folderbot 0.1.69

Telegram bot for chatting with your folder using LLMs

Folderbot

A Telegram bot that lets you chat with your folder using LLMs (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, and more).

Repository: https://gitlab.com/jorgeecardona/folderbot | Docs: https://folderbot.readthedocs.io

Features

• Tool Use: The AI actively interacts with your files using built-in tools
• Built-in Tools: List, read, search, and write files
• Web Tools: Search the web and fetch content from URLs
• Task Scheduler: Schedule long-running, repeating, cron, or time-limited tasks
• File Notifications: Get alerted when files in your folder change
• Activity Logging: View detailed logs of all tool calls and bot activity
• Custom Tools: Extend with your own tools via .folderbot/tools.py
• Persistent Sessions: Conversation history stored in SQLite
• Auto-logging: All conversations logged to markdown files
• Access Control: Whitelist specific Telegram user IDs
• Append Protection: Configure which files can be appended to
• Smart Message Handling: Send multiple messages quickly - they're combined into one request
• Version Notifications: Get notified when the bot updates

Installation

pip install folderbot

Or install from source:

git clone https://gitlab.com/jorgeecardona/folderbot
cd folderbot
pip install -e .

Quick Start

cd /path/to/your/folder
folderbot init    # Creates .folderbot/config.toml here
folderbot run     # Runs from current directory

Configuration

Configuration lives inside your folder at .folderbot/config.toml:

telegram_token = "YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN"
anthropic_api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"  # Or set FOLDERBOT_API_KEY env var
allowed_user_ids = [123456789]  # Your Telegram user ID

# root_folder is implicit — it's the parent of .folderbot/
# You only need to set it if you want to override the default.

model = "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514"  # or openai/gpt-4o, google/gemini-2.0-flash, etc.

[read_rules]
include = ["**/*.md", "**/*.txt"]
exclude = ["**/docs/**", ".git/**"]
append_allowed = ["**/todo.md"]

[tools.web_search]
google_api_key = "YOUR_GOOGLE_API_KEY"
google_cx = "YOUR_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID"

Get your Telegram user ID from @userinfobot.

Built-in Tools

The AI has access to these tools for interacting with your folder:

File Tools

Tool	Description
list_files	List files in a folder or subfolder
read_file	Read the contents of a specific file
read_files	Read multiple files at once (concatenated view)
search_files	Search for text across all files
write_file	Create or update files (supports append mode)

All file tools respect the include, exclude, and append_allowed patterns in your config.

Utility Tools

Tool	Description
get_time	Get the current date and time (with timezone support)
send_message	Send a message to the user (useful in scheduled tasks)
compare_numbers	Compare two numbers
shuffle_list	Randomly shuffle a list of items
sort_list	Sort a list alphabetically or numerically
random_choice	Pick random item(s) from a list
random_number	Generate a random number within a range

Activity & Monitoring Tools

Tool	Description
read_activity_log	View the bot's activity log (tool calls, messages, task events)
enable_file_notifications	Enable notifications for all file changes
disable_file_notifications	Disable file change notifications
get_file_notification_status	Check if file notifications are enabled

File Notifications

Get notified via Telegram when any files in your folder are created, modified, or deleted.

Example Conversations

"Enable file notifications"

The AI will turn on notifications and you'll be alerted when any files change.

"Turn off file notifications"

The AI will disable file change notifications.

How It Works

• Uses the watchdog library to monitor file system events
• Notifications include the file path and type of change (modified, created, deleted)
• Notification preference is stored per user

Activity Logging

All tool calls, messages, and task events are logged to structured JSON files in .folderbot/logs/. This enables:

• Debugging: See exactly what tools were called and with what parameters
• Auditing: Review what the bot has done in your folder
• Analysis: Search through past activity

Example Conversations

"Show me the activity log for today"

"What tools did you use in the last hour?"

"Search the activity log for 'write_file'"

Logs are automatically rotated (kept for 30 days).

