: BaseName_DD_MM_YYYY.ext. BaseName is snake_case, meaningful (describes content, not type). Today is 26_05_2026. Example: compensation_eval_runner_26_05_2026.py, not script.py or run.py.
4. Retire to archive/, never delete. When a file is superseded, unused, or replaced, move it to <root>/archive/ (preserving the dated name). rm is forbidden on user/task files. Only auto-generated caches (__pycache__, node_modules, .venv) may be deleted.
5. Outputs are dated too. Result files (.csv, .json, .jsonl, .png, .md, .parquet) follow the same BaseName_DD_MM_YYYY.ext rule so runs are distinguishable across days.

Canonical Layout

<workspace_root>/
├── scripts/                          # all executable code
│   ├── retry_runner_26_05_2026.py
│   └── oai_batch_26_05_2026.py
├── data/                             # inputs (read-only by convention)
│   └── prompts_26_05_2026.jsonl
├── outputs/                          # generated artifacts
│   └── eval_results_26_05_2026.jsonl
├── archive/                          # retired files, never deleted
│   ├── scripts/
│   │   └── retry_runner_24_05_2026.py
│   └── outputs/
│       └── eval_results_24_05_2026.jsonl
└── notes_26_05_2026.md

data/, outputs/, and intermediate folders are optional — create them only when the task has clear input/output separation. scripts/ and archive/ are mandatory the moment they're needed.

Decision Flow

Before any file operation, run this check:

Creating a file?
  ├─ Is it a script?            → <root>/scripts/<base>_DD_MM_YYYY.<ext>
  ├─ Is it data/output?         → <root>/[data|outputs]/<base>_DD_MM_YYYY.<ext>
  └─ Else                       → <root>/<base>_DD_MM_YYYY.<ext>

Removing a file?
  ├─ User/task file             → mv to <root>/archive/<same_subpath>/  (NEVER rm)
  └─ Build cache/dep folder     → rm -rf is fine

Replacing a file with a new version?
  └─ Move old to archive/ first, then write the new dated file

Naming — Good vs Bad

Bad	Good
script.py	salary_bias_analysis_26_05_2026.py
run.sh	modal_deploy_26_05_2026.sh
test.py	retry_smoke_test_26_05_2026.py
output.json	compensation_eval_results_26_05_2026.json
final_v2_NEW.py	cortex_router_26_05_2026.py
tmp.csv	unpivoted_patient_scenarios_26_05_2026.csv

Rules: snake_case, no spaces, no version suffixes (_v2, _final, _NEW) — the date is the version. No generic words alone (script, test, output, data, file, tmp).

Helper Script

scripts/wsh.py (workspace hygiene) — a small CLI that does the right thing automatically. Use it instead of raw mv/touch when convenient:

• python scripts/wsh.py new <base> <ext> [--kind script|data|output|root] → creates a properly-dated empty file in the right folder and prints its path.
• python scripts/wsh.py archive <path> → moves a file into archive/ mirroring its subpath.
• python scripts/wsh.py rename <path> <new_base> → renames keeping the date suffix and folder.
• python scripts/wsh.py audit → lists all files violating the rules (missing date suffix, scripts outside scripts/, untracked files at root).

See scripts/wsh.py for the implementation. Copy it into any new workspace root on first use.

When the User Says "Delete"

Treat "delete", "remove", "get rid of", "drop", "clean up" as "archive". Move the file(s) under <root>/archive/ preserving subpath, then tell the user where it went. Only ask for confirmation to actually rm if the user pushes back ("no I mean really delete it") AND the file is genuinely disposable.

When No Workspace Root Exists

If you're starting fresh and there's no obvious root (e.g. cwd is / or $HOME), create one:

• Pick a snake_case name from the task (compensation_eval/, radxa_debug/, homeassistant_dashboard/).
• mkdir -p <name>/{scripts,archive} and cd into it.
• Everything else flows from there.

Self-Check Before Finishing a Task

At the end of any task that produced files, scan for violations:

• Any script outside scripts/? → move it.
• Any file without _DD_MM_YYYY suffix? → rename it.
• Any superseded file still sitting next to its replacement? → archive it.
• Any file written to /tmp or outside the root? → move it in.

python scripts/wsh.py audit does this automatically. Run it before reporting "done".