dirstamp

dirstamp updates the modification timestamp of each folder so that it matches the newest file (or folder) directly inside it.

This is useful when migrating or restoring folders, as some operating systems and tools do not preserve folder timestamps accurately.

Example
You copy a folder on 2025-08-03, so Windows shows its Date modified as 2025-08-03. The newest file inside was actually last edited on 2024-07-28. After running dirstamp -C, the folder’s Date modified is reset to 2024-07-28, matching that newest file.

Usage

dirstamp [PATH] [OPTIONS] (path and options order are interchangable)

If PATH is not specified, it defaults to the current directory.

Options

Console Output

Example dry-run output with -D:

would update ".\\test\\dirstamp_test\\media\\photos" (from 2025-08-03 08:07:08 UTC to 2025-08-01 08:07:08 UTC, -2.0 days)
would update ".\\test\\dirstamp_test\\projects\\alpha" (from 2025-08-03 08:07:08 UTC to 2025-07-19 08:07:08 UTC, -15.0 days)
would update ".\\test\\dirstamp_test\\projects\\beta" (from 2025-08-03 08:07:08 UTC to 2025-07-31 08:07:08 UTC, -3.0 days)
would update ".\\test\\dirstamp_test\\docs" (from 2025-08-03 08:07:08 UTC to 2025-07-04 08:07:08 UTC, -30.0 days)
would update ".\\test\\dirstamp_test\\media" (from 2025-08-03 08:07:08 UTC to 2025-07-24 08:07:08 UTC, -10.0 days)
would update ".\\test\\dirstamp_test\\" (from 2025-08-14 13:46:06 UTC to 2025-08-03 08:07:08 UTC, -11.2 days)

Note: this was a dry run. Use -C to confirm and apply changes.

If no folders need updating:

No folder timestamps need updating.

Features

Installation

From crates.io:

cargo install dirstamp

Building from Source

Requires Rust 1.70+:

git clone https://github.com/Crinklebine/dirstamp
cd dirstamp
cargo build --release

Run it from the build output:

./target/release/dirstamp(.exe)

Algorithm

For each directory (depth-first traversal):

1. Find the newest modification time (mtime) of any file directly inside the directory (not recursively).
2. If at least one file exists and the folder’s mtime differs by more than 1 second:
   • Update the folder’s mtime to match the newest file’s mtime.

Notes:

• If no files exist, the newest immediate subfolder is used instead.
• Empty directories are left unchanged.
• Only the modification time (mtime) is updated; creation or birth time remains untouched.
• Changes are applied only with --confirm (-C). By default, it's a dry run.

Contributing

Pull requests and issues are welcome!

cargo fmt
cargo clippy -- -D warnings

Please run the above before submitting.

License

Licensed under the MIT License – see LICENSE.