I Built a Tool for the File-Naming Meeting Nobody Ever Schedules

Every shared drive accumulates disarray: within a folder labeled "Projects_final," there resides a file named "Report_FINAL_v2_useTHIS_reallyfinal.docx," with multiple individuals employing distinct naming conventions for similar documents. Everyone acknowledges the need for organization, yet the scheduled meeting to establish a consistent convention never materializes, persisting indefinitely.

This issue isn't rooted in a lack of care or difficulty conceiving a proper convention; rather, the essential step—proposing file name standards—rarely finds its way onto the agenda, as it's seldom a designated agenda item.

File Librarian, a modest Progressive Web App (PWA), addresses this concern by constructing consistent filenames and folder structures tailored to your team's files. Select your work area—be it "Matters" for a law firm or "Projects" for a broader team—then input a few details; the app constructs the name and folder path based on the preset rules, which you can customize.

It then generates the actual folders on your computer (via Chrome/Edge, utilizing the File System Access API) or provides a ZIP file for browsers lacking this capability.

The tool's most significant feature, however, lies in its facilitator mode, known as "Naming Workshop." Designed for a 20-minute live conversation, it enables your team to collectively agree upon a naming convention. This mode posts the decisions straight back into the app, making it a meeting focused on the naming process, rather than a naming tool attached to an agenda.

Once your team adopts a convention, the app enforces it with every new filename generated, leaving no room for confusion or deviation in future document naming.

Beyond its primary function, File Librarian also offers an additional benefit. Since a naming convention is merely structured data, the tool can export itself as a markdown guide, to be pasted into an AI assistant's system prompt. For instance, if you're utilizing Claude or ChatGPT for file organization, the exported guide ensures that the AI follows your team's specific rules, rather than generating a reasonable-sounding convention from scratch. This feature, while seemingly minor, sets File Librarian apart from other tools in the same space.

Developed solo, File Librarian remains actively maintained, with a free general-purpose edition accessible at https://file-librarian-general.vercel.app. Custom editions for various industries are also available, ranging from "Law Firm" to "Personal." All editions share a single codebase, driven by configurations, ensuring consistency across different sectors. The tool is built using React 19 + Vite PWA, with no backend infrastructure beyond license activation, storing all customization data in the browser's localStorage.