Build your first useful automation

What you will make

The script produces the intended outputs and a repeat run does not damage or duplicate work.

Before you start

Python 3, a small sample folder, and a clear transformation such as organizing exported assets.

1. Describe the rule

Write examples of input names and desired outputs. Define collisions, unsupported files, and empty-folder behavior. Work on a sample copy first.

2. Create a dry run

List proposed actions without changing files. Resolve output paths under the chosen destination and reject escaping paths. Do not follow symlinks into unrelated folders.

3. Implement safely

Write outputs separately and preserve originals by default. Make repeat runs predictable: skip identical outputs or report conflicts rather than silently overwriting them.

4. Verify and reuse

Compare a manifest before and after. Test empty input, duplicate names, nested folders, and failure partway through. Record how to run the script and how to recover.

Give your agent a clear task

Create an automation for this folder task. First show a dry-run mapping of inputs to outputs. Preserve originals, reject path escapes and collisions, and make repeat runs predictable. Test with a small sample before applying it to the selected folder.

Check the result

The script produces the intended outputs and a repeat run does not damage or duplicate work.

If something goes wrong

If names collide, stop that operation and report both inputs. If a file fails, preserve the input and record the failure. Do not widen the source folder to compensate for a path mistake.