The .aiignore file is a configuration specification that tells AI coding agents and LLM-powered developer tools which files, directories, and content should not be read, processed, or modified. Modeled after .gitignore syntax, .aiignore files protect sensitive data, proprietary code, and personal information from being exposed to AI models during development workflows. Supported by JetBrains AI Assistant, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Gemini Code Assist, and other AI coding tools.
1 APIs8 Features
AI AgentsConfigurationDeveloper WorkflowSecurityPrivacyDeveloper ToolsLLMSecrets Management
Command-line tool that generates .aiignore configuration files to protect secrets from AI coding tools including JetBrains AI, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codeium, and ...
aid: aiignore
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/aiignore/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
name: .AIIgnore
tags:
- AI Agents
- Configuration
- Developer Workflow
- Security
- Privacy
- Developer Tools
- LLM
- Secrets Management
type: Index
image: https://kinlane-productions.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
access: 3rd-Party
created: '2025-01-01'
modified: '2026-04-19'
position: Consumer
description: The .aiignore file is a configuration specification that tells AI coding agents and LLM-powered developer tools which files, directories, and content should not be read, processed, or
modified. Modeled after .gitignore syntax, .aiignore files protect sensitive data, proprietary code, and personal information from being exposed to AI models during development workflows. Supported
by JetBrains AI Assistant, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Gemini Code Assist, and other AI coding tools.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
email: [email protected]
specificationVersion: '0.19'
apis:
- aid: aiignore:aiignore-cli
name: AIIgnore CLI
tags:
- CLI
- Security
- Developer Tools
- TypeScript
- Node.js
- Secrets Management
humanURL: https://github.com/yjcho9317/aiignore-cli
description: Command-line tool that generates .aiignore configuration files to protect secrets from AI coding tools including JetBrains AI, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codeium, and Windsurf
with a single command.
properties:
- url: https://github.com/yjcho9317/aiignore-cli
type: GitHubRepository
- url: https://www.npmjs.com/package/aiignore-cli
type: SDK
title: npm Package
common:
- name: AIIgnore CLI GitHub
url: https://github.com/yjcho9317/aiignore-cli
type: GitHubRepository
description: CLI tool for generating .aiignore files across multiple AI coding tools.
- name: JetBrains AI Assistant
url: https://www.jetbrains.com/ai/
type: Portal
description: JetBrains AI Assistant which respects .aiignore files in project roots.
- name: 'GitHub Topics: aiignore'
url: https://github.com/topics/aiignore
type: GitHubRepository
description: GitHub topic page collecting .aiignore-related repositories and tools.
- name: Cursor AI Rules
url: https://docs.cursor.com/context/rules
type: Documentation
description: Cursor AI editor rules documentation for context exclusion (.cursorignore).
- name: Claude Code Ignore
url: https://docs.anthropic.com/en/claude-code/
type: Documentation
description: Claude Code documentation for .claudeignore file support.
- type: Features
data:
- name: .gitignore-Compatible Syntax
description: Uses familiar glob pattern syntax from .gitignore so developers can immediately define exclusion rules.
- name: Secrets Protection
description: Prevents AI models from reading .env files, credential files, API keys, private keys, and other sensitive data.
- name: Multi-Tool Support
description: Single .aiignore file works across JetBrains AI, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codeium, and Windsurf.
- name: Directory-Level Exclusion
description: Exclude entire directories from AI context with simple pattern rules (e.g., vendor/, node_modules/).
- name: File Pattern Matching
description: Match files by extension, name, or path pattern to control AI model access granularly.
- name: Project-Root Placement
description: Single file in project root applies rules across the entire project tree.
- name: Proprietary Code Protection
description: Prevent proprietary algorithms, business logic, or licensed code from being sent to external AI APIs.
- name: CLI Generation Tool
description: aiignore-cli generates boilerplate .aiignore files with one command, covering common secrets patterns automatically.
- type: UseCases
data:
- name: API Key Protection
description: Exclude .env and config files containing API keys, tokens, and credentials from AI coding tool context.
- name: Proprietary Algorithm Protection
description: Protect trade secrets and proprietary algorithms from being processed by AI models hosted on third-party infrastructure.
- name: Compliance and Data Privacy
description: Ensure regulated data (PII, healthcare records, financial data) is not sent to external AI APIs.
- name: Large File Exclusion
description: Exclude large binary files, build artifacts, and generated files that would waste AI context window.
- name: Third-Party Code Exclusion
description: Prevent licensed third-party code and vendor directories from being included in AI context.
- type: Integrations
data:
- name: JetBrains AI Assistant
description: JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, etc.) AI Assistant respects .aiignore in project root.
- name: Cursor AI Editor
description: Cursor IDE supports .cursorignore (similar concept) for controlling AI context access.
- name: GitHub Copilot
description: GitHub Copilot supports content exclusion via repository settings and .copilotignore patterns.
- name: Claude Code
description: Anthropic Claude Code CLI supports .claudeignore file for excluding files from AI context.
- name: Codeium
description: Codeium AI coding assistant with configurable file exclusion patterns.
- name: Windsurf
description: Codeium Windsurf AI editor with .windsurfignore support for context control.
- name: Gemini Code Assist
description: Google Gemini Code Assist with project-level context exclusion configuration.