Web Tools

The AI can search the web and fetch content from URLs to help with research.

Installation

pip install folderbot[web]

Available Tools

Tool	Description
web_search	Search the web using DuckDuckGo
web_fetch	Fetch and extract text content from a URL

Example Conversations

Research a topic:

"Search for the latest Python 3.12 features and summarize them"

The AI will search the web, find relevant articles, and provide a summary.

Save web content to notes:

"Fetch this article and save the key points to my notes: https://example.com/article"

The AI will fetch the URL content, extract the text, and write a summary to your folder.

Task Scheduler

The task scheduler lets the AI plan and execute long-running or repeating tasks autonomously. Tasks run in the background, report progress via Telegram, and optionally generate a summary when complete.

Installation

The scheduler requires an optional dependency for cron scheduling:

pip install folderbot[scheduler]

Schedule Types

Type	Description	Example Use Case
once	Run once, optionally after a delay	"Check this file in 30 minutes"
repeating	Run at fixed intervals	"Check for updates every hour"
cron	Run on a cron schedule	"Generate a report daily at 9am"
time_limited	Run repeatedly until time expires	"Search for available domains for 5 minutes"

Scheduler Tools

Tool	Description
schedule_task	Create a new scheduled task
list_tasks	List your scheduled tasks (filter by status)
cancel_task	Cancel a running or pending task
get_task_results	Get the results of a task

Example Conversations

Time-limited search:

"Search for available .ai domains for 5 minutes and tell me what you find"

The AI will schedule a time-limited task that repeatedly calls your domain search tool, sends progress updates, and summarizes results when done.

Repeating check:

"Check my inbox folder every hour and let me know if there are new files"

The AI schedules a repeating task that runs indefinitely (or until you cancel it).

Cron schedule:

"Every day at 9am, read my todo.md and send me a summary"

The AI schedules a cron task using the expression 0 9 * * *.

Delayed execution:

"In 30 minutes, remind me to review the meeting notes"

The AI schedules a one-time task with a 30-minute delay.

Task Management

Use the /tasks Telegram command for a quick overview of your scheduled tasks, or ask the bot:

• "What tasks do I have running?"
• "Cancel task abc123"
• "Show me the results of my domain search task"

Features

• Progress updates: Configure how often to receive updates (every N iterations)
• Auto-summarization: The AI summarizes results when tasks complete
• Error handling: Tasks auto-stop after too many consecutive errors
• Persistence: Tasks survive bot restarts (restored from SQLite)
• Result capping: Only the most recent results are kept to manage memory

Custom Tools

You can extend folderbot with custom tools by creating .folderbot/tools.py in your root folder.

Example: Daily Journal Tool

This example adds a tool that appends timestamped entries to a daily journal file:

# .folderbot/tools.py
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any

from pydantic import BaseModel, Field

from folderbot.tools import ToolDefinition, ToolResult


class JournalEntryInput(BaseModel):
    """Input for adding a journal entry."""
    content: str = Field(description="The journal entry content")
    mood: str = Field(default="neutral", description="Current mood (happy, sad, neutral, excited)")


class CustomTools:
    """Custom tools for my folder."""

    def __init__(self, root_folder: Path, tools_config: dict[str, dict[str, Any]] | None = None):
        self.root_folder = root_folder
        self.config = (tools_config or {}).get("add_journal_entry", {})

    def get_tool_definitions(self) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
        tools = [
            ToolDefinition(
                name="add_journal_entry",
                description="Add a timestamped entry to today's journal with optional mood tracking",
                input_model=JournalEntryInput,
            ),
        ]
        return [t.to_api_format() for t in tools]

    def execute(self, tool_name: str, tool_input: dict[str, Any]) -> ToolResult:
        if tool_name == "add_journal_entry":
            return self._add_journal_entry(tool_input)
        return ToolResult(content=f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}", is_error=True)

    def _add_journal_entry(self, tool_input: dict[str, Any]) -> ToolResult:
        params = JournalEntryInput(**tool_input)

