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Stencil is a free, open-source Linux desktop app for batch-renaming files and directories without writing a script. Its defining feature is a queue of rename operations: each rule builds on the previous result, while a live preview shows the original and proposed names before you apply changes. A LinuxLinks review published October 6, 2026 describes its features and reports installing it from Flathub on CachyOS; that account is useful, but it does not establish current release status or broad compatibility.
What Stencil does
Stencil is a graphical batch file and directory renamer. Rather than applying one fixed transformation, you can assemble several operations into a sequence—for example, clean up whitespace, replace text, and then add numbering. Later operations act on the output of earlier ones, so the order of rules matters.
LinuxLinks describes Stencil as designed for GNOME, but says GNOME is not required and reports evaluating the app under KDE Plasma on CachyOS. The review identifies René Fouquet as its developer, describes it as written in Rust with GTK4 and libadwaita, and lists the GNU GPL version 3.0 license. These are review-reported details, not independently verified current project information.
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This is the file-renaming utility called Stencil, not the unrelated graphic-design service whose live previews concern social images.
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How the rename workflow works
Add files or folders
According to LinuxLinks, you can add items through a file chooser or by dragging and dropping them. When loading a folder, the review says you can include subdirectories and choose whether to process the folder itself, its contents, or both. Hidden files are ignored by default.
Build and inspect an operation queue
Add rename operations in the order you want them applied. The review says you can reorder or duplicate operations, and the preview updates as you edit the queue. It displays the original and proposed filenames side by side, making it possible to inspect how a chain of changes affects each item before committing it.
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The reported operations include:
- Text changes: insert text, replace literal text or regular-expression matches, change capitalization, and clean up whitespace.
- Numbering: set a starting value and increment, and control padding.
- Dates and timestamps: use the current clock or file timestamps.
- Folders and extensions: use parent-directory names through a Folder Name operation, or change file extensions.
- Media metadata: build names from music details such as track number and title; photo details such as year, month, day, and camera; or video details such as recording date, resolution, duration, and codec.
Metadata patterns can replace a filename or add a prefix or suffix, the review says. If metadata is missing, the resulting name may contain gaps. Inspecting the preview is therefore especially important when renaming media collections.
Collision safeguards, presets, and undo
LinuxLinks reports that Stencil checks for filename conflicts and blocks a batch by default until conflicts are resolved. The review also describes an alternative policy that appends numbers to avoid collisions. This matters when several files would otherwise receive the same proposed name.
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The review says completed batches can be undone. It also reports presets for starting points and the ability to save and exchange custom operation queues as JSON files. These are review-reported capabilities; they were not independently tested here.
Installation and compatibility
LinuxLinks reports installing Stencil from Flathub on CachyOS with this command:
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flatpak install flathub me.fouquet.StencilThe reviewer says the installation completed without errors on that system and evaluated the app under KDE Plasma. That is evidence for one reported setup, not a compatibility guarantee for every Linux distribution or desktop environment. The available information does not establish a current version number, official compatibility matrix, or present maintenance status. Check the project’s current Flathub listing before relying on package availability.
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When Stencil may be a good fit
Stencil may suit users who want to compose multi-step renaming rules visually and verify the outcome before applying them—particularly for batches involving numbering, timestamps, parent-folder names, or media metadata. Its preview and reported conflict checks address common risks in bulk renaming, while presets and saved queues can help reuse a workflow.
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LinuxLinks names KRename and GPRename as alternatives, characterizing KRename as offering a broader toolkit, including plugins and copying or moving files during renaming, and GPRename as suitable for straightforward cleanup. That is a limited comparison from the review, not a current feature-by-feature assessment.
What remains unverified
The detailed feature and installation information available for Stencil comes primarily from one LinuxLinks review dated October 6, 2026; another publication repeats its description. The evidence does not establish current upstream release status, broad platform support, or independently tested recovery behavior. Treat the described features and setup as review-reported rather than as a complete, current compatibility or maintenance record.
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