file-organization

name	file-organization
description	Guidelines for file operations like moving, renaming, and reorganizing files. Claude should use this skill when reorganizing code structure to prefer efficient shell commands over write/delete patterns.

File Organization Guidelines

When reorganizing files, moving files, or renaming files, follow these guidelines:

Moving/Renaming Files

Use git mv or mv via Bash instead of Write + delete:

git mv old/path/File.java new/path/File.java

Then use Edit to update any necessary content (e.g., package declarations).

Why This Matters

• Preserves git history - changes can be tracked across renames
• Simpler: One command instead of multiple tool calls
• Preserves file metadata (creation time, permissions)
• Conceptually cleaner: A move operation should be expressed as a move
• Less error-prone: No risk of forgetting to delete the old file

IMPORTANT: Never recreate files from scratch when the original exists. Move the file first, then edit its contents.

Package Reorganization Example

When reorganizing Java packages:

# 1. Create new directory structure
mkdir -p src/main/java/com/example/newpackage

# 2. Move the file
mv src/main/java/com/example/oldpackage/MyClass.java src/main/java/com/example/newpackage/

# 3. Update the package declaration
# Use Edit tool to change: package com.example.oldpackage;
# To: package com.example.newpackage;

Refactoring Cleanup

When moving files during refactoring:

1. Move files to new location
2. Verify build passes in new location
3. Delete the old empty directories immediately
4. Don't ask - empty directories after a move serve no purpose

Refactoring Checklist

Before moving source files in a refactoring:

1. Inventory ALL Source Directories

• Check for src/main/java, src/test/java, AND custom source sets
• Look for src/integrationTest, src/integration-test, src/componentTest, src/component-test
• Check build.gradle for plugin-defined directories (e.g., Eventuate test plugins)

2. Move Complete Modules

• Move main sources AND all test sources together (unit, integration, component tests)
• A module is incomplete without its tests
• Verify test count before and after refactoring matches

IMPORTANT: This is one situation where ./gradlew build passing is insufficient. You must verify that each test class has a corresponding TEST-*.xml file in the correct build directory. Tests may compile but not run if source sets are misconfigured.

3. Transfer ALL Dependencies

When converting single-module to multi-module:

• Run git show HEAD:path/to/build.gradle to capture original configuration
• List ALL dependency configurations (implementation, testImplementation, integrationTestImplementation, componentTestImplementation, etc.)
• For each dependency, determine which subproject needs it
• Verify build works BEFORE and AFTER refactoring with the same test command

When to Use Write

Reserve the Write tool for:

• Creating genuinely new files
• Files where content is being substantially rewritten
• Generated files where the entire content is new

Do NOT use Write for:

• Moving files to new locations
• Renaming files
• Reorganizing directory structures

Prefer Dedicated Tools Over Bash

Use the right tool for file discovery and inspection:

Task	Use	Instead of
List/find files	Glob	ls, find
Search file contents	Grep	grep, rg
Read file contents	Read	cat, head, tail
Edit files	Edit	sed, awk

The dedicated tools:

• Handle edge cases gracefully (e.g., non-existent directories)
• Provide better formatted output
• Are optimized for the task
• Don't require defensive shell scripting patterns like command 2>/dev/null || echo "fallback"