file-naming-conventions - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: file-naming-conventions description: >- ISO 8601 date-prefix file naming conventions for documents and plans. Use when creating dated documents, plan files, analysis reports, or any time-sensitive documentation. Do NOT use for source code files, configs, or permanent reference docs. metadata: author: Geoff version: 1.0.0

File Naming Conventions

Always prefix dated documents with ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD) for natural chronological sorting.

Instructions

Step 1: Determine if the Document Needs a Date Prefix

Use date prefixes for: analysis reports, status reports, plans, RCAs, meeting notes, decision records, progress updates, backlog grooming results.

Skip date prefixes for: README.md, CLAUDE.md, source code, test files, configs, templates.

Step 2: Construct the Filename

Format: YYYY-MM-DD_DESCRIPTIVE_NAME.ext

Date: 4-digit year, 2-digit month, 2-digit day, separated by hyphens
Separator: Single underscore between date and description
Name: ALL_CAPS for major documents, lowercase_with_underscores for supporting docs
Store in prompts/claude-comm/ for coordination documents

Step 3: Handle Special Cases

Multiple documents same day: Use descriptive disambiguation:

2026-03-13_RCA_ISSUE_295.md
2026-03-13_BACKLOG_GROOMING.md

Versioned documents: YYYY-MM-DD_DOCUMENT_NAME_vX.Y.md

Examples

Example 1: Plan and Analysis Files

prompts/claude-comm/2026-03-13_LIQUID_GLASS_PHASE_1B_PLAN.md
prompts/claude-comm/2026-03-13_BACKLOG_GROOMING.md
prompts/claude-comm/2026-03-10_RCA_ISSUE_295.md

Example 2: Quick Creation

DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
touch "prompts/claude-comm/${DATE}_MY_DOCUMENT.md"