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Specification Extension Request: Standardized ignore files Support in Agents.md Specification #33
Description
Activity
- changed the title
[-]Feature Request: Standardized `.agentignore` Support in Agents.md Specification[/-][+]Specification Extension Request: Standardized `.agentignore` Support in Agents.md Specification[/+]on Aug 29, 2025 - changed the title
[-]Specification Extension Request: Standardized `.agentignore` Support in Agents.md Specification[/-][+]Specification Extension Request: Standardized ignore files Support in Agents.md Specification[/+]on Aug 29, 2025 We are in favor of implementing this on Mistral Code if it is established as standard
Reacted by rosmur@michelTho Mistral Code could lead this, more opensource agentics tools would follow, We could at least raise the PR for opensource once,once it gains enough trajection, more tools would adopt it, infact AGENTS.md also has similar origin story.
Thanks for raising this! We need to prioritize this!
LLMs reading things that they shouldn't is a SERIOUS security and privacy risk that is going entirely overlooked.
For a common workflow using an LLM through Openrouter etc., there are at least 2 other parties that have access to your traffic. AI agents have show many times to read .env files so API keys and the like are sitting with cloud provides.
Hello everyone,
I've been researching this exact problem and recently published a draft RFC for a vendor-neutral
.agentignorestandard:- Repo: https://github.com/garogarabed12/agentignore
- RFC: https://github.com/garogarabed12/agentignore/blob/main/RFC-0001.md
I checked out the work of @tourcoder, and it seems closely aligned with the same goal, so I'm not introducing a new idea, but would like to help formalize and standardize it.
The RFC currently defines:
.gitignore-style pattern semantics- passive vs. explicit user-directed access
- modification behavior for ignored files
- compatibility requirements
- interaction with tool-specific configuration
One design question I found particularly interesting is whether ignored files should be excluded only from passive agent operations (discovery, indexing, retrieval, context construction, etc.) or whether they should be inaccessible under all circumstances, including when the user explicitly names a file.
I'd appreciate feedback from anyone following this discussion.
Thanks!
Reacted by Sanath Kumar U
Summary
Extend the Agents.md specification to include standardized handling of ignore files. This would introduce a single
.agentignore/ .aiignore, file that all agentic tools can comply with, replacing the need for multiple, tool-specific ignore files (e.g.,.clineignore,.claudeignore, etc.).Motivation
Currently, each agentic tool tends to define its own ignore configuration, leading to fragmentation and duplication.
Examples:
.clineignorefor Cline.claudeignorefor ClaudeThis creates unnecessary friction for developers managing projects across multiple agentic ecosystems.
Proposed Solution
.agentignoreas the standard ignore file for agentic tools..agentignoreas a unified convention.Prior Art / References
.gitignore,.dockerignore, and.npmignoreshow the benefits of standardization in developer workflows.Benefits
Next Steps
.agentignorein the official specification.