        # Create journal folder if needed
        journal_dir = self.root_folder / "journal"
        journal_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)

        # Today's journal file
        today = datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
        journal_file = journal_dir / f"{today}.md"

        # Create header if new file
        if not journal_file.exists():
            header = f"# Journal - {today}\n\n"
            journal_file.write_text(header)

        # Append entry with timestamp
        timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%H:%M")
        mood_emoji = {"happy": "😊", "sad": "😢", "neutral": "😐", "excited": "🎉"}.get(params.mood, "📝")
        entry = f"### {timestamp} {mood_emoji}\n\n{params.content}\n\n---\n\n"

        with open(journal_file, "a") as f:
            f.write(entry)

        return ToolResult(content=f"Added journal entry to {today}.md")

Now you can tell the bot: "Add to my journal: Had a great meeting with the team today" and it will create a timestamped entry.

Alternative: Factory Function

Instead of a CustomTools class, you can export a create_tools(root_folder) function:

def create_tools(root_folder: Path):
    return CustomTools(root_folder)

Package Structure

For more complex tools, use .folderbot/tools/__init__.py:

.folderbot/
└── tools/
    ├── __init__.py      # Exports CustomTools or create_tools
    ├── journal.py       # Journal tool implementation
    └── reminders.py     # Reminder tool implementation

CLI Commands

Bot Management

folderbot run              # Run the bot (finds .folderbot/ in PWD)
folderbot run --bot mybot  # Run a specific bot (multi-bot config)
folderbot status           # Show configuration status

Configuration

folderbot init                           # Create .folderbot/config.toml in current directory
folderbot config show                    # Show current config
folderbot config set telegram_token XXX  # Set a config value
folderbot config folder /path/to/folder  # Set root folder

Folder Management

folderbot move /new/path   # Move folder and update systemd service

Systemd Service

folderbot service install   # Install as user service (uses PWD as WorkingDirectory)
folderbot service enable    # Enable auto-start
folderbot service start     # Start the service
folderbot service stop      # Stop the service
folderbot service status    # Check service status
folderbot service logs      # View logs
folderbot service logs -f   # Follow logs
folderbot service uninstall # Remove service

Telegram Commands

Command	Description
/start	Initialize bot and show help
/clear	Clear conversation history
/new	Start a new topic (clears history)
/status	Show session info
/files	List files available in context
/tasks	List your scheduled tasks

Multi-Bot Configuration

Run multiple bots with different folders from a single config:

api_key = "SHARED_KEY"

[bots.work]
telegram_token = "WORK_BOT_TOKEN"
root_folder = "~/work/notes"
allowed_user_ids = [123456789]

[bots.personal]
telegram_token = "PERSONAL_BOT_TOKEN"
root_folder = "~/personal/notes"
allowed_user_ids = [123456789]

folderbot run --bot work
folderbot run --bot personal

Development

# Setup
./setup/setup.sh
source .venv/bin/activate

# Run tests
pytest

# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=folderbot

Roadmap

Planned features, roughly in priority order:

• YAML to TOML auto-migration — Detect old .folderbot/config.yaml and auto-convert to .toml on startup
• Todo management tool — Structured todo tracking with status (plan/in-progress/done), natural speech interface, "what can I do in 30 minutes?" queries — todo management for procrastinators
• Image/OCR tool — Process photos: OCR for printed text and handwritten notes, image description, save to uploads folder
• Statistics/DataFrame tool — Group-by, aggregate, and pivot tabular data (e.g. token usage by day/week/month) with flexible date ranges
• Plotting tool — Generate charts and plots (e.g. token usage over time, cost trends) using Plotly, send as Telegram images
• Cost estimation — Track and estimate LLM costs alongside token counts, with per-model pricing
• Granular token tracking — Per-interaction timestamp tracking for hourly/daily/weekly breakdowns with natural date range queries
• Calendar tool — Built-in calendar for events and reminders, with potential Google Calendar / Outlook integration

License

MIT