GitHub - a1k7/SmartSort-AI

3 min read Original article ↗

SmartSort AI (v4.1) 🚀

The Intelligent, Privacy-First "Digital Janitor" for macOS & Windows.

SmartSort AI is a background automation utility that keeps your Desktop and Downloads folder perfectly organized. It uses Generative AI (Google Gemini) and Local OCR to read inside your files, rename them intelligently, and sort them into a clean Vault.

Status Platform License

✨ New in v4.1: The AI Update

SmartSort just got a massive brain upgrade.

  • 🤖 Generative AI Renaming: Uses Google Gemini to analyze file content and generate perfect filenames.
    • Before: scan_09923.pdf
    • After: Invoice_Amazon_MacBook_Dec2025.pdf
  • ⚡ Hybrid Brain: Uses Local Smart Logic by default (Free & Fast) but switches to Cloud AI if you provide an API Key.
  • 📊 Impact Dashboard: Track how many files you've sorted and how much time you've saved.

🧠 Key Features

  • Deep Scan (OCR): Reads the text inside PDFs and Docs to sort them by content (not just extension).
  • Startup Cleanup: Instantly cleans your Desktop & Downloads the moment you log in.
  • System Tray App: Runs silently in the background with a blue menu bar icon.
  • Visual Settings: Toggle features and customize rules with a beautiful Dark Mode GUI.

📥 Download

Download Latest Version (v4.1) (Choose SmartSort.zip for Mac or SmartSort.exe for Windows)

🍎 Installation Guide (macOS)

1. Install

  1. Download SmartSort.zip and unzip it.
  2. Crucial: Drag SmartSort.app into your Applications folder.

2. Permissions (First Run)

Because this is an open-source tool, macOS requires a one-time approval:

  1. Double-click the app.
  2. If blocked ("Unidentified Developer"), go to System Settings > Privacy & Security.
  3. Scroll down and click Open Anyway.
  4. Important: Click Allow when asked to access Downloads/Desktop.

3. Enable Auto-Start ⚡

To have SmartSort clean your Mac automatically on every reboot:

  1. Go to System Settings > General > Login Items.
  2. Click the (+) button.
  3. Select SmartSort from your Applications folder.

🪟 Installation Guide (Windows)

1. Install

  1. Download SmartSort.exe.
  2. Move it to a safe folder (e.g., your Documents folder).

2. Bypass SmartScreen

When you run it, Windows might say "Windows protected your PC":

  1. Click More Info.
  2. Click Run Anyway.

3. Enable Auto-Start ⚡

  1. Press Win + R on your keyboard.
  2. Type shell:startup and press Enter.
  3. Drag SmartSort.exe into this folder.

🤖 How the "Hybrid Brain" Works

Mode Technology Speed Cost
Standard (Default) Regex & Keyword Matching Instant (0.1s) Free
Ultra (Optional) Google Gemini 1.5 Flash Fast (1.5s) Free Key

Sorting Logic:

  1. Read File: Extracts text from PDF, DOCX, TXT, RTF.
  2. Rename: If enabled, renames file based on Date + Entity (e.g., Receipt_Uber_2025-01-01.pdf).
  3. Sort: Moves file to Documents/SmartSort_Vault/Category.

👨‍💻 For Developers: Build from Source

Prerequisites

pip install watchdog pypdf pystray pillow pyinstaller customtkinter requests google-generativeai