IgnoreKit
Add files and folders to ignore files from the VS Code Explorer.
IgnoreKit keeps ignore-file edits close to the file you are working with. Right-click a generated file, build folder, local config, package artifact, or extension packaging file and add it to the correct ignore file without opening that file by hand.
Features
- Add files and folders from the Explorer context menu.
- Remove entries that IgnoreKit previously added.
- Always supports the workspace
.gitignore.
- Detects
.npmignore, .vscodeignore, .dockerignore, .eslintignore, .prettierignore, .stylelintignore, and 9 more ignore file types.
- Creates
.gitignore, .dockerignore, .eslintignore, .prettierignore, and .stylelintignore when needed.
- Shows a picker when more than one ignore file applies.
- Avoids duplicate entries.
- Uses portable
/-separated ignore paths.
- Adds trailing slashes for folders.
- Supports multi-root workspaces.
- Works with files and folders inside
node_modules.
Commands
Right-click a file or folder in the Explorer and choose:
Add to Ignore File...Remove from Ignore File...
If one ignore file applies, IgnoreKit updates it immediately. If multiple ignore files apply, IgnoreKit asks which file you want to update.
Installation
Install IgnoreKit from Visual Studio Marketplace in VS Code.
Supported Ignore Files
| Ignore file |
Detected when |
Created if missing |
.gitignore |
Always, at the selected workspace root |
Yes |
.npmignore |
package.json exists in the nearest package root, and .npmignore exists |
No |
.vscodeignore |
package.json exists in the nearest package root, and .vscodeignore exists |
No |
.dockerignore |
Dockerfile or docker-compose.yml exists in a parent directory |
Yes |
.eslintignore |
ESLint config (.eslintrc.*, eslint.config.*) exists in a parent directory |
Yes |
.prettierignore |
Prettier config (.prettierrc*, prettier.config.*) exists in a parent directory |
Yes |
.stylelintignore |
Stylelint config (.stylelintrc*, stylelint.config.*) exists in a parent directory |
Yes |
.helmignore |
Chart.yaml exists and .helmignore already exists |
No |
.cfignore |
manifest.yml exists and .cfignore already exists |
No |
.terraformignore |
main.tf exists and .terraformignore already exists |
No |
.serverlessignore |
serverless.yml exists and .serverlessignore already exists |
No |
.babelignore |
Babel config (.babelrc, babel.config.*) exists and .babelignore already exists |
No |
.eleventyignore |
Eleventy config (.eleventy.js, eleventy.config.*) exists and .eleventyignore already exists |
No |
.vercelignore |
vercel.json exists and .vercelignore already exists |
No |
.slugignore |
Procfile exists and .slugignore already exists |
No |
.funcignore |
host.json or function.json exists and .funcignore already exists |
No |
IgnoreKit looks upward from the selected file or folder to find the nearest configuration file for each tool. Each ignore file is offered from the directory where its corresponding tool configuration was found.
IgnoreKit no longer blocks operations inside node_modules.
Managed Section
IgnoreKit preserves the rest of your ignore file and writes to its own managed section:
# IgnoreKit
# Added from VS Code Explorer
dist/
# End IgnoreKit
The remove command only removes entries from this section. It does not delete rules that you wrote manually elsewhere in the file.
For .npmignore and .vscodeignore, IgnoreKit detects common JavaScript package managers from lock files in the nearest package root to provide clearer picker labels:
- Bun:
bun.lock or bun.lockb
- pnpm:
pnpm-lock.yaml
- Yarn:
yarn.lock
- npm:
package-lock.json
For other ignore files, the tool name is shown in the picker label (e.g., .dockerignore (Docker)).
Examples
Adding dist/ in a package that already has .npmignore may offer both:
.gitignore.npmignore (npm package)
Adding .env at the workspace root writes:
/.env
Adding a folder writes:
dist/
Privacy
IgnoreKit runs locally in VS Code. It does not send file paths, project data, or ignore-file contents to any external service.
Contributing
Issues and pull requests are welcome. Please keep changes focused, add tests for behavior changes, and run the validation commands before opening a pull request.
License
MIT. See the LICENSE file in this repository.
