GrepAI Ignore Patterns
This skill covers how to configure ignore patterns to exclude files and directories from GrepAI indexing.
When to Use This Skill
- Excluding test files from search results
- Ignoring generated or vendored code
- Reducing index size by excluding unnecessary files
- Customizing which files GrepAI indexes
How Ignore Patterns Work
GrepAI uses two sources for ignore patterns:
.grepai/config.yaml- Custom patterns you define.gitignore- Automatically respected
Configuration Location
Pattern Syntax
Directory Patterns
File Patterns
Path Patterns
Glob Patterns
Default Ignore Patterns
GrepAI's default configuration includes:
Common Ignore Configurations
JavaScript/TypeScript Project
Go Project
Python Project
Rust Project
Java/Kotlin Project
Monorepo
Excluding Test Files
To focus search on production code:
Alternative: Use search boosting instead to penalize (not exclude) tests:
Excluding Generated Code
Excluding Documentation
Verifying Ignore Patterns
Check what's being indexed:
Common Issues
❌ Problem: Index is too large ✅ Solution: Add more ignore patterns for dependencies and generated files
❌ Problem: Search returns vendor/test code ✅ Solution: Either ignore or use boosting penalties
❌ Problem: Pattern not working ✅ Solution: Check syntax - use quotes for patterns with special characters:
❌ Problem: Need to include previously ignored files
✅ Solution: Remove from ignore list and re-run grepai watch
Best Practices
- Start with defaults: Add patterns as needed
- Exclude dependencies: Always ignore
node_modules,vendor, etc. - Exclude build outputs:
dist,build,target - Exclude lock files: Large, not useful for search
- Consider boosting vs ignoring: Penalize instead of exclude for test files
- Quote special characters:
"*.min.js"not*.min.js
Re-indexing After Changes
After modifying ignore patterns:
Output Format
After configuring ignore patterns:
