.qwenignore File

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Overview

• Excluding build artifacts and dependencies
• Ignoring sensitive files (credentials, keys, secrets)
• Reducing context size by excluding irrelevant files
• Preventing Qwen Code from reading large binary files

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File Location

my-project/
├── .qwenignore
├── .gitignore
├── src/
├── dist/
└── node_modules/

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Pattern Syntax

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Basic Patterns

# Ignore specific file
secrets.txt

# Ignore all files with extension
*.log
*.tmp

# Ignore directory
node_modules/
dist/
build/

# Ignore all files in a directory
logs/*

# Ignore files matching pattern anywhere
**/*.min.js
**/*.map

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Negation Patterns

# Ignore all .txt files
*.txt

# But don't ignore README.txt
!README.txt

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Directory-Specific Patterns

# Ignore file only in root
/config.local.js

# Ignore test files in any directory
**/test/**

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Comments

# This is a comment
# Comments start with #

# Ignore build outputs
dist/
build/

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Common Examples

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Node.js Projects

# Dependencies
node_modules/

# Build outputs
dist/
build/
.next/
.nuxt/
out/

# Logs
logs/
*.log
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*

# Environment files
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

# IDE files
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp
*.swo

# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Test coverage
coverage/
.nyc_output/

# Cache
.cache/
.parcel-cache/

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Python Projects

# Byte-compiled files
__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*$py.class

# Distribution / packaging
dist/
build/
*.egg-info/
.eggs/

# Virtual environments
venv/
env/
ENV/
.venv/

# Testing
.pytest_cache/
.coverage
htmlcov/
.tox/

# Jupyter Notebook
.ipynb_checkpoints/

# Environment
.env
.env.local

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp

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Rust Projects

# Build outputs
target/

# Cargo lock (for libraries)
Cargo.lock

# Backup files
**/*.rs.bk

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp

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Go Projects

# Binaries
*.exe
*.exe~
*.dll
*.so
*.dylib

# Test binary
*.test

# Output of the go coverage tool
*.out

# Vendor
vendor/

# Go workspace
go.work

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/

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General Development

# Dependencies
node_modules/
vendor/
packages/

# Build outputs
dist/
build/
out/
target/
*.min.js
*.min.css

# Logs
*.log
logs/

# Environment
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
*.key
*.pem

# IDE
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp
*.swo
*~

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
desktop.ini

# Databases
*.db
*.sqlite
*.sqlite3

# Media
*.mp4
*.mov
*.avi
*.mp3
*.wav

# Archives
*.zip
*.tar
*.tar.gz
*.rar
*.7z

# Large data files
*.csv
*.parquet
*.pkl
*.h5

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Relationship with .gitignore

1. .gitignore - Controlled by context.fileFiltering.respectGitIgnore setting (default: true)
2. .qwenignore - Controlled by context.fileFiltering.respectQwenIgnore setting (default: true)

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When to Use Each

• Files that shouldn’t be in version control
• Build artifacts, dependencies, temporary files
• IDE and OS-specific files

• Files that should be in version control but Qwen Code should ignore
• Large data files that are committed but don’t need AI analysis
• Generated documentation that’s committed
• Files that are too large or irrelevant for context

# Don't commit to git
node_modules/
.env
dist/

# Don't read with Qwen Code (but can be in git)
package-lock.json
yarn.lock
*.min.js
*.map
CHANGELOG.md
LICENSE

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Configuration Settings

{
  "context": {
    "fileFiltering": {
      "respectGitIgnore": true,    // Respect .gitignore (default: true)
      "respectQwenIgnore": true,   // Respect .qwenignore (default: true)
      "enableRecursiveFileSearch": true,
      "enableFuzzySearch": true
    }
  }
}

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Disabling Ignore Files

{
  "context": {
    "fileFiltering": {
      "respectQwenIgnore": false
    }
  }
}

{
  "context": {
    "fileFiltering": {
      "respectGitIgnore": false
    }
  }
}

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How Ignore Patterns Are Applied

1. File Search (glob, ls tools)
   • Respects both .gitignore and .qwenignore
   • Excluded files won’t appear in search results
2. Content Search (grep tool)
   • Respects both .gitignore and .qwenignore
   • Won’t search content of ignored files
3. File Reading (read tool)
   • Prevents reading ignored files directly
   • Returns error: “File path ‘X’ is ignored by .qwenignore pattern(s).”
4. Workspace Context
   • Ignored files are excluded from automatic workspace analysis
   • Reduces token usage and improves performance
5. @ References
   • Attempting to reference ignored files with @file.txt will show a warning

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Ignoring Sensitive Files

# Credentials
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local
*.key
*.pem
*.p12
*.pfx
credentials.json
secrets.yaml
auth.json

# SSH keys
id_rsa
id_rsa.pub
id_ed25519
id_ed25519.pub

# API keys and tokens
.api-keys
.tokens
api-config.json

# Database
*.db
*.sqlite
*.sqlite3
database.yml

# Cloud credentials
.aws/
.gcloud/
.azure/
terraform.tfstate
terraform.tfvars

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Best Practices

1. Start with common patterns - Use templates above as a starting point
2. Add project-specific patterns - Customize for your project’s needs
3. Ignore generated files - Don’t let AI analyze auto-generated code
4. Keep both files - Use .gitignore for version control, .qwenignore for AI exclusions
5. Document special cases - Use comments to explain non-obvious patterns
6. Test patterns - Use ls or glob tools to verify patterns work as expected
7. Update regularly - Add new patterns as your project evolves
8. Be specific - Use specific patterns rather than overly broad wildcards

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Testing Ignore Patterns

# Start Qwen Code
qwen

# Test file listing
ls

# Test file search
glob "**/*.js"

# Test content search
grep "pattern" --include="*.ts"

# Try reading an ignored file
read ignored-file.log
# Should see: "File path 'ignored-file.log' is ignored by .qwenignore pattern(s)."

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Debugging Issues

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Pattern Not Working

1. Check file location - .qwenignore must be in project root
2. Verify syntax - Use .gitignore syntax
3. Check for typos - Pattern matching is exact
4. Test with ls or glob tools
5. Ensure respectQwenIgnore is true in settings

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Files Still Being Read

1. Check if file matches a negation pattern (!pattern)
2. Verify pattern is correctly formatted
3. Check if .qwenignore is being loaded (should be in project root)
4. Ensure settings allow .qwenignore to be respected

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Too Many Files Ignored

1. Review patterns for overly broad wildcards
2. Use negation patterns (!) to un-ignore specific files
3. Be more specific with directory paths

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See Also

• Settings.json Reference
• Trusted Folders
• Context Settings
• File Filtering Settings