Claude Code: File Processing Exercises

Master File Management Through Agent Collaboration

Practice exercises for Chapter 7: File Processing Workflows. These exercises take you from understanding what files you have, through safe backup strategies, systematic organization, batch operations, and finally recovery and search -- building skills you will use every day.

Package Structure

claude-code-file-processing-exercises/
├── EXERCISE-GUIDE.md                          # Full guide with rubrics and framework
├── README.md                                  # This file
├── module-1-file-investigation/               # Survey and inventory skills
│   ├── exercise-1.1-project-handoff/          # Build: Create inventory of inherited project
│   └── exercise-1.2-lying-inventory/          # Debug: Find errors in an outdated report
├── module-2-safety-first/                     # Backup and safety net skills
│   ├── exercise-2.1-migration-prep/           # Build: Create bulletproof backup
│   └── exercise-2.2-incomplete-backup/        # Debug: Find and fix backup failures
├── module-3-organization-rules/               # Categorization and rule design
│   ├── exercise-3.1-freelancer-chaos/         # Build: Organize 60+ mixed files
│   └── exercise-3.2-collision-course/         # Debug: Fix conflicting organization rules
├── module-4-batch-operations/                 # Systematic rename and transform
│   ├── exercise-4.1-photo-library/            # Build: Standardize 50+ photo names
│   └── exercise-4.2-rename-disaster/          # Debug: Recover from bad batch rename
├── module-5-recovery-and-search/              # Disaster recovery and finding files
│   ├── exercise-5.1-accidental-flatten/       # Build: Reconstruct flattened directory
│   └── exercise-5.2-tax-season-hunt/          # Search: Find 5 documents by description
└── module-6-capstone/                         # Integration projects
    ├── capstone-A-full-pipeline/              # Full workflow on 80+ files
    ├── capstone-B-team-file-system/           # Design a team file system
    └── capstone-C-your-own-files/             # Apply to your real files

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Claude Code (required): All exercises involve real file operations in the terminal. Install Claude Code following the instructions at https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code.
• Cowork (optional): Can be used for planning-heavy exercises like 3.2 (rules analysis), but Claude Code is strongly preferred since exercises involve real file manipulation.

Setup

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Open a terminal in the repository root
3. Launch Claude Code: claude
4. Start with Module 1 and work sequentially

Recommended Order

Work through modules in order. Each module builds on skills from the previous one.

Module	Focus	Time
Module 1: File Investigation	Survey and inventory before acting	30-60 min
Module 2: Safety-First Backup	Create and verify safety nets	30-60 min
Module 3: Organization Rules	Design categorization systems	45-90 min
Module 4: Batch Operations	Systematic rename and transform	45-90 min
Module 5: Recovery and Search	Disaster recovery and finding files	45-90 min
Module 6: Capstones	Integration projects (pick one+)	2-4 hrs each

File Processing Framework

Every file operation in this course follows a 7-step framework:

1. Survey -- What files exist? How many? How big? What types?
2. Backup -- Create a safety net before any changes
3. Plan -- Design rules and approach before executing
4. Test -- Try on ONE file first
5. Execute -- Run the batch operation
6. Verify -- Compare results against expectations
7. Document -- Save rules, logs, and templates for reuse

You will practice each step individually in Modules 1-5, then chain them together in the capstones.

Assessment

See EXERCISE-GUIDE.md for the full assessment rubric covering:

• Investigation Quality
• Safety Practices
• Workflow Execution
• Problem Diagnosis
• Documentation

Tips

• Read INSTRUCTIONS.md first in each exercise before opening Claude Code
• Do not skip the backup step -- even in exercises where nothing is at stake
• Reflect honestly -- the reflection questions are where real learning happens
• Keep your deliverables -- FILE-INVENTORY.md, rules.md, and similar outputs are your portfolio