On This Page
Watch Folders & Automations
Assign automations to a folder and have them run on their own when new files arrive, with one-click undo on every run.
What Watch Folders and Automations Are
Automations are condition-action rules: "when a file matches these conditions, do this." Watch folders are what happens when you attach automations to a Space and tell Sortio to run them whenever files are added to that folder. Drop a file in, and Sortio files it where your rules say it belongs, in the background, with a one-click undo on every run.
As of Sortio v8.18.0 the pieces fit together like this:
1. Build automations
Create rules with the manual builder (free) or by describing them in plain English (AI, 1 credit).
2. Assign them to a Space
Open a Space, switch to its Automations tab, and check the rules you want active in that folder.
3. Pick when they run
Manually, when you open the Space, or automatically whenever files are added.
This page covers assigning automations and the auto-run modes. For the full reference on conditions, comparators, actions, and boolean logic, see the Rules Engine documentation.
Creating an Automation
You can create automations two ways. Both produce the same kind of rule; the difference is how you author it.
AI-generated
Describe what you want in plain English ("Move all PDF files larger than 10MB to my Archives folder") and Sortio translates it into a structured rule you can inspect and edit.
Costs 1 credit per generation. Refining an existing rule with follow-up prompts is free.
Manual rule builder
Pick conditions (name, extension, size, dates, EXIF data, content, Finder tags) and actions (move, rename, tag) from dropdowns.
No credits used. Full control over every field.
Template variables and fallbacks
Move destinations and rename patterns accept variables like {file.name}, {file.extension}, and {file.exif.datetime}. Any variable can take a fallback with a pipe: {file.exif.datetime|Other} sends files that are missing the field (screenshots, videos, exports) to an Other folder instead of stopping the run. Add a fallback to any variable that some files might not have.
Dry Run first
Every automation can be executed as a Dry Run: Sortio shows exactly which files would match and what would happen to them, without touching anything on disk. Run it before enabling any new or edited rule.
After creating an automation you can run it on a folder immediately, and the Sort screen keeps your saved automations one click away.
Assigning Automations and Choosing When They Run
Automations do their ongoing work inside a Space. Open a Space, go to its Automations tab, click Edit, and check the automations you want active in that folder. Then choose one of three run modes for the Space:
1
Manually
Assigned automations run only when you click Run Automations. Good for cleanup passes you want to supervise.
2
When I open this Space
Assigned automations run automatically each time you open the Space, moving any matching files that have accumulated since your last visit.
3
When files are added
The watch-folder mode. Sortio watches the folder in the background and runs your automations on new files as they land, even when the Space isn't open. Every run can be undone with one click.
The Space card shows which mode is active (for example "Auto-run: new files") and how many automations are assigned, so you can see at a glance which folders are managing themselves.
How Auto-Run on New Files Works
With When files are added selected, Sortio's background watcher picks up new files in the Space's folder and runs the assigned automations against them. You don't need the Space open; you don't need to click anything.
Files are processed once they're complete
Sortio waits briefly to make sure a file has finished writing (a download still in progress, for example) before processing it.
Only new files are touched
Files the automations already handled aren't re-processed on every change. Each run works on what's new.
You're told what happened
After a background run, Sortio shows a notification like "Downloads: moved 4 files automatically" with an Undo button right on it. One click puts everything back.
Runs are free
Automation runs are deterministic and cost no credits, no matter how often they fire. (Creating a rule with AI costs 1 credit; running rules never does.)
ℹ️ No scheduled runs
Sortio does not currently run automations on a timer or recurring schedule. Automations run manually, when you open a Space, or when files are added to a watched folder. If you need periodic cleanup of a folder that doesn't receive new files, run the automation manually.
Safety: Protected Folders, Dry Run, and Undo
Background file-moving needs guardrails, and Sortio ships several. The full picture is on the Undo, Preview & File Safety page; here's what applies to automations specifically.
Protected system folders
As of v8.18.0, Sortio refuses to organize, watch, or move files out of system or root locations: the filesystem root, OS directories like /System or C:\Windows\System32, and your home folder itself. Normal subfolders like ~/Downloads work as expected. This guard is enforced everywhere: folder selection, automation runs, Space creation, the background watcher, and move destinations.
Dry Run before enabling
A Dry Run simulates the automation and lists every file it would touch, with zero changes on disk. It costs nothing; use it every time you create or edit a rule.
Undo on every run
Background runs come with a one-click Undo on the notification. You can also review what ran from the app and reverse it after the fact.
No overwrites
If a move or rename would land on a name that already exists, Sortio appends a number instead of replacing the existing file.
Plan Limits
Free
Build automations and run them manually as much as you like. Rule-based sorting is free and unlimited and never consumes credits. Watch-folder auto-run is not included.
Pro / Team
Auto-run on new files (watch folders) with no cap on how many folders you watch. Practical limits come from your OS file-watch resources, not from Sortio.
Credits are only spent on AI operations: generating a rule with AI costs 1 credit, and AI sorts cost 1 credit each. Running automations, refining rules with follow-up prompts, and Dry Runs are always free.
Tips & Gotchas
Start manual, then graduate to auto-run
Run a new automation manually a few times and check the results. Once it behaves, switch the Space to "When files are added" and let it work in the background.
Avoid overlapping watched folders
Two Spaces watching nested folders (one on ~/Documents, another on ~/Documents/Work) can both act on the same file. Keep watched folders disjoint, or be deliberate about which Space owns which files.
Use priority and stop-on-match for overlapping rules
Rules run in priority order (lower numbers first). Enable stop-on-match so a file claimed by one rule isn't also processed by the next. Details in the Rules Engine docs.
The "Indexing..." spinner is not your automation running
The lower-left "Indexing N/total" indicator reports Knowledge Graph ingestion (Sortio reading file contents), not automation execution. Nothing moves on disk while it's up. To confirm an automation ran, check the run notification or the Space's Automations tab.
Give fallbacks to optional fields
Sorting photos by date taken? Use {file.exif.datetime|Other} so screenshots and videos without EXIF data go to a folder instead of failing.