| name | anonymise |
| description | Anonymise CSV files by removing personal identifying information and adding datetime stamps. Use when user wants to process a new CSV file or strip PII from data. |
CSV Anonymiser
When the user wants to anonymise a CSV file or process new data:
1. Check .gitignore
First, verify that CSV files are excluded from git:
cat .gitignore
If *.csv is not present, add it:
echo "*.csv" >> .gitignore
2. Identify the CSV File
The script can auto-detect new CSV files:
- Auto-detection: Files without a timestamp pattern (YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS) in their name
- New files: Any CSV file that hasn't been processed yet
- If multiple new files exist, the script will list them and ask user to specify which one
3. Remove Personal Identifying Information
Columns to remove are configured in ~/.agents/skills/anonymise/config.txt:
- One column header per line
- Lines starting with
# are comments
- Default includes
"Record - Airtable ID" (PII)
Process the file:
- Read the CSV file
- Remove all columns listed in
~/.agents/skills/anonymise/config.txt
- Keep all other columns intact
- Preserve the header row (minus the removed columns)
4. Add Datetime Stamp
The script will:
- Create a new file with format:
YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.csv (just the timestamp)
- Delete the original file
Example: ILR data 25_26-Social value data for Dingley.csv becomes 20231216_143022.csv
5. Run the Anonymisation Script
Execute the Python script located in the same directory as this skill:
Auto-detect mode (finds CSV files without timestamps):
python3 ~/.agents/skills/anonymise/anonymise.py
Specific file mode:
python3 ~/.agents/skills/anonymise/anonymise.py "filename.csv"
If multiple new files are found in auto-detect mode, the script will list them and you'll need to specify which one to process.
6. Confirm Completion
After processing:
- Confirm the anonymised file was created with timestamp
- Confirm the original file was removed
- Confirm .gitignore includes
*.csv
- Remind user that CSV files won't be committed to git
Notes
- Uses British English spelling throughout
- Handles UTF-8 BOM encoding (
utf-8-sig) for compatibility
- Preserves all data except the first column
- Assumes consistent CSV structure across files
- Files are automatically excluded from version control
