Local folder files sorted into subfolders by Mistral AI

Local folder files sorted into subfolders by Mistral AI

An n8n workflow that watches a folder on the machine that runs n8n. When a file arrives, it lists the loose files and the
subfolders at the top of that folder. A Mistral chat model says which subfolder each file belongs in, and a short shell
script moves the files there. When no subfolder fits, the model names a new one.

What is inside

• workflow.json: the workflow as n8n exports it, sixteen nodes: ten that do the work and six sticky notes. It holds no
  credential.
• README.md: these notes.

What we changed from the original copy

• The credential link on Mistral Cloud Chat Model is gone. Select your own.
• The model was mistral-small-2402. Mistral's model overview, read on 12 November 2026, says that model was deprecated
  on 30 November 2024 and retired on 16 June 2025, with Mistral Small 4 as its replacement. Its model card gives the API
  name mistral-small-2603, which is now in the node.
• In Move Files into Folders, the branch for a file that already exists in the subfolder moved a file named with a
  random suffix, one that does not exist. It now moves the file under that new name, as the script's own comment says.
  The mkdir and mv calls also put the subfolder in quotes.
• The notes with links to n8n's documentation, to a Discord server and to a forum are short notes about each step.
• Nothing else.

Before you start

• A self-hosted n8n. The Local File Trigger and Execute Command nodes read and change the files of the machine that runs
  n8n.
• Both nodes enabled. n8n's 2.0 breaking changes page, read on 12 November 2026, lists both as disabled by
  default. Remove them from NODES_EXCLUDE first.
• A folder that n8n can reach. With Docker, put the folder in the n8n volume or bind one in from the host.
• A Mistral API key.
• A backup of the folder. The workflow moves files.

Set it up

1. In n8n, create a workflow, open its menu and choose Import from File. Pick workflow.json.
2. Add a Mistral Cloud credential and select it in Mistral Cloud Chat Model.
3. In Local File Trigger, replace the path /home/node/host_mount/shared_drive with your folder's path as n8n sees it.
4. Save, then press Publish.
5. Drop a file into the folder. After a moment the files at its top level are sorted into subfolders.

How a run goes

1. Local File Trigger fires when a file is added to the folder. It waits until the write has finished.
2. Set Variables keeps the folder's path as directory.
3. Get Files and Folders runs two ls commands, one for the loose files and one for the subfolders, with a line of
   === between them.
4. Files and Folders to Array splits that text into a files list and a folders list. Names that end in
   Zone.Identifier, the marker files Windows adds, are left out.
5. If Has Target Files... goes on only when there is at least one loose file.
6. AI File Manager gives both lists to the model with its instructions. The structured output parser asks for a list of
   objects, each with a folder and the files that go in it. A file the model cannot place goes to a folder named misc.
7. Get Suggestions to List makes one item for each folder.
8. Move Files into Folders runs the script once for each item. It creates the subfolder and moves the files into it.

Change the look

• Which folder: the path in Local File Trigger.
• How the model sorts: the text and the system message in AI File Manager.
• The model: Mistral Cloud Chat Model.
• The fallback folder: the word misc in the prompt of AI File Manager.

Good to know

• This workflow moves your files. Test it on a copy of a folder first, and keep a backup.
• The script puts the model's folder names and the file names into a shell command. A file name with spaces breaks the
  list, and a name or a folder with shell characters can run commands. Point it only at a folder that you alone write to.
• Only files at the top level are sorted. Subfolders are left alone, and their names are given to the model as options.
• When a name is taken in the subfolder, the older file stays and the new one gets a random number added.
• Every file that arrives starts a run, and the trigger watches the subfolders too, since its depth is unlimited by default.
  A moved file starts a run, and no loose file is left then, so If Has Target Files... stops it.
• Dropping many files at once starts one run for each, and runs that list the same loose files can race to move them.
• The names of your files go to Mistral. Their contents do not.
• The JSON holds no credential.