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Mac file automation

Organize, rename, move, and open files on your Mac with Rulr. Choose a Rule for Downloads, watched folders, screenshots, or PDFs, then configure it.

On Shortcut

  1. ⌥Space is pressed.

Get and Save Selected Text

  1. Get selected text
  2. Write Selected Text to ~/Downloads/Rulr Notes.txt by appending to the end

Save Selected Text

Append selected text to a notes file from any supported app.

Save Selected Text

Append selected text to a notes file from any supported app.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Match Image File

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed matches (?i)\.(png|jpe?g|heic|webp)$

Recognize and Show Image Text

  1. Recognize text in Item Path
  2. Show OCR Text in a Rulr panel

Extract Text from New Images

Extract text from new images added to a watched folder.

Extract Text from New Images

Extract text from new images added to a watched folder.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Match Download Type

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed matches (?i)\.(png|jpe?g|heic|webp)$

Move Images

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Pictures/Inbox, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Match Download Type

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed ends with .pdf

Move PDFs

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Documents/PDF Inbox, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Match Download Type

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed matches (?i)\.(zip|7z|tar|gz)$

Move Archives

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Downloads/Archives, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Sort Downloads

Route images, PDFs, and archives from Downloads into the right folders.

Sort Downloads

Route images, PDFs, and archives from Downloads into the right folders.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.
  2. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Renamed.

Match Project File

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed contains Project

Back Up Project File

  1. Copy Item Path to ~/Documents/Project Backups, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Project Backup

Back up matching project downloads to a separate folder.

Project Backup

Back up matching project downloads to a separate folder.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Match File Type

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed ends with .pdf

Move to Documents

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Documents, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Match File Type

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed matches (?i)\.(png|jpe?g|gif|heic|webp)$

Move to Assets

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Pictures, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Match File Type

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed ends with .zip

Move to Archives

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Downloads/Archives, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Route new project files to the right folders.

Sort Project Files

Route new project files to the right folders.

When Volume Mounts

  1. A volume mounts.

Do

  1. Open Mounted Volume Path with Default Application

Open a project drive when it becomes available.

Project Drive

Open a project drive when it becomes available.

When App Launches

  1. TextEdit launches.

Open Project Folder

  1. Open ~/Downloads with Default Application

Open Project Folder

Open a selected project folder when its working app launches.

Open Project Folder

Open a selected project folder when its working app launches.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Documents/Research Inbox is Added.

Check Conditions

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed ends with .txt

Normalize and Archive

  1. Read text from Item Path, up to 1 MB
  2. Transform File Contents using normalize line endings
  3. Write Text Result to Item Path by overwriting all file contents
  4. Move Item Path to ~/Documents/Notes Archive, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Normalize new research notes, save them, and move them to an archive.

Transform and Archive Notes

Normalize new research notes, save them, and move them to an archive.

On Text Entry

  1. ;screenshot is typed with matching case.

Capture, Convert, and Save Image

  1. Capture screenfromScreenasfull screen
  2. Convert Cached Screenshot File Path to Format
  3. Copy Converted Image File Path to ~/Documents/Screenshots, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Capture Image

Capture an image, convert it to PNG, and save it to a folder.

Capture Image

Capture an image, convert it to PNG, and save it to a folder.

When Volume Mounts

  1. A volume mounts.

Open Research Drive

  1. Open ~/Downloads with Default Application
  2. Show a notification titled Open Research Drive with message Open Research Drive ran successfully., and play sound

Open your research folder when its drive becomes available.

Open Research Drive

Open your research folder when its drive becomes available.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Match Screenshot

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed matches (?i)screenshot.*\.(png|jpe?g)$

Do

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Downloads, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Archive Screenshots

Keep new screenshots organized in an archive.

Archive Screenshots

Keep new screenshots organized in an archive.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Do

  1. Reveal Item Path in Finder

Find renamed files in Finder immediately.

Reveal Renamed Files

Find renamed files in Finder immediately.

On Shortcut

  1. ⌥Space is pressed.

Capture and Save Screen Evidence

  1. Capture screenfromScreenasfull screen
  2. Move Cached Screenshot File Path to ~/Downloads, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Capture the screen and save it where you need it.

