AI ignore files reference
Dedicated ignore and instruction files that control what AI coding tools can read in your project. Each guide explains the file, why it matters, and how to set it up.
.cursorignoreCursor.cursorignore tells the Cursor editor which files to keep out of AI features — chat, edits, and codebase indexing..cursorindexingignoreCursor.cursorindexingignore excludes files from Cursor’s background indexing while still letting you reference them manually..cursor/rulesCursorCursor project rules (.cursor/rules) give the assistant persistent, project-specific instructions — including guidance to avoid sensitive paths..claudeignoreClaude.claudeignore lists files that Claude-based coding assistants should skip when reading your project for context.CLAUDE.mdClaude CodeCLAUDE.md is a project memory and instructions file that Claude Code reads automatically to understand your conventions.AGENTS.mdAI agents (open standard)AGENTS.md is an open convention for giving AI coding agents project-specific instructions in a single Markdown file..geminiignoreGemini CLI.geminiignore tells the Gemini CLI which files to exclude from the context it reads about your project..aiexcludeGemini in IDEs.aiexclude blocks files from Gemini’s AI features in IDEs such as Android Studio and Firebase Studio..copilotignoreGitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot can be told to ignore files via content exclusions; some setups also use a .copilotignore file..aiderignoreAider.aiderignore tells the Aider CLI which files to exclude from the chat context and edits..codeiumignoreCodeium / Windsurf.codeiumignore excludes files from Codeium’s indexing and AI context across its editor integrations..clineignoreCline.clineignore tells the Cline VS Code agent which files to exclude from its context and actions..continueignoreContinue.continueignore excludes files from the Continue assistant’s indexing and context..cody/ignoreSourcegraph CodyCody can be configured to ignore files so they are excluded from context used by Sourcegraph’s assistant..rooignoreRoo Code.rooignore tells the Roo Code agent which files to exclude from its context and edits..zedignoreZedZed can exclude files from its AI features so sensitive paths are not used as context..llmignoreGeneric LLM tools.llmignore is a tool-agnostic convention for listing files that LLM-based tools should exclude from context.