Workflows
These cookbook recipes are starting points for common local-folder jobs. Each recipe keeps commands copy-pasteable and names the expected artifact.
Write generated bundles and reports outside the source tree, or exclude previous context.*, *-context.*, and *report.json artifacts with .gitignore, foldermix.toml, or CLI filters before repeat runs.
AI Context Packing
When to use it
Use this when you want a readable context bundle for a codebase, docs folder, or mixed project notes.
Commands
foldermix list .
foldermix pack . --format md --out context.md --report report.json
Expected artifact
context.md for the LLM-facing bundle and report.json for the include/skip audit trail.
Safety/filtering note
Sensitive files are skipped unconditionally, .gitignore is respected by default, and hidden paths stay out unless --hidden is set. Keep generated context.md and report.json out of later packs.
Legal Review Bundles
When to use it
Use this for privacy-sensitive matter folders where redaction, OCR fallback, checksums, and a report are useful.
Commands
foldermix init --profile legal --out foldermix.toml --force
foldermix pack ./matter --config foldermix.toml --format md --out legal-context.md --report legal-report.json
Expected artifact
legal-context.md for review and legal-report.json for traceability.
Safety/filtering note
The legal profile enables full redaction and PDF OCR fallback defaults. Use Safety And Troubleshooting for policy dry-run and enforcement options when you need stricter gates.
Research Corpus Bundles
When to use it
Use this for literature-heavy or mixed-format corpora where machine-readable output is useful downstream.
Commands
foldermix init --profile research --out foldermix.toml --force
find ./corpus -type f -print0 | foldermix pack ./corpus --config foldermix.toml --stdin --null --format jsonl --out research-context.jsonl --report research-report.json
Expected artifact
research-context.jsonl, with one header object and one JSON object per included file, plus research-report.json.
Safety/filtering note
The research profile favors broad recall and email redaction. The explicit find -print0 pipeline makes the selected input list reproducible.
Support Incident Bundles
When to use it
Use this when packing tickets, logs, runbooks, and related notes for incident analysis.
Commands
foldermix init --profile support --out foldermix.toml --force
printf 'tickets/a.md\ntickets/b.log\n' | foldermix pack . --config foldermix.toml --stdin --format md --out support-context.md --report support-report.json
Expected artifact
support-context.md and support-report.json.
Safety/filtering note
The support profile uses full redaction defaults. Prefer explicit stdin lists when only selected tickets or logs should be included.
Course Refresh Bundles
When to use it
Use this when preparing prior course material for refresh or reuse while avoiding common student/admin paths.
Commands
foldermix init --profile course-refresh --out foldermix.toml --force
foldermix pack ./previous-course --config foldermix.toml --format md --out course-refresh-context.md --report course-refresh-report.json
Expected artifact
course-refresh-context.md and course-refresh-report.json.
Safety/filtering note
The course-refresh profile excludes common course-admin and student-specific paths such as grades, rosters, responses, feedback, and submissions.
Config-First Workflows
When to use it
Use this when a project needs repeatable packing behavior across local runs, reviews, or automation.
Commands
foldermix init --profile engineering-docs --out foldermix.toml --force
foldermix pack . --config foldermix.toml --print-effective-config
foldermix list . --config foldermix.toml
foldermix pack . --config foldermix.toml --format md --out context.md --report report.json
Expected artifact
foldermix.toml, context.md, and report.json.
Safety/filtering note
Use --print-effective-config to verify which settings came from defaults, config, or CLI flags before writing output.
Machine-Readable Reports And JSONL Pipelines
When to use it
Use this when downstream tooling needs structured records or when you want an audit trail for included and skipped files.
Commands
find ./corpus -type f -print0 | foldermix pack ./corpus --stdin --null --format jsonl --out context.jsonl --report report.json
Expected artifact
context.jsonl for streaming or indexing, plus report.json for reason codes and outcome summaries.
Safety/filtering note
JSONL is best for tools that process one object at a time. Use the report to inspect skip reasons, redaction outcomes, conversion warnings, and policy findings.