Save Screen Capture

Capture the screen and save it where you need it.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Do

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Downloads, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Move new downloads into the right folder.

Organize New Downloads

Move new downloads into the right folder.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Check Conditions

AND
  1. The folder change from Folder Contents Changed equals Added
  2. The changed item kind from Folder Contents Changed equals file

Do

  1. Open Item Path with Default Application

Open New Files

Open files when they are added to a watched folder.

Open New Files

Open files when they are added to a watched folder.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Do

  1. Rename Item Path to Processed File, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Rename New Files

Apply a consistent name to new watched files.

Rename New Files

Apply a consistent name to new watched files.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Do

  1. Run Shortcut Shortcut with a timeout of 30 seconds

Run Shortcut for Folder

Run a Shortcut when watched folder contents change.

Run Shortcut for Folder

Run a Shortcut when watched folder contents change.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Match PDF File

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed ends with .pdf

Do

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Downloads, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Organize Downloaded PDFs

Sort new PDF downloads automatically.

Organize Downloaded PDFs

Sort new PDF downloads automatically.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Match Image File

AND
  1. The changed item name from Folder Contents Changed matches (?i)\.(png|jpe?g|gif|heic|webp)$

Do

  1. Move Item Path to ~/Downloads, and Use a Numbered Name if the name already exists

Sort new image downloads automatically.

Organize Downloaded Images

Sort new image downloads automatically.

On Folder Change

  1. A direct item in ~/Downloads is Added.

Run Script and Show Result

  1. Run Shell Script using printf '%s' "$1" with Item Path, timeout 30 seconds, and stop this flow if unsuccessful
  2. Show a notification titled Process New Files with message Process New Files ran successfully., and play sound

Send new watched files through a shell script.

Process New Files

Send new watched files through a shell script.

On Shortcut

  1. ⌥D is pressed.

Get Selected Link

  1. Get selected text

Selected Text Contains Download

AND
  1. The selected text from Get Selected Text contains download

Confirm, Download, and Reveal

  1. Show a confirmation titled Download Link with message Download the selected link?, and stop this flow when cancelled
  2. Download Selected Text to ~/Downloads, show progress and result, with a timeout of 60 seconds, and stop this flow if unsuccessful
  3. Reveal Downloaded File Path in Finder

Download and Reveal a Link

Download a selected link and reveal the saved file in Finder.

Download and Reveal a Link

Download a selected link and reveal the saved file in Finder.

Mac file automation with Rulr

Rulr can watch folders on your Mac and automatically organize, rename, move, open, or process files when they change.

Downloads automation

Automatically sort downloads, organize downloaded PDFs, or open new files.

Folder automation

Automate folders on your Mac by watching for new or renamed files and triggering another action.

Screenshots and PDFs

Archive screenshots or route downloaded PDFs automatically.

How file automation works

Rulr connects file events to the work you want done through When → If → Do. A Trigger starts the Rule, optional Conditions check whether it should continue, and Actions perform the task.

For example, Organize Downloaded PDFs follows this path:

  1. When: A new item is added to your watched Downloads folder.
  2. If: Its filename ends in .pdf.
  3. Do: Move the matching file to your chosen PDF folder.

Import a Rule from its detail page, or describe your workflow to AI Builder to create or adjust one. Review the Rule, choose the settings for your Mac, and test it with a sample file before enabling it for everyday use. Depending on the Rule, you may need to select a watched folder, a file type or filename condition, a destination folder, a naming pattern, or an Apple Shortcut. Review any required permissions on the detail page.

Explore Triggers for the events that can start a Rule, Variables for values used in Conditions, and Actions for moving, renaming, opening files, or running Shortcuts and scripts. The examples above each perform a specific task; you can adjust their settings in Rulr.

What can you automate?

Start with a Rule above and choose the folders, naming pattern, or Shortcut that fit your workflow. To add more steps, combine file Actions with your own Shortcuts or scripts in Rulr.

To keep the original item while saving an extra copy, choose Project Backup. For a mixed media inbox, Import Media separates incoming images and videos into different destination folders.

Comparing tools for these tasks? The Hazel and Rulr comparison covers Downloads sorting, PDF routing, renaming, setup costs, and the limits of the sample Rules.

For workflows beyond files, see the Mac automation guide.