aichivist

aichivist

Clean up your files – like an archivist.

Your AI renames, sorts and de-duplicates your documents. You approve every step, and everything can be undone.

Get started · Why not just ask an AI? · What it can do

Why not just ask an AI?

Tell ChatGPT or Claude *"tidy up my documents"* and you usually get a quick job: folders by file type (PDFs, Images, Misc), the same cryptic names, duplicates left where they were – and sometimes a game or program that no longer starts because its files were moved. It happens all at once, with no plan to check and no way back. Next time, the AI invents a different system.

aichivist gives your AI what a professional archivist works with: your own filing rules, a plan you approve, names read from the document itself, duplicates found by content, programs that keep working, and a record of every step that can be undone. Tried in real use on 25,000 photos and 1,500 documents.

How it works

• Nothing happens without your OK. You see the plan first and can change or strike any line.
• Nothing gets lost. Every step is recorded and can be undone; duplicates go to the trash only after you agree.
• Your files stay yours. Normal folders, your own cloud, no account, no server.
• Speaks your language. Messages in English or German; rule templates in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

What it can do

Get started

Claude Desktop – the easiest way, no technical knowledge needed

1. Click Download for Claude Desktop above (no Claude Desktop yet? claude.ai/download).
2. Double-click the downloaded file and choose the folders Claude may organize. If Windows asks which app to use, open Claude Desktop instead: *Settings → Extensions → Advanced settings → Install Extension…* and pick the file.
3. Ask Claude: *"Tidy up my Downloads."*

Other ways: Claude Code, Codex/Gemini CLI/Cursor, or without AI

Claude Code – type /plugin install aichivist --marketplace luftphilipp/aichivist, then say *"Set up aichivist."* The setup installs the command-line tool if it is missing (it asks first).

Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor – pipx install aichivist (or uv tool install aichivist), then copy templates/AGENTS.md to where your agent reads instructions.

Other AI apps – aichivist's MCP server runs locally with uv installed:

• Cursor: one-click install (organizes the open project folder).
• VS Code / GitHub Copilot: one-click install (organizes the open folder).
• Codex (OpenAI) – add to ~/.codex/config.toml, with the folders it may organize:

  [mcp_servers.aichivist]

command = "uvx" args = ["--from", "aichivist[mcp]", "aichivist", "mcp", "--root", "~/Downloads", "--root", "~/Documents"]

- **Antigravity CLI** (Google) – the same server in `~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json` under `mcpServers`;

Gemini CLI (paid plans): gemini extensions install https://github.com/luftphilipp/aichivist.

• ChatGPT connects only to servers on the internet, not to local ones – aichivist keeps your files on your computer, so it does not offer that. Use Codex instead.

Downloaded the ZIP? Unpack it and double-click `Start (Mac).command` or `Start (Windows).bat` (Linux: start.sh). A simple menu opens – look at your Downloads, check your backups, and see which AI app on your computer can tidy up. No installation needed, only Python 3 (a new Mac offers to install it by itself). The first time, your computer warns because the file comes from the internet:

• Mac: click *Done*, open *System Settings → Privacy & Security*, scroll down and click *Open Anyway* next to "Start (Mac).command", then confirm.
• Windows: click *More info → Run anyway*.

Just curious? See what's going on in your folders – no AI, nothing is changed:

pipx install aichivist

aichivist survey ~/Downloads

It shows how many files you have, duplicates that waste space, files with meaningless names, folders that slow down your cloud, program folders to leave alone, and whether your hard drive is healthy. aichivist storage storage.md checks whether your backups are safe and what your storage costs per year (it shows the table format on first run). aichivist catalog-page --open turns your catalogs into a searchable page, aichivist photos sorts photos by year, and aichivist watch ~/Downloads --install reminds you once 25 files have piled up.

See it in action (terminal demo)

Built on real archive practice

Archives have organized documents reliably for centuries. aichivist brings their rules to your computer:

Privacy Policy

aichivist itself works only on your computer: no account, no server, no telemetry. The AI that reads your documents (e.g. Claude) receives the content of the documents it reads – so you decide which folders it may open, and can exclude private ones completely. Full text: PRIVACY.md.

How this was built

aichivist was designed by Philipp Luft, a trained archivist and information professional (Fachmann Information & Dokumentation) studying Business AI, who brought the archival principles and the requirements. The code was written with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code) – every commit lists Claude as co-author.

More

• Details – all commands, setup for other apps, safety model, comparison with other tools
• Concept – the archival principles behind it
• Contributing · Changelog · Security · MIT license