On This Page
Spaces
Monitored folders that automatically organize your files using AI and a local Knowledge Graph.
What are Spaces?
45-second walkthrough of the Spaces feature
Spaces are folders on your computer that Sortio watches continuously. Once a Space is set up, Sortio indexes every file inside it, extracts information into a local Knowledge Graph, and automatically sorts new files as they arrive â without any manual effort.
Think of a Space as a smart folder with memory. Drop a contract into your "Work" Space, and Sortio reads it, recognizes the client name, routes it to the right subfolder, and links it to every other file that mentions that client. Drop in a photo, and Sortio extracts the date and location from its metadata.
đ Monitored Folders
A Space points at any folder you choose. Sortio watches that folder and keeps it organized.
đ¤ Auto-Sort
New files are analyzed and moved to the right subfolder as soon as they appear.
đ§ Knowledge Graph
People, companies, locations, and documents are extracted and linked across your files.
⥠Rules Integration
Bind deterministic Automations to a Space for predictable behavior alongside AI.
Creating a Space
Creating a Space takes a single click â there's no configuration wizard, no forms, just a folder picker.
Step-by-Step
1
Open the Spaces page
Click Spaces in the left sidebar.
2
Click "Add Space"
The button is in the top-right of the Spaces page. The native folder picker will open.
3
Pick any folder
Choose a folder on your computer â Downloads, Documents, a project folder, or anything else. Click Open.
4
Indexing starts automatically
Sortio scans every file in the folder, extracts entities, and builds the Knowledge Graph. Progress appears at the bottom of the app window.
đĄ Tip: Start with a focused folder
Your first Space should be something contained â like a project folder or your Downloads. Large folders with thousands of files will work fine, but smaller Spaces finish indexing faster so you can see results sooner.
The Space Detail View
Click any Space in the grid to open its detail view. This is the dashboard for everything Sortio knows about the folder.
Stats at a glance
Three cards show files indexed, entities extracted, and last activity. These update in real time as Sortio processes new files.
Top Entities
The most-referenced entities across the Space, grouped by kind: PERSON, ORG, LOCATION, DOC, DATE, and more. Each pill shows how many files that entity appears in.
Recent Files
The most recent activity in this Space â files that were indexed, sorted, or modified. Click any file to see the entities Sortio extracted from it.
Action buttons
- Sort â opens the Sort page pre-filled with this folder for an on-demand AI sort.
- Open Folder â reveals the Space's folder in Finder or Explorer.
- Re-index â rescans every file in the Space. Useful after major changes or if entities look incomplete.
- Live indexing on / Live indexing paused â toggles whether Sortio watches the folder for new changes. Click to pause or resume. Existing data stays intact either way.
- Delete Space â removes the Space from Sortio. Your actual files and folder are never touched.
The Knowledge Graph
Every Space feeds into Sortio's local Knowledge Graph â a structured database of the entities found in your files and the relationships between them.
This is what makes Sortio smarter than a typical file organizer. Instead of just sorting by filename or file type, Sortio understands that "a contract from Acme Corp signed by Sarah Chen" and "an invoice from Acme Corp" are related â and can organize them together.
Entity Kinds
How entities improve sorting
When you use the Sort feature on a KG-indexed folder, you'll see a green banner: "Smart sorting enabled â Sortio has read X details from your files."
This means Sortio is using semantic understanding, not just filenames. A file named scan_0042.pdf becomes sortable by the entities it contains â the client it's for, the project it belongs to, the date it was signed.
Live Indexing
Once a Space is set up, Sortio watches the folder for changes in real time. New files are indexed automatically, modified files are re-scanned, and deleted files are cleaned up from the Knowledge Graph.
What triggers a re-index
- A new file is added to the Space folder (or any subfolder)
- An existing file is modified
- A file is renamed or moved within the Space
- A file is deleted (its entities are removed from the graph)
How long does it take?
Most files are processed within seconds of being added. Large PDFs or documents with deep content analysis may take longer. You can always check progress at the bottom of the app window.
Pausing live indexing
Click the Live indexing on button in the Space detail view to toggle off live watching. The label changes to Live indexing paused â click it again to resume. This is useful if you're doing bulk operations you don't want Sortio to process yet.
Debounce
File events are debounced by 2 seconds â meaning Sortio waits 2 seconds after the last change before processing. This prevents redundant work when multiple files change in rapid succession.
âšī¸ Large folders with many changes
If you're expecting thousands of files to change at once (e.g. you're about to download a big archive), consider pausing live indexing first, doing the bulk operation, then clicking Re-index when you're done. This is faster than processing each change individually.
Integrating with Automations
Spaces and Automations (the Rules Engine) work together. A Space handles the AI side â extracting entities and watching for changes. Automations handle the deterministic side â exact, predictable rules like "any PDF with 'invoice' in the name moves to the Invoices subfolder."
You can assign one or more Automations to a Space. As the UI notes, automations run instantly and cost no credits â so rules that match run first, and anything that doesn't match a rule falls through to AI-powered sorting.
Assigning Automations to a Space
1. Open the Space detail view
2. Scroll to the Automations section
3. Click Edit and check the rules you want to attach
4. Click Done â the rules are now bound to this Space
đ§ Knowledge Graph + Automation templates
Automations can reference entities from the Knowledge Graph using template variables. The syntax is {entity.<kind>}, where kind is one of the entity types supported by the Knowledge Graph:
{entity.person}â the primary person mentioned in the file{entity.organization}â the primary company or institution (alias:{entity.company}){entity.document}â the document type, e.g. Contract, Invoice (alias:{entity.doc}){entity.financial}â an amount or transaction figure{entity.date},{entity.location},{entity.topic}
You can provide a fallback value with the pipe syntax: {entity.organization|Unsorted}. This lets you build rules that move files into folders named after the people or companies they mention â with no hard-coded names needed.
Best Practices
Start with one Space at a time
Set up your first Space on a folder you actively use, like Downloads or a current project. Get comfortable with how it behaves before adding more.
Back up before enabling auto-sort
Sortio has multiple safety layers (backups, atomic operations, undo) but we recommend backing up any critical folder before turning on live indexing and auto-sorting.
Combine with a local AI model for privacy
If the files in your Space are sensitive (legal, medical, financial), switch to a local Ollama model. Your documents stay on your machine â no data is ever sent to any server.
Re-index after major reorganizations
If you've manually moved or renamed a lot of files, trigger a Re-index to ensure the Knowledge Graph reflects the current state of the folder.
Troubleshooting
Indexing seems stuck
Check the status bar at the bottom of the app. If it's processing a large file, give it a minute. If it truly appears stuck, try clicking Pause then Re-index to restart the process.
Entities look wrong or missing
Extraction quality depends on the AI model you're using. If you're on a smaller local model, try switching to a larger one (Llama 3.3, DeepSeek) or to Sortio Cloud for better results. Then re-index the Space.
New files aren't being sorted
Check that the Space's status badge shows Active (not Paused). If it's paused, click the Live indexing paused button to resume. Also verify that your Automation rules are bound to the Space if you're relying on them.
I deleted a Space by accident
Your files are safe â deleting a Space only removes it from Sortio, never from your disk. You can recreate the Space by clicking Add Space and picking the same folder again. Re-indexing will restore the Knowledge Graph.