.calvinignore

Calvin supports a .calvinignore file for excluding specific files or directories from PromptPack processing. The syntax follows gitignore conventions.

Quick Start

Create a .calvinignore file in your .promptpack/ directory:

# Ignore draft policies
drafts/

# Ignore backup files
*.bak
*.tmp

# Ignore work-in-progress skills
skills/experimental/

Location

Place .calvinignore at the root of each layer:

~/.calvin/.promptpack/.calvinignore    # User layer
/path/to/team/.promptpack/.calvinignore  # Custom layers
./promptpack/.calvinignore             # Project layer

Pattern Syntax

The syntax follows gitignore conventions:

What Gets Ignored

• Regular .md assets
• Entire skill directories (e.g., skills/experimental/)
• Skill supplemental files (e.g., skills/my-skill/notes.txt)

CLI Commands

View Ignore Patterns

# Show patterns for each layer
calvin check --show-ignored

Output:

.calvinignore Patterns
======================

  user (2 patterns)
    • drafts/
    • *.bak

  project (0 patterns)

Debug Ignore Matching

# More detailed output
calvin check --debug-ignore

Limits

For security and performance:

Files exceeding these limits will produce a warning during deploy/check.

Common Use Cases

Exclude WIP Content

# Ignore unfinished policies
wip-*.md
drafts/

# Keep stable skills only
skills/experimental/
skills/beta/

Team Templates

# Ignore personal notes
*.notes.md
personal/

# Ignore generated files
generated/

CI/CD Workflows

# Ignore test fixtures
test-fixtures/
*.test.md

Layer Precedence

Remember that .calvinignore is per-layer:

• User layer patterns only affect user-layer files
• Project layer patterns only affect project-layer files
• Patterns do not cascade across layers

See Also

• Multi-Layer Guide - Understanding layer hierarchy
• Skills Guide - Directory-based assets
• Configuration - Global Calvin settings