archive-by-created-date

Archive by Created Date

Use this skill to move notes into a year/month archive structure based on their created date.

Purpose

Keep Daily Notes/ and Clippings/ organized by moving older notes into dated archive folders without changing their filenames.

Scope

• Source folders: Daily Notes/ or Clippings/
• Target folders: Daily Notes/YYYY/MM/ or Clippings/YYYY/MM/
• Folder names use a four-digit year and two-digit month.
• Preserve the original filename.

Created Date Rule

• Read the note's created date from frontmatter when available.
• If frontmatter is missing, use the created date shown in the note heading or nearby metadata if the date is explicit.
• Route the note to the matching YYYY/MM/ folder.
• If the date cannot be determined confidently, stop and ask for guidance.

Confirmation Rule

• Always confirm the move plan before changing files.
• State the source folder, file count, target year/month folder, and whether the move affects daily notes or clippings.
• Do not move files until the plan has been confirmed.

Workflow

1. Identify candidate notes in the source folder.
2. Read the created date for each note.
3. Group notes by year and month.
4. Confirm the planned move with the user.
5. Create the target YYYY/MM/ folders if needed.
6. Move the notes into the matching archive folders.
7. Update the nearest folder README or index if one exists.
8. Leave filenames unchanged unless the user asks for renaming.

Safety

• Do not copy files when the user asked to move them.
• Do not invent dates.
• Do not move notes whose created date is unclear.
• Do not rename files during archival unless explicitly requested.
• Keep the archive structure consistent between Daily Notes/ and Clippings/.

Output Expectations

• Notes moved into the appropriate year/month folder.
• The move plan confirmed before the change.
• Folder indexes updated when needed.