File-Deduplicator

Find and remove duplicate files intelligently. Save storage space, keep your system clean.

Quick Start

# Install
clawhub install file-deduplicator

# Find duplicates in directory
cd ~/.openclaw/skills/file-deduplicator
node index.js findDuplicates '{"directories":["./documents","./downloads"],"options":{"method":"content"}}'

# Remove duplicates automatically
node index.js removeDuplicates '{"directories":["./documents"],"options":{"keep":"newest","action":"delete"}}'

Usage Examples

Find All Types of Duplicates

const result = await findDuplicates({
  directories: ['~/Documents', '~/Downloads'],
  options: {
    method: 'all'  // Check content, size, and name
  }
});

console.log(`Found ${result.duplicates.length} duplicate groups`);
console.log(`Space wasted: ${formatBytes(result.totalWasted)}`);

Content-Based Duplicates (Most Accurate)

const result = await findDuplicates({
  directories: ['~/Documents'],
  options: {
    method: 'content'  // MD5 hashing
  }
});

Size-Based Duplicates (Fastest)

const result = await findDuplicates({
  directories: ['~/Pictures', '~/Videos'],
  options: {
    method: 'size',
    minSize: 1048576,  // 1MB minimum
    maxSize: 104857600  // 100MB maximum
  }
});

Name-Based Duplicates (Find Renamed Copies)

const result = await findDuplicates({
  directories: ['~/Documents'],
  options: {
    method: 'name',
    nameSimilarity: 0.7  // 70% similarity threshold
  }
});

Tool Functions

findDuplicates

Find duplicate files across directories.

Parameters:

• directories (array, required): Directory paths to scan
• options (object, optional):
  • method (string): 'content' | 'size' | 'name' | 'all' (default: 'all')
  • includeSubdirs (boolean): Scan recursively (default: true)
  • minSize (number): Minimum size in bytes (default: 0)
  • maxSize (number): Maximum size in bytes (default: 0)
  • excludePatterns (array): Glob patterns to exclude (default: '.git', 'node_modules')
  • nameSimilarity (number): 0-1 for name-based (default: 0.7)
  • whitelist (array): Directories to never scan

Returns:

• duplicates (array): Array of duplicate groups
• totalFiles (number): Total files scanned
• method (string): Detection method used

removeDuplicates

Remove or move duplicate files.

Parameters:

• directories (array, required): Same as findDuplicates
• options (object, optional):
  • keep (string): 'newest' | 'oldest' | 'smallest' | 'largest' (default: 'newest')
  • action (string): 'delete' | 'move' | 'archive' (default: 'delete')
  • archivePath (string): Where to move files when action='move'
  • dryRun (boolean): Preview without actual action
  • sizeThreshold (number): Don't remove files larger than this (default: 10MB)

Returns:

• filesRemoved (number): Number of files removed/moved
• spaceSaved (number): Bytes saved
• errors (array): Error details
• logPath (string): Path to action log

analyzeDirectory

Analyze a single directory for duplicate statistics.

Parameters:

• directory (string, required): Path to directory
• options (object, optional): Same as findDuplicates options

Returns:

• fileCount (number): Total files scanned
• duplicateCount (number): Number of duplicate groups
• duplicateSize (number): Total bytes in duplicates
• totalSize (number): Total bytes in directory
• duplicateRatio (number): Percentage of files that are duplicates
• scanDuration (number): Time taken to scan (ms)

Use Cases

Digital Hoarder Cleanup

• Find duplicate photos/videos
• Identify wasted storage space
• Remove old duplicates, keep newest
• Clean up download folders

Document Management

• Find duplicate PDFs, docs, reports
• Keep latest version, archive old versions
• Prevent version confusion
• Reduce backup bloat

Project Cleanup

• Find duplicate source files
• Remove duplicate build artifacts
• Clean up node_modules duplicates
• Save storage on SSD/HDD

Backup Optimization

• Find duplicate backup files
• Remove redundant backups
• Identify what's actually duplicated
• Save space on backup drives

Configuration

Edit config.json to customize:

{
  "detection": {
    "defaultMethod": "content",
    "sizeTolerancePercent": 0,
    "nameSimilarity": 0.7,
    "includeSubdirs": true
  },
  "removal": {
    "defaultAction": "delete",
    "defaultKeep": "newest",
    "archivePath": "./archive",
    "sizeThreshold": 10485760,
    "autoConfirm": false
  },
  "exclude": {
    "patterns": [".git", "node_modules", ".vscode", ".idea"],
    "whitelist": ["important", "work", "projects"]
  }
}

Performance

Scanning Speed

• Small directories (<1000 files): <1s
• Medium directories (1000-10000 files): 1-5s
• Large directories (10000+ files): 5-20s

Detection Accuracy

• Content-based: 100% (exact duplicates)
• Size-based: Fast but may miss renamed files
• Name-based: Detects naming patterns only

Memory Usage

• Hash cache: ~1MB per 100,000 files
• Batch processing: Processes 1000 files at a time
• Peak memory: ~100MB for 1M files

Safety Features

Size Thresholding

Won't remove files larger than configurable threshold (default: 10MB). Prevents accidental deletion of important large files.

Archive Mode

Move files to archive directory instead of deleting. No data loss, full recoverability.

Action Logging

All deletions/moves are logged to file for recovery and audit.

Tips

Best Results

• Use content-based detection for documents (100% accurate)
• Use size-based for media files (faster)
• Run dry-run first to preview changes
• Archive instead of delete for important files

Performance Optimization

• Process frequently used directories first
• Use size threshold to skip large media files
• Exclude hidden directories from scan
• Process directories in parallel when possible

Troubleshooting

Not Finding Expected Duplicates

• Check detection method (content vs size vs name)
• Verify exclude patterns aren't too broad
• Check if files are in whitelisted directories

Removal Not Working

• Check write permissions on directories
• Verify action isn't 'delete' with autoConfirm: true
• Check size threshold isn't blocking all deletions
• Check file locks (is another program using files?)

Slow Scanning

• Reduce includeSubdirs scope
• Use size-based detection (faster)
• Exclude large directories (node_modules, .git)
• Process directories individually instead of batch

License

MIT

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Find duplicates. Save space. Keep your system clean. 🔮