grepai-ignore-patterns

name	grepai-ignore-patterns
description	Configure ignore patterns in GrepAI. Use this skill when excluding files and directories from indexing.

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:

1. .grepai/config.yaml - Custom patterns you define
2. .gitignore - Automatically respected

Configuration Location

# .grepai/config.yaml
ignore:
  - pattern1
  - pattern2

Pattern Syntax

Directory Patterns

ignore:
  # Exact directory name (matches anywhere)
  - node_modules
  - vendor
  - __pycache__

  # With trailing slash (explicit directory)
  - dist/
  - build/
  - coverage/

File Patterns

ignore:
  # Exact filename
  - package-lock.json
  - yarn.lock

  # Wildcard patterns
  - "*.min.js"
  - "*.min.css"
  - "*.map"
  - "*.lock"

Path Patterns

ignore:
  # Paths containing substring
  - /tests/
  - /spec/
  - /__tests__/

  # Specific paths
  - src/generated/
  - api/swagger/

Glob Patterns

ignore:
  # Double star (recursive)
  - "**/test/**"
  - "**/mock/**"

  # Single star (single level)
  - "*.test.js"
  - "*.spec.ts"
  - "*_test.go"

Default Ignore Patterns

GrepAI's default configuration includes:

ignore:
  # Version control
  - .git
  - .svn
  - .hg

  # GrepAI itself
  - .grepai

  # Package managers
  - node_modules
  - vendor
  - .npm
  - .yarn

  # Build outputs
  - target
  - dist
  - build
  - out

  # Cache directories
  - __pycache__
  - .pytest_cache
  - .mypy_cache
  - .cache

  # Framework outputs
  - .next
  - .nuxt
  - .output

Common Ignore Configurations

JavaScript/TypeScript Project

ignore:
  - node_modules
  - dist
  - build
  - coverage
  - .nyc_output
  - "*.min.js"
  - "*.bundle.js"
  - "*.map"
  - package-lock.json
  - yarn.lock
  - pnpm-lock.yaml

Go Project

ignore:
  - vendor
  - bin
  - "*.pb.go"       # Protobuf generated
  - "*_mock.go"     # Mocks
  - "mocks/"
  - go.sum

Python Project

ignore:
  - __pycache__
  - .pytest_cache
  - .mypy_cache
  - .venv
  - venv
  - env
  - "*.pyc"
  - "*.pyo"
  - .eggs
  - "*.egg-info"
  - dist
  - build

Rust Project

ignore:
  - target
  - Cargo.lock
  - "*.rlib"

Java/Kotlin Project

ignore:
  - target
  - build
  - .gradle
  - "*.class"
  - "*.jar"
  - "*.war"

Monorepo

ignore:
  # Common
  - node_modules
  - dist
  - build
  - coverage

  # Specific packages to exclude
  - packages/legacy/
  - packages/deprecated/

  # Generated
  - "**/generated/**"
  - "**/__generated__/**"

Excluding Test Files

To focus search on production code:

ignore:
  # Test directories
  - tests/
  - test/
  - __tests__/
  - spec/

  # Test files by pattern
  - "*.test.js"
  - "*.test.ts"
  - "*.spec.js"
  - "*.spec.ts"
  - "*_test.go"
  - "test_*.py"
  - "*_test.py"

Alternative: Use search boosting instead to penalize (not exclude) tests:

search:
  boost:
    penalties:
      - pattern: /tests/
        factor: 0.5
      - pattern: _test.
        factor: 0.5

Excluding Generated Code

ignore:
  # Generated markers
  - "**/generated/**"
  - "*.generated.*"
  - "*.gen.*"

  # Specific generators
  - "*.pb.go"           # Protobuf
  - "*.graphql.ts"      # GraphQL codegen
  - "*.d.ts"            # TypeScript declarations
  - "swagger_*.go"      # Swagger
  - "openapi_*.ts"      # OpenAPI

Excluding Documentation

ignore:
  - docs/
  - documentation/
  - "*.md"
  - "*.mdx"
  - "*.rst"

Verifying Ignore Patterns

Check what's being indexed:

# Check index status
grepai status

# Output shows file count
# If too high, add more ignore patterns

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:

ignore:
  - "*.min.js"  # Correct
  - *.min.js    # May cause YAML parsing issues

❌ Problem: Need to include previously ignored files ✅ Solution: Remove from ignore list and re-run grepai watch

Best Practices

1. Start with defaults: Add patterns as needed
2. Exclude dependencies: Always ignore node_modules, vendor, etc.
3. Exclude build outputs: dist, build, target
4. Exclude lock files: Large, not useful for search
5. Consider boosting vs ignoring: Penalize instead of exclude for test files
6. Quote special characters: "*.min.js" not *.min.js

Re-indexing After Changes

After modifying ignore patterns:

# Stop existing daemon
grepai watch --stop

# Clear index and restart
rm .grepai/index.gob
grepai watch

Output Format

After configuring ignore patterns:

✅ Ignore Patterns Configured

   Patterns: 15 configured

   Categories:
   - Directories: node_modules, vendor, dist, build
   - File types: *.min.js, *.map, *.lock
   - Paths: /tests/, /docs/

   Also respecting: .gitignore

   Run 'grepai watch' to re-index with new patterns.