/rename

Batch rename files matching a pattern, with automatic wiki-link updates.

Usage

/rename <pattern> --remove-prefix "<prefix>"
/rename <pattern> --add-prefix "<prefix>"
/rename <pattern> --replace "<old>" "<new>"
/rename type:<type> --remove-prefix "<prefix>"
/rename --dry-run <any of above>

Examples

/rename "Person - *.md" --remove-prefix "Person - "
/rename type:Person --remove-prefix "Person - "
/rename "Meeting - *.md" --replace "Meeting -" "Mtg -"
/rename "Task - *.md" --add-prefix "TODO - "
/rename --dry-run type:Person --remove-prefix "Person - "

Instructions

1. Parse the command for:

   • pattern: Glob pattern or type:<type> to match files
   • operation: One of:
     • --remove-prefix "<prefix>": Remove prefix from filenames
     • --add-prefix "<prefix>": Add prefix to filenames
     • --replace "<old>" "<new>": Replace text in filenames
   • --dry-run: Preview changes without applying them

2. Find matching files:

   • If glob pattern: Use Glob tool to find matching files
   • If type:<type>: Search for files with that frontmatter type
   • Exclude templates, MOCs, and special files

3. Calculate new names:

   • Apply the requested transformation
   • Sanitise filenames (remove invalid characters)
   • Check for conflicts with existing files
   • Handle duplicates by adding suffix

4. Preview changes (always show first):

   Files to rename: 45
   
   Examples:
     Person - Jane Doe.md → Jane Doe.md
     Person - Sarah Jones.md → Sarah Jones.md
     ...
   
   Proceed? (yes/no)
   

5. Update wiki-links (critical step):

   • Search all vault files for links to renamed files
   • Update [[Old Name]] → [[New Name]]
   • Update [[Old Name|alias]] → [[New Name|alias]]
   • Handle both with and without .md extension

6. Perform renames:

   • Rename files using git mv (preserves history)
   • Report success/failure for each file
   • Summarise total changes

7. Post-rename report:

   Renamed: 45 files
   Links updated: 127 references in 34 files
   Errors: 0
   

Safety Features

• Always preview first: Shows all changes before applying
• Dry-run mode: Use --dry-run to see changes without applying
• Git integration: Uses git mv to preserve file history
• Link updates: Automatically updates all wiki-links
• Conflict detection: Warns if new name already exists
• Rollback info: Shows git command to undo if needed

Common Use Cases

Remove type prefixes (recommended for cleaner links)

/rename type:Person --remove-prefix "Person - "
/rename type:Organisation --remove-prefix "Organisation - "

Standardise naming conventions

/rename "Mtg - *.md" --replace "Mtg - " "Meeting - "
/rename "Todo - *.md" --replace "Todo - " "Task - "

Add prefixes to organise

/rename type:Adr --add-prefix "ADR - "

Implementation Notes

When executing this skill:

1. For finding by type, use:

   grep -l "^type: Person" *.md
   

   Or use Grep tool with pattern ^type: Person$

2. For updating links, search for:

   • [[Old Filename]]
   • [[Old Filename|
   • [[Old Filename#

3. For renaming, prefer:

   git mv "Old Name.md" "New Name.md"
   

   This preserves git history.

4. For bulk operations, process in batches to avoid overwhelming the system.

Related

• [[Page - Claude Code Skills Guide]] - Full skills documentation
• /orphans - Find unlinked notes after renaming
• /broken-links - Find broken links after renaming