claude-files

A CLI tool to prepare your local files for Claude Projects by copying them to a single directory while respecting .gitignore rules.

Demo

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/64e44490-7109-432f-9e87-cc1497dfefc9

Why?

Claude Projects currently only supports uploading individual files, not directories. This tool helps by:

• Copying all your project files into a single .claude-files directory
• Flattening the directory structure
• Handling filename conflicts intelligently
• Respecting .gitignore rules
• Skipping unsupported file formats
• Adding source comments to track file origins

Usage

Using npx (recommended)

You can use the tool directly with npx without installing it:

# Basic usage
npx claude-files [directory]

# Show help
npx claude-files --help

# Ignore specific files or patterns (can be used multiple times)
npx claude-files --ignore "*.test.ts" "docs/**"
# or use the short form
npx claude-files -i "*.test.ts" "docs/**"

# Dry run - show what would be copied without copying
npx claude-files --dry-run

# Verbose output
npx claude-files --verbose

# Skip adding source comments
npx claude-files --no-comments

# Show version
npx claude-files --version

Global Installation

Alternatively, you can install it globally:

npm install -g claude-files

Then use it anywhere:

claude-files
# or
claude-files ./path/to/project

Features

1. File Organization

• Creates a .claude-files directory in your project
• Copies all files while maintaining their readability
• Adds source path comments at the top of each file
• Flattens directory structure for easy upload

2. Smart File Naming

When duplicate filenames are found:

project/
  src/
    constants.ts
    utils/
      constants.ts

Becomes:

.claude-files/
  constants.ts        # from src/
  utils_constants.ts  # from src/utils/

3. Source Tracking

Each file gets a comment header showing its original location:

// Source: src/utils/helpers.js
function helper() {
  // ...
}

4. Flexible Ignore Rules

You can ignore files and directories in multiple ways:

1. Using .gitignore (automatically respected)
2. Using .claude-filesignore (project-specific ignore rules)
3. Using command-line arguments with --ignore or -i

The ignore patterns follow the same syntax as .gitignore. For example:

# .claude-filesignore
*.test.ts
docs/**
temp/

5. Gitignore Integration

• Automatically respects your existing .gitignore rules
• Adds .claude-files/ to your .gitignore if it exists
• Uses default ignore patterns for common files

6. File Format Filtering

Automatically skips unsupported file formats:

• Images: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp
• Videos: .mp4
• Icons: .ico
• Vector graphics: .svg

7. Smart Comment Syntax

Adds source comments using the correct syntax for each file type:

# Source: src/script.py

<!-- Source: src/index.html -->

/* Source: src/styles.css */

Default Ignored Patterns

Besides your .gitignore rules, the following are ignored by default:

• node_modules/
• .git/
• dist/
• build/
• coverage/
• .env files
• Log files
• Lock files (package-lock.json, yarn.lock, etc.)
• System files (.DS_Store, Thumbs.db)

License

MIT