IgnoreLens

A VS Code extension that shows how many files each ignore line matches and highlights redundant lines.

It tracks a running count of ignored files (the number in brackets). Normal lines add to this count, while negation lines (!) remove from it.

Usage

IgnoreLens activates automatically for its 47 supported file types. The majority of these follow the .gitignore syntax.

To use with any file, change its language mode to ignore via the status bar or command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Change Language Mode").

Match Counts

IgnoreLens decorates each line depending upon how it affects the running count of workspace files.

Counts are colour-coded:

• Green: Line is adding files
• Yellow: Negation line, or shadowed line (files already ignored by earlier line)
• Red: Redundant line (matches nothing)

Real-time Updates

Decorations update automatically when you edit the file or when workspace files change.

Supported Files

IgnoreLens supports 47 ignore file formats with accurate semantics:

Gitignore-Compliant Formats (38)

Standard gitignore rules apply:

• * matches anything except /, ** matches any path including /, ? matches single character
• *.ext matches at any depth (basename matching)
• dir/ directory pattern, blocks negations for files inside
• !pattern negation (un-ignore), # comment
• Trims trailing spaces only (tabs preserved)

Other Supported Formats (9)

Configuration

Access settings via File → Preferences → Settings (or Ctrl+,) and search for "ignorelens".

Customising Colours

Add to your settings.json:

{
  "workbench.colorCustomizations": {
    "ignorelens.noMatchForeground": "#f14c4c",         // Red text for redundant lines
    "ignorelens.noMatchBackground": "#4a1a1a40",       // Red background for redundant lines
    "ignorelens.matchCountForeground": "#6A9955",      // Green text for matching lines
    "ignorelens.negationForeground": "#CCAA00",        // Yellow text for negation lines
    "ignorelens.staleMatchCountForeground": "#3d5c30", // Stale: darker green
    "ignorelens.staleNoMatchForeground": "#8b2020",    // Stale: darker red
    "ignorelens.staleNoMatchBackground": "#2a0a0a40",  // Stale: darker red background
    "ignorelens.staleNegationForeground": "#7a6600"    // Stale: darker yellow
  }
}

The stale colours are shown briefly when switching tabs while cached data refreshes.

Limitations / Notes

• Each file is analysed independently. IgnoreLens doesn't consider how multiple ignore files interact. For example, ripgrep allows .rgignore to override .gitignore rules, but IgnoreLens shows each file's matches in isolation.

• Empty directories are not detected. Directories are discovered by scanning files, so lines targeting empty directories will show zero matches even if the directory exists.

• Hidden files are included in counts. Files with the hidden attribute (Windows), hidden flag (macOS), or starting with . (Linux/Unix) are counted like regular files.

Technology Stack

• Language: TypeScript 5.3.0+
• Framework: VS Code Extension API (1.85.0+)
• Key Libraries:
  • ignore (5.3.0+) - Gitignore pattern matching
  • minimatch (10.1.1) - Glob pattern matching for vscodeignore

Acknowledgements

Developed with assistance from:

• Claude Code (Opus 4.5)
• OpenAI Codex (GPT-5.1-Codex-Max & GPT-5.2-Codex-Max)

Thanks to:

• GitSparTV for identifying the running count tracking issue.
• RedCMD for identifying the [a].ts wildcard and trailing tab issues.

Licence

MIT License - Copyright (c) 2025 Jason Gordon

Free to use, modify, and distribute. See LICENSE for details.