List and Count Directories

This skill provides a systematic workflow for listing and counting directories within a given path using the list_dir tool. It filters results to identify directories, excludes hidden and system entries, and presents both an enumerated list and a total count.

Use Cases

• Project structure analysis
• Skill or module inventory
• Repository exploration
• Directory auditing and documentation

Workflow

Step 1: Get Directory Contents

Use list_dir to retrieve the contents of the target path:

list_dir(path="/path/to/target")

Step 2: Identify Directories

Filter the results to identify directory entries. Directories are marked by permissions starting with d in Unix ls format (e.g., drwxr-xr-x).

Recognition pattern:

• Look for entries where the permissions field starts with d
• Common directory permission patterns: drwxr-xr-x, drwxrwxr-x, drwx------, etc.

Step 3: Exclude Hidden and System Entries

Filter out entries that should not be counted:

• . (current directory)
• .. (parent directory)
• .DS_Store (macOS metadata)
• Other hidden files starting with . (optional, depending on requirements)

Step 4: Create Enumerated List

Present the directories as a numbered list for easy reference:

1. directory-name-1
2. directory-name-2
3. directory-name-3
...

Step 5: Provide Total Count

Calculate and report the total number of directories found:

Total: N directories

Implementation Example

When implementing this workflow programmatically, use the following approach:

# Pseudo-code for filtering directories
directories = []
for entry in dir_listing:
    # Check if entry is a directory (starts with 'd')
    if entry['permissions'].startswith('d'):
        name = entry['name']
        # Exclude hidden/system entries
        if name not in ['.', '..', '.DS_Store']:
            directories.append(name)

# Sort for consistent ordering
directories.sort()

# Present enumerated list
for i, dirname in enumerate(directories, 1):
    print(f"{i}. {dirname}")

# Provide total count
print(f"\nTotal: {len(directories)} directories")

Tips

• Sorting: Always sort directory names alphabetically for consistent, predictable output
• Context: Mention the path being analyzed for clarity
• Validation: If the count is zero, verify the path exists and contains directories
• Extensions: This pattern can be adapted to filter for files, specific extensions, or other criteria

Common Patterns

Basic directory listing with count:

Directories in /skills:
1. authentication-helpers
2. data-processing
3. workflow-automation

Total: 3 directories

With additional context:

Found 3 skill directories in /skills:
1. authentication-helpers
2. data-processing  
3. workflow-automation

Including path context:

Directory inventory for /path/to/modules:
- module-a
- module-b
- module-c
Count: 3 directories

Related Techniques

• Use similar filtering logic to count files instead of directories (permissions starting with -)
• Extend to filter by modification date, size, or naming patterns
• Combine with recursive directory traversal for deep structure analysis