ChatCLI supports a file exclusion system inspired by .gitignore. This allows you to refine the context sent to the AI, avoiding irrelevant files such as tests, logs, dependencies, and builds.
Why filter files?
| Benefit | Description |
|---|
| Focus | Sends only relevant source code, resulting in more accurate responses |
| Efficiency | Saves tokens, which reduces costs on paid APIs |
| Speed | Processes large projects faster by ignoring unnecessary files |
| Noise reduction | Avoids polluting the context with compiled files, dependencies, or logs |
The .chatignore file
The syntax is identical to .gitignore:
- Lines starting with
# are comments
- To ignore an entire directory, add the name followed by
/ (e.g., docs/)
- Use glob patterns (wildcards) to ignore files (e.g.,
*_test.go, *.log)
Practical example
# Ignore all Go test files
*_test.go
# Ignore entire directories
docs/
e2e/
vendor/
node_modules/
dist/
build/
# Ignore CI configuration files and logs
.github/
golangci.yml
*.log
# Ignore binaries and compiled files
*.exe
*.so
*.dylib
Precedence hierarchy
ChatCLI searches for an ignore file in a specific order. The first one found is used and the rest are ignored:
| Priority | Location | Description |
|---|
| 1 (highest) | CHATCLI_IGNORE variable | Absolute path to a rules file |
| 2 | .chatignore in the analyzed directory | Project-specific rules |
| 3 | ~/.chatcli/.chatignore | User’s global rules |
| 4 (lowest) | Built-in default rules | Ignores .git, node_modules, etc. |
Example with environment variable
export CHATCLI_IGNORE="~/configs/meu_ignore_global.txt"
Rules are not merged. Only the first ignore file found in the hierarchy is used. If you set CHATCLI_IGNORE, the project and global directory .chatignore files will be ignored.
Default rules
When no .chatignore file is found, ChatCLI uses built-in rules that already automatically ignore:
.git/node_modules/vendor/__pycache__/.idea/, .vscode/- Binary and compiled files
Usage tips
- Create a
.chatignore at the root of each project for specific rules
- Use the global
~/.chatcli/.chatignore for universal rules (e.g., .DS_Store, Thumbs.db)
- Combine with
@file --mode smart so the AI selects only the most relevant files within the already filtered scope
