FolderForge – AI-powered media library organizer for WordPress

FolderForge turns the WordPress media library into a proper asset manager. Organize thousands of files with drag-and-drop folders, tag them manually or automatically with an AI provider, control access per folder, catch duplicates before they clutter your library, and undo any change from a full audit trail.

Why FolderForge?

Most media folder plugins stop at nested folders. FolderForge goes further:

• AI auto-tagging and alt text — vision models generate tags and alt text on upload
• Tags alongside folders — files can live in one folder but have many tags
• Smart folders — dynamic queries like “PDFs uploaded this month” or “images without alt text”
• Per-folder permissions — real ACLs by user or role
• Duplicate detection with perceptual hashing — catches near-duplicates, not just exact matches
• Bulk operations that scale — batch move, tag, and delete via a proper bulk API
• Full audit log with undo — never lose work to a mis-click
• One-click import from FileBird, HappyFiles, Real Media Library, WP Media Folder, Wicked Folders, Enhanced Media Library, and Folders (Premio)

Core Features

Folders

• Unlimited nested folders with drag-and-drop
• Custom folder colors — 10-color preset palette
• Custom folder icons — 22-icon grid picker
• Right-click context menu with keyboard shortcuts (F2 rename, Del delete, Ctrl+Shift+N new)
• Breadcrumb trail in the Media Library
• Non-destructive — files stay in place, permalinks never break

Tags

• Files can live in one folder but have many tags
• Manual or AI-generated tags with source + confidence tracking
• Bulk tag multiple attachments at once

AI Features (optional)

• AI auto-tagging on upload using WordPress core AI Client
• Automatic alt text for accessibility and SEO
• Manual “Analyze with AI” button on any attachment
• Bulk AI Analyze for existing media
• No API keys stored — credentials live in the official AI Provider connector plugins

Smart Folders

• Saved dynamic queries — filter by MIME type, upload date, author, size, missing alt text, tags
• Live preview count in the builder
• Owner-only access — creator or admin

Permissions

• Read / Write / Delete / Admin capability hierarchy
• Grant to users OR roles
• Inherits from parent folder unless overridden
• Site admins bypass all checks; folder creators always have admin on their own folders

Bulk Operations

• Move, Tag, AI Analyze, or Delete multiple files at once
• Toolbar in the Media Library with a live selected-count and folder dropdown

Duplicate Detection

• SHA-256 exact hashing — catches identical files
• Perceptual (aHash) on images — catches resized / re-saved / format-converted near-duplicates
• Upload-time warning — client-side scan before upload, shows existing matches
• Admin dashboard grouped by hash

Audit Log + Undo

• Every mutation is logged with user, timestamp, and undo payload
• Undo toasts on destructive actions
• Server-side undo endpoint for folder create / update / delete / move, bulk moves, auto-assigns

Gutenberg Gallery Block

• FolderForge Gallery block — pick a folder, set columns and limit, done
• Live preview in the editor
• Responsive grid with lazy-loaded images

Coexistence and Migration

• Detects 9 competing plugins and gracefully disables its own UI when they are active
• One-click importers for FileBird, Real Media Library, HappyFiles, WP Media Folder, Wicked Folders, Enhanced Media Library, and Folders (Premio)
• Source data is never modified — safe to keep the other plugin running until verified

Developer Surface

• 27 REST endpoints under folderforge/v1
• Object-level permission checks on every endpoint
• Filter and action hooks for custom importers, AI byte limits, and bootstrap events

AI Provider Integration

FolderForge integrates with the WordPress AI Client (available in WordPress 7.0 and later). Install any AI Provider connector plugin, configure it once, and FolderForge will route requests through it automatically. No API keys are stored in FolderForge itself.

Third-Party Services

When AI features are enabled, image bytes and a fixed prompt are sent to the AI provider you have configured (for example Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google). This transmission only happens when you enable auto-tagging, auto alt text, or click “Analyze with AI” on an attachment. See each provider’s terms of service and privacy policy for how they process image data.

Provider documentation and policies:

• Anthropic — https://www.anthropic.com/legal/consumer-terms
• OpenAI — https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use
• Google Gemini — https://policies.google.com/terms/generative-ai