# Before Your Side Projects Multiply Into Chaos: An 8-Category Ledger and a Symlink Tree > Source: > Published: 2026-07-14 05:00:05+00:00 This is part of my "Claude Code environment" series. Last time I wrote about [an autopilot that lets Claude Code improve itself autonomously and unattended](https://zenn.dev/bokuwalily/articles/claude-autopilot). But if the "pile of automation scripts" that showed up there isn't organized, you can't even decide what to hand the autopilot. So this time the topic is **the system I use to classify projects and manage where they live.** Counting the entries in my current ledger `~/PROJECTS.md` , there are **over 40** projects lined up — web apps, Chrome extensions, iOS apps, digital products, client work, AI tooling, PC automation, and OSS evaluations. Before things grew this far, I built a structure of "8 categories + a ledger + a symlink tree." This article is about that design. Claude Code kept hunting for directories scattered across `~/dev/` , `~/Projects/` , `~/digital-products/` , and `~/oss-trial/` with `find ~` every single time. It wasn't just the search time — the **state (live/stalled/retired), the production URL, and whether it was monetized** were all scattered too, so every time I asked "whatever happened to that app?" I had to reconstruct the context from scratch. The goal is to consolidate the ledger into a single file so I reach a state where "ask, and the answer comes out immediately." Here's the definition table straight from `~/PROJECTS.md` . | Code | Definition | |---|---| `01-webapp` | Web apps / web games that are deployed and used | `02-chrome-ext` | Chrome extensions (MV3) + their dedicated backend API | `03-ios-app` | iOS native / delivery wrappers | `04-digital-product` | note monetization, digital products, content for sale | `05-client-work` | Contract / commissioned work / company repos (third-party owner remote = push with care) | `06-claude-tooling` | Infrastructure, skills, and integrations that act on Claude / the AI agent itself | `07-pc-automation` | PC automation, scrapers, CLI scripts | `08-oss-eval` | Evaluation, experimentation, and sandboxing of external OSS | Adding categories dilutes their meaning, so I only create a new one "when something genuinely fits none of the eight." The decision is made by **how it's delivered, not by its name.** For example, `autolike-license-server` sounds like an API name, but it's a backend dedicated to license verification for a Chrome extension, so it goes under `02-chrome-ext` . Judging by name would misclassify it as "API → server → `01-webapp` ." It's tempting to think "organizing = moving folders," but in side-project development, **dependencies on absolute paths hide in three places.** `.vercel/project.json` `vercel deploy` points at a different project.`ProgramArguments` is registered as the real path. Move it, and the cron job dies.`git worktree add` holds the real path in `.git/worktrees//gitdir` .⚠️ Physically moving a real directory is strictly forbidden. `.vercel` , launchd plists, and git worktrees break because they depend on absolute paths. "Classification" is expressed with symlinks + the ledger. You never touch the real directory — you just **create a symlink under ~/Desktop/All-Projects//.** ``` # Classify a new project (without moving the real directory) ln -sfn ~/dev/takugumi ~/Desktop/All-Projects/01-webapp/ # Verify ls ~/Desktop/All-Projects/01-webapp/ # Shows something like takugumi -> ~/dev/takugumi ``` In `ln -sfn` , the `-f` overwrites an existing symlink, and `-n` prevents it from burrowing into the target when the target is a directory. Without these two flags you get a double-nested link. The ledger `~/PROJECTS.md` is one line per project, holding the path, state, monetization, production URL, and cautions (currently 8 categories × over 40 projects total). By reading this one file, Claude Code can instantly answer "Where's the iOS app for the job-hunt tracker?" or "Which ones are in a live state?" The procedure is written in `~/.claude/skills/auto/project-categorization/SKILL.md` , and it fires automatically every time a new project is created. The heart of the procedure is only this: ``` When starting a new project, before you begin writing code: 1. Decide what you're building → pick one of the 8 categories above (Decide by how it's delivered — not by name or first impression) 2. Only if it fits none of the existing 8, create a new 09- 3. Create the real directory under the appropriate parent dir Web app / extension → ~/dev or ~/Projects Product → ~/digital-products OSS evaluation → ~/oss-trial 4. ln -sfn ~/Desktop/All-Projects// 5. Add a row to the relevant category table in ~/PROJECTS.md ``` Because CLAUDE.md also says "when creating a new project, always classify it into one of the 8 categories before starting," Claude begins with classification without being told. ``` # Check that the symlink was created correctly ls ~/Desktop/All-Projects/01-webapp/ # Check that it was appended to the ledger grep "takugumi" ~/PROJECTS.md # For client-work: check that secrets are ignored git -C ~/dev/ check-ignore credentials.json ``` Drawn from what I collected in the auto-skill's `Pitfalls` section. `autolike-license-server` (a Chrome extension backend) under "server = `01-webapp` ." Read `package.json` or the README and judge by how it's delivered.`05-client-work` `toc-seo/credentials.json` (a GCP key) was sitting bare in the root of a company repo. Every time you create client-work, check that secret-key patterns are in `.gitignore` .`ababa-pr/*` and `fujibee/*` are treated as `05-client-work` and pushing is forbidden. Check the owner with `git remote -v` before pushing.`~/PROJECTS.md` + the `~/Desktop/All-Projects//` symlink tree is the source of truthNext time, I'll write about the setup that **auto-generates a Mermaid diagram of these organized projects every morning and drops it on the Desktop.** *Written by **Lily** — I ship iOS apps and automate my content stack with Claude Code. Follow along: [Portfolio](https://bokuwalily.com) · [X](https://x.com/bokuwalily) · [GitHub](https://github.com/bokuwalily)*