Auto-Sort

How Sorta automatically organizes your files

Auto-Sort

Auto-Sort is how Sorta applies your Flows automatically in the background, keeping your projects organized without manual effort.

What is Auto-Sort?

Auto-Sort monitors your project folders and automatically applies your Flows when files appear or change.

The Process

1. A file appears in a folder
   ↓
2. Sorta checks your active Flows
   ↓
3. If a Flow matches, the file moves automatically
   ↓
4. Your project stays organized

You don't have to do anything — Sorta handles it in the background.

How Auto-Sort Works

Monitoring

Sorta continuously monitors your project folders for:

  • New files being created
  • Files being moved into source folders
  • File name changes
  • File type changes

Matching

When a file appears, Sorta checks all your active Flows:

  • Does the file type match?
  • Is it in the right source folder?
  • Does the file name match the pattern?

Moving

If a Flow matches:

  1. The file is automatically moved to the destination folder
  2. The move happens seamlessly
  3. You see the file in its correct location

All of this happens in seconds — no manual action required.

Enabling Auto-Sort

Global Setting

Auto-Sort is enabled by default in Sorta.

To check or change:

  1. Click the Sorta menu bar icon
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Check Auto-Sort is enabled
  4. For individual projects, you can enable/disable it per project

Per-Project Control

Enable or disable Auto-Sort for specific projects:

  1. Click on a project
  2. Go to Settings
  3. Toggle Enable Auto-Sort on/off
  4. Saves immediately

You might disable Auto-Sort if:

  • You're testing flows before enabling automation
  • You're temporarily sorting manually
  • You're importing files and want to organize them first

Auto-Sort in Action

Example: Design Project

Your folder structure:

Project/
├── Inbox/       ← New files arrive here
├── Assets/
│   ├── Images/
│   ├── Fonts/
│   └── Icons/
└── Design/

Your flows:

Rule 1: PNG files in Inbox → Assets/Images
Rule 2: Font files → Assets/Fonts
Rule 3: PSD files → Design/

What Happens

You: Download a PNG from the web into your project Inbox

Sorta:

  1. Detects new PNG file in Inbox
  2. Checks Flows
  3. Finds: "PNG in Inbox → Assets/Images"
  4. Automatically moves file to Assets/Images
  5. You see it in the right place instantly

You: Don't have to do anything — it's done!

Auto-Sort Intelligence

Sorting Priority

When multiple Flows could apply to the same file, Sorta follows this priority:

  1. Most specific flows win
  2. File type + name pattern beats just file type
  3. Specific source folder beats any folder
  4. Most recently created flow in case of ties

Example:

Flow A: PNG files → Assets/Images
Flow B: PNG named "*proof*" → Client Feedback/

For proof-design.png:

  • Both flows match
  • Flow B is more specific (name pattern)
  • File goes to Client Feedback/ (not Assets/Images)

Avoiding Conflicts

Sorta prevents common problems:

  • Doesn't move files repeatedly — If a file already matches its destination, it won't move again
  • Preserves existing files — Won't overwrite files with same name (renames instead)
  • Respects permissions — Won't move files you don't have permission for
  • Handles duplicates — If a file with that name exists, appends a number

Performance Optimization

How Sorta Stays Efficient

Auto-Sort is designed to run smoothly without slowing your Mac:

  • Lightweight monitoring — Minimal CPU usage
  • Smart caching — Remembers which files have been processed
  • Batch processing — Handles multiple files efficiently
  • Scheduled checks — Checks at optimal times

Large Projects

For projects with thousands of files:

  1. Auto-Sort processes in batches
  2. Larger batches process slower but more efficiently
  3. You can adjust batch size in Settings
  4. Background processing won't slow other apps

Notifications

Auto-Sort Notifications

By default, Sorta shows notifications when files are sorted:

  • "3 files automatically organized"
  • "PNG moved to Assets/Images"

Customizing Notifications

  1. Go to Sorta Settings
  2. Under Notifications:
    • Show notifications — Toggle on/off
    • Sound — Enable/disable audio alert
    • Badge count — Show count of organized files

Do Not Interrupt Mode

Prevent notifications during focused work:

  1. Press ⌥⇧D (Option+Shift+D)
  2. Or click the moon icon in Sorta popover
  3. Auto-Sort still runs in background
  4. Just no notifications shown

Learn more: Quick Access guide

Monitoring Auto-Sort

View Activity Log

See what Auto-Sort has done:

  1. Click on a project
  2. Go to Activity tab
  3. View all recent auto-sorting actions:
    • Files moved
    • When they moved
    • Which flow was applied
    • Destination folder

Undo Actions

If Auto-Sort moved a file incorrectly:

  1. Check Activity log to see what happened
  2. Manually move the file back
  3. Edit or disable the Flow that caused it
  4. Re-enable the corrected Flow

Troubleshooting Auto-Sort

"Files aren't being auto-sorted"

Check:

  1. Auto-Sort is enabled (Settings)
  2. Flows are active (not disabled)
  3. Flow conditions match your files
  4. Source folder names are correct
  5. Restart Sorta

"Files moving to wrong place"

Cause: Flow conditions don't match what you expect.

Fix:

  1. Check Activity log to see which flow triggered
  2. Edit the flow to fix conditions
  3. Test the flow on a test file
  4. Re-enable when correct

"Auto-Sort is slow"

For large projects:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Reduce batch size
  3. Enable off-hours processing
  4. Archive old files to speed up monitoring

"Notification spam"

Solutions:

  1. Disable notifications in Settings
  2. Enable Do Not Interrupt mode (⌥⇧D)
  3. Increase notification threshold
  4. Disable for less important flows

Best Practices

Trust the Automation

Once you've set up Flows:

  • Let Auto-Sort handle it
  • Don't manually move files that match flows
  • Check Activity log occasionally to verify
  • Adjust flows if needed

Test Before Relying On It

When creating new flows:

  1. Create the flow
  2. Manually test with one file
  3. Check that it moves correctly
  4. Then trust it with all files

Keep Flows Updated

Regularly maintain your flows:

  • Monthly: Review active flows
  • Quarterly: Remove unused flows
  • When workflow changes: Update flow conditions
  • When adding projects: Add similar flows

Combine with Good Practices

Auto-Sort works best with:

  • Clear folder structures
  • Consistent naming conventions
  • Regular project cleanup
  • Organized source locations

Integration with Quick Access

Auto-Sort works seamlessly with Quick Access:

  1. You press ⌘⇧Space to jump to a folder
  2. You paste or create a file there
  3. Auto-Sort monitors and applies flows
  4. File ends up in its correct place automatically

No manual organization needed.

Performance Tips

Optimize for Your Mac

For older Macs:

  • Reduce number of monitored projects
  • Decrease monitoring frequency
  • Disable notifications to save resources

For large projects:

  • Archive old files to separate location
  • Create separate projects for different years
  • Use Smart Folders in Finder for searching archived work

For fast Macs:

  • Enable aggressive Auto-Sort
  • Monitor all projects simultaneously
  • Use more complex flow conditions

Advanced Configuration

Custom Auto-Sort Rules

For advanced users, you can create custom sorting rules:

  1. Settings → Advanced
  2. Create expression-based rules
  3. Combine multiple conditions
  4. Set custom destination logic

Examples:

  • Files modified in last 24 hours
  • Files by size (small, medium, large)
  • Files by creation date (by month/year)

Next Steps