> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://photocli.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# photo-cli: Organize Photos by Date and GPS Location
> `photo-cli` is a cross-platform command-line tool that extracts when and where (reverse geocode) your photographs are taken, [archive](/commands/archive) or [copy](/commands/copy) into a new organized folder (not modifying source folder) with various [folder](http://localhost:3000/reference/arguments#folder-organization-copy-only) & [file naming](reference/arguments#file-naming-copy-only) strategies with an album support to categorize, [list & view](/commands/list) easily, with a built-in secure & isolated [MCP server](/commands/mcp) (stdio) for AI assistants.
No accounts, no subscriptions, no vendor lock-in. All photo metadata is stored on local SQLite for archive operation and CSV for others.
## What `photo-cli` does
photo-cli extracts two pieces of information from each photo:
* **When** — the taken date stored in EXIF metadata by your camera or phone
* **Where** — the GPS coordinates, resolved to a human-readable address using a reverse geocode provider of your choice
It uses these to copy your photos into a new folder with structured names like `2024.03.15_14.22.01-France-Paris.jpg`, leaving your originals untouched.
## Sample Before & After `photo-cli`
A folder of 21 unsorted files becomes a clean, dated hierarchy after running a single command of `archive` or `copy`.
```text theme={null}
├── DSC_5727.jpg
├── GOPR6742.jpg
├── Italy album
│ ├── DJI_01732.jpg
│ ├── DJI_01733.jpg
│ ├── DSC00001.JPG
│ ├── DSC03467.jpg
│ ├── DSC_1769.JPG
│ ├── DSC_1770.JPG
│ ├── DSC_1770_(same).jpg
│ ├── DSC_1771.JPG
│ ├── GOPR7496.jpg
│ ├── GOPR7497.jpg
│ ├── IMG_0747.JPG
│ ├── IMG_1979.HEIC
│ ├── IMG_1979.mov
│ ├── IMG_1979.xmp
│ ├── IMG_2371.jpg
│ └── IMG_O1979.aae
└── Spain Journey
├── DSC_1807.jpg
├── DSC_1808.jpg
└── IMG_5397.jpg
2 directories, 21 files
```
```text theme={null}
├── 2005
│ ├── 08
│ │ └── 13
│ │ └── 2005.08.13_09.47.23-5842c73cfdc5f347551bb6016e00c71bb1393169.jpg
│ └── 12
│ └── 14
│ └── 2005.12.14_14.39.47-03cb14d5c68beed97cbe73164de9771d537fcd96.jpg
├── 2008
│ ├── 07
│ │ └── 16
│ │ └── 2008.07.16_11.33.20-90d835861e1aa3c829e3ab28a7f01ec3a090f664.jpg
│ └── 10
│ └── 22
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.28.39-5d66eec547469a1817bda4abe35c801359b2bb55.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.29.49-629b0b141634d6c0906e49af448bec8d755ba32c.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.38.20-620d23336a12ab54f9f0190fe93960a4dba2df59.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.43.21-3b0a3215b4f66d7ff4804dd223f192c21aee71bc.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.44.01-d470205a1d331a9d3765b3762b7c954bb8efc6ea.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.46.53-f670f2bb6c54898894b06b083185b05086bd4e6e.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.52.15-6b89a245809031ecc47789cdeaa332545330fc39.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.55.37-dd42edcde2433a7df4a3d67bf61944a20884da89.jpg
│ └── 2008.10.22_17.00.07-a0ab699f5f99fce8ff49163e87c7590c2c9a66eb.jpg
├── 2012
│ └── 06
│ └── 22
│ └── 2012.06.22_19.52.31-bb649a18b3e7bb3df3701587a13f833749091817.jpg
├── 2015
│ └── 04
│ └── 10
│ ├── 2015.04.10_20.12.23-3907fc960f2873f40c8f35643dd444e0468be131.jpg
│ └── 2015.04.10_20.12.23-9f4e6d352ec172e1059571250655e376769080fe.jpg
├── 2025
│ └── 06
│ └── 03
│ ├── 2025.06.03_13.53.36-8a45af72730474e22582afbe72f53685d705a72c.heic
│ └── 2025.06.03_13.53.36-8a45af72730474e22582afbe72f53685d705a72c.mov
├── no-photo-taken-date
│ └── cf756397cc3ca81b2650c8801fd64e172504015a.jpg
└── photo-cli.sqlite3
20 directories, 19 files
```
```text theme={null}
├── 2005.08.13_09.47.23-Kenya-Barut ward.jpg
├── 2005.12.14-2025.06.03-Italy album
│ ├── 2005.12.14_14.39.47-Italia-Firenze.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.28.39-Italia-Arezzo.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.29.49-Italia-Arezzo.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.38.20-Italia-Arezzo.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.43.21-Italia-Arezzo.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.44.01-Italia-Arezzo.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.46.53-Italia-Arezzo.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.52.15-Italia-Arezzo.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_16.55.37-Italia-Arezzo.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_17.00.07-Italia-Arezzo-1.jpg
│ ├── 2008.10.22_17.00.07-Italia-Arezzo-2.jpg
│ ├── 2025.06.03_13.53.36-Italia-Venezia.heic
│ └── 2025.06.03_13.53.36-Italia-Venezia.mov
├── 2012.06.22_19.52.31-United Kingdom.jpg
├── 2015.04.10-2015.04.10-Spain Journey
│ ├── 2015.04.10_20.12.23-España-Madrid-1.jpg
│ └── 2015.04.10_20.12.23-España-Madrid-2.jpg
├── Italy album
│ └── no-address
│ └── IMG_2371.jpg
├── Spain Journey
│ └── no-address-and-no-photo-taken-date
│ └── IMG_5397.jpg
├── photo-cli-report.csv
└── sha1.lst
6 directories, 21 files
```
## What's next
Run your first photo-cli command and see results immediately.
Explore all commands: copy, archive, list, info, address, settings, and mcp.
Install photo-cli on macOS, Windows, or Linux in under a minute.
See real before-and-after examples for common organization strategies.
