File organizer CLI — sort Downloads by type, date, EXIF

Resume bullet (when finished)

“Built a configurable file-organizer CLI in Python that sorts ~10k mixed files by MIME type, modification date, and image EXIF location in under 4 seconds; covered with 92% pytest line coverage and a dry-run mode.”

Locked tech stack

No "choose your language" — analysis paralysis kills completion. Follow the stack to the letter on your first build.

Milestones (5 · ~9h)

1. M1~1h

   Click skeleton + --dry-run

   `organize ~/Downloads --dry-run` lists what would happen without touching disk.

   CHECK BEFORE MOVING ON:

   • Why is --dry-run the first feature you build, not the last?
   • What's the difference between argparse and click — when does click win?
   $ git commit -m "feat(cli): click skeleton + --dry-run"
2. M2~2h

   Sort by MIME type

   Detect MIME via `mimetypes` / magic-numbers; move files into `images/`, `documents/`, `archives/`, etc.

   CHECK BEFORE MOVING ON:

   • Why is the file extension not enough?
   • What happens when two files would collide in the destination?
   $ git commit -m "feat: MIME-based sorting + collision resolution"
3. M3~1h

   Date buckets (by year/month)

   Optional `--by-date` flag puts files into `2026/05/`. Uses `st_mtime`.

   CHECK BEFORE MOVING ON:

   • Modification time vs creation time — which is correct here and why?
   • Timezone: should the bucket use UTC or local time?
   $ git commit -m "feat: --by-date bucketing"
4. M4~3h

   EXIF GPS sorting for photos

   Optional `--by-location` reads JPEG EXIF GPS via Pillow, reverse-geocodes via a lightweight offline lib, organizes into `images/<country>/<city>/`.

   CHECK BEFORE MOVING ON:

   • What's the right behavior when EXIF is missing?
   • Why offline reverse-geocode rather than calling an API?
   $ git commit -m "feat: EXIF GPS-based sorting"
5. M5~2h

   Pytest + CI

   92%+ coverage. Tests use a temp dir; no network. GitHub Actions runs pytest on push.

   CHECK BEFORE MOVING ON:

   • What's the right way to test 'this CLI moved a file' without flake?
   • Why does a CLI tool need CI?
   $ git commit -m "test: 92% coverage + CI"

60-second demo storyboard

What you say in the recruiter screen when they ask "tell me about your latest project." Practice it out loud.

1. 0-5s: 'CLI that organizes 10k files in 4s, with dry-run, MIME, date, and EXIF GPS modes.'
2. 5-25s: live run on a real ~/Downloads folder with --dry-run, then real.
3. 25-45s: pytest --cov in front of recruiter; show 92%.
4. 45-60s: repo link + 'why I built it with click instead of argparse'.

STAR talking points for behavioral round

Production references — how grown-up systems do this

Self-review rubric (before you claim done)