Organizing is more than moving
Moving means taking selected files to a specified destination. Organizing means applying a rule to a clearly defined set: for example, removing identical copies from the source and distributing the remaining files by date or project. Sorting a list of results, by contrast, does not change the files.
Specify the source folders, whether to include subfolders, any comparison folders and the destinations. Folders used only for comparison are not modified. A matching name or a similar-looking photo does not establish a duplicate: the complete file contents are compared.
First the plan, then your decision
- Complete the request in a form. If information is missing, Metnos asks for it in a form. Choices and consent also use forms: within web chat, or through the form link received on Telegram. Simply typing “yes” in chat does not replace confirmation.
- Review the complete plan. The preview does not move or delete your files. The plan distinguishes moves, duplicate copies to remove, files left in place and issues to resolve. It includes destinations and any alternative names. An abbreviated summary must say so: it is not the same as being able to inspect every action.
- Authorize only actual changes. If the plan contains no changes, the preview ends without asking for authorization. If it contains moves or removals, you can confirm or cancel in the form. Confirmation applies only to that plan, which remains frozen.
- Read the receipt. After consent, Metnos applies exactly the approved actions, without recalculating destinations or adding files. The receipt records what actually happened, including any problems: a preview is not a receipt for completed work.
- Undo if needed. Undo uses the receipt to reverse moves and restore removed copies. It first checks that restoration is still safe; it does not overwrite a file that has changed in the meantime. Repeating a completed undo does not repeat its effects.
How to ask
These examples illustrate intended use after activation; they are not transcripts of completed operations.
Organize the photos in “To organize” on the Metnos server, without entering subfolders. Compare them with “Photo archive”: remove from the source only identical copies already in the archive, and distribute the rest by capture year and month. Show me the plan first.
The two folders must be separate. The source folder defines where duplicates may be removed; the archive is the reference to preserve. If a date is missing, the destination must not be invented: use the form to choose whether to leave the file in place or block the plan.
Find the documents in “To file” on the Metnos server, extract their project from the contents and organize those results into the existing project folders. Show me the plan first.
Search, extraction and organization belong to the same request here.
The rule uses the extracted project field; it does not invent a
project from the filename. Do not assume that “these files” retrieves the
output of a previous, completed request: specify the scope again.
If a name is already taken
The existing file is not overwritten. The rule can block the plan or propose a name with a suffix derived from the contents. Even when two incoming files would have the same name, the final name must appear in the preview. This choice does not authorize deletion of the existing file.
First-version limits
- Local files on the Metnos Linux server only: not files on a connected Windows PC, remote devices or cloud storage.
- Moves within the same filesystem only: moving to another disk or filesystem is not supported.
- Source and destination folders must already exist, including final subfolders. Destinations must be outside the source folders: this version does not automatically create the year/month structure.
- Paths must not contain symbolic links. Removing duplicate files with multiple hard links is not allowed.
If files change after the preview
If a file or folder no longer matches what was checked, or a destination becomes occupied, Metnos refuses to continue with that plan. A new preview is needed, followed by new consent if there are actual changes. It does not silently adapt a plan you already approved.
If a problem occurs during application, Metnos attempts to restore the operations already performed and records the outcome in the receipt. External changes can also prevent restoration: check the outcome rather than assuming every file is back in place. Undo is not a replacement for an independent backup.
Continue with finding duplicates in the quick tour · what the Tutor does.