xdg-ninja is a shell script that audits your home directory for files and directories that violate the XDG Base Directory specification.
The tool solves the problem of application clutter in the home directory by scanning for files and folders that should be placed in XDG-compliant locations like .config, .cache, or .local instead of the root of $HOME. It works by checking your home directory against a list of known non-compliant applications and reporting what it finds, helping users identify which programs are not respecting the XDG Base Directory standard.
The tool suits developers and system administrators who want to maintain a clean home directory structure and enforce XDG compliance across their system. It is particularly useful for those who care about directory organization and want to audit their current setup without making changes automatically. Anyone adopting it should understand that the tool is primarily diagnostic—it identifies problems rather than fixing them—so you will need to manually move or configure applications to resolve the violations it reports.
The project shows active maintenance with regular updates to its application database and responsiveness to user reports of new non-compliant programs. Development activity includes ongoing additions of newly discovered applications that violate the standard, indicating the maintainers are tracking real-world usage patterns. The codebase receives periodic refinements and bug fixes addressing edge cases in detection logic.
