Filename Convention Skill

Report_final_v2_FINAL_johns-edits(2).docx is a filesystem crying for grammar. A working convention is small — date first in ISO form so files sort themselves, a few descriptor slots in fixed order, a version rule that bans "final" — and it's enforced by usefulness: names that sort chronologically and surface in search within seconds pay their own adoption. The convention fits on one line; everything longer goes unused.

What This Skill Produces

• The grammar — the slot order (YYYY-MM-DD_project_doctype_descriptor_v2) tuned to the team's real files
• Worked examples — the team's actual recent files, renamed per the grammar
• The version rule — v1, v2, v3 + -draft/-approved states; "final" banned by decree with the reason
• The one-line cheat sheet — the whole convention, postable in the folder guide

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• The file population — what the team actually produces (contracts, decks, exports, meeting docs); the grammar's slots come from what needs distinguishing
• The sort need — chronological (date-first) vs. entity-first (acme_2026-07-19_... when browsing-by-client dominates); the retrieval pattern picks the lead slot
• Cloud-doc reality — Google Docs/Notion pages need the convention too (titles are names); versioned-by-platform files relax the version suffix
• The current chaos sample — a dozen real filenames; the before/after table is the convention's best salesman