.iflowignore

Overview

.iflowignore is a file ignore feature in iFlow CLI, similar to Git's .gitignore. It allows you to specify which files and directories should be ignored when using iFlow CLI tools.

How It Works

When you create a .iflowignore file in your project root directory and define ignore rules, iFlow CLI tools that support this feature will automatically skip matching files and directories, without processing them.

Supported Tools

The following iFlow CLI tools support .iflowignore functionality:

• ls - Directory listing tool
• read_many_files - Batch file reading tool
• @filename syntax - AT command file references
• Other file operation related tools

Usage

1. Create .iflowignore File

Create a .iflowignore file in your project root directory:

touch .iflowignore

2. Add Ignore Rules

The .iflowignore file follows the same syntax rules as .gitignore:

# This is a comment line

# Ignore specific files
secrets.txt
config.json

# Ignore specific directories
build/
dist/
node_modules/

# Use wildcards to ignore file types
*.log
*.tmp
*.cache

# Use path matching
/root-only-file.txt
src/**/*.test.js

# Negation rules (do not ignore)
*.log
!important.log

3. Syntax Rules

Rule	Description	Example
#	Comment line	# This is a comment
*	Match any characters	*.log matches all .log files
?	Match single character	file?.txt matches file1.txt
[]	Character set matching	[abc].txt matches a.txt, b.txt, c.txt
/ at start	Root directory relative path	/build/ only matches build in root directory
/ at end	Match directories only	temp/ only matches directories, not files
! at start	Negation rule	!important.log do not ignore this file

Practical Examples

Frontend Project

# .iflowignore for React/Vue project

# Build output
build/
dist/
.next/

# Dependencies
node_modules/

# Logs and cache
*.log
.cache/
.parcel-cache/

# Environment variable files
.env.local
.env.production

# Test coverage
coverage/

# IDE configuration (but keep .vscode)
.idea/
*.swp
*.swo

Node.js Backend Project

# .iflowignore for Node.js backend

# Runtime files
*.pid
*.log
logs/

# Dependencies and build
node_modules/
dist/
build/

# Database files
*.db
*.sqlite

# Upload file directories
uploads/
temp/

# Sensitive configuration
.env
config/production.json

Python Project

# .iflowignore for Python project

# Python cache
__pycache__/
*.pyc
*.pyo
*.pyd

# Virtual environments
venv/
env/
.venv/

# Build files
build/
dist/
*.egg-info/

# Jupyter Notebook checkpoints
.ipynb_checkpoints/

# Testing and coverage
.pytest_cache/
.coverage
htmlcov/

Feature Verification

Test ls Tool

# Use iFlow CLI's ls tool to view directory
iflow -p "ls ."

# Files ignored by .iflowignore will not appear in the output
# The tool will show statistics like "X files were iflow-ignored"

Test File Reading

# Use batch file reading
iflow -p "read_many_files *.txt"

# Ignored .txt files will show "file is ignored by .iflowignore" message

Test @ Command

# Use @ syntax to reference files
iflow -p "@ignored-file.txt"

# Ignored files will show warning message and skip processing

Important Notes

1. Restart Required: After modifying the .iflowignore file, you need to restart the iFlow CLI session for changes to take effect
2. File Location: The .iflowignore file must be placed in the project root directory
3. Git Independence: .iflowignore and .gitignore are independent and do not affect each other
4. Tool Support: Not all tools support this feature, mainly file operation related tools

Debugging Tips

If you find that ignore rules are not taking effect:

1. Check if the .iflowignore file is in the project root directory
2. Check if file paths are correct (relative to project root directory)
3. Restart the iFlow CLI session
4. Use the ls tool to verify ignore effects

Best Practices

1. Version Control: Commit the .iflowignore file to Git so the team can share ignore rules
2. Layered Ignoring: Use in combination with .gitignore - .gitignore handles version control, .iflowignore handles AI tools
3. Regular Maintenance: Update ignore rules timely as the project evolves
4. Documentation: Document special ignore rules in the project README

By properly using .iflowignore, you can make iFlow CLI focus more on processing important code files, improving work efficiency.