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.cursorignore (reduce context bloat)

What this is​

.cursorignore tells Cursor which files and folders to exclude when indexing your project. Paths listed there are not sent as context, which keeps chats focused and avoids leaking secrets or wasting tokens on build output and dependencies.

The kit ships a recommended .cursorignore at the project root when you copy from kit/ or starter/. Merge it with any existing .cursorignore you already have.

Copy this into your project root as .cursorignore, or merge with your existing file:

# Cursor ignores these paths when indexing your project.
# Edit this file to add paths specific to your project.

# Dependencies — keep node_modules and package manager caches out of context
node_modules/
.pnp/
.pnp.js

# Build outputs — generated artifacts; the AI should not treat these as source
dist/
build/
.next/
out/
.turbo/

# Environment and secrets — never send these to the AI
.env
.env.*
*.pem
*.key

# Large lockfiles — optional: uncomment if context is too large; omit if you want the AI to see dependency versions
# package-lock.json
# yarn.lock
# pnpm-lock.yaml

# Binary and media — reduce noise and token use; narrow (e.g. static/**/*.png) if needed
*.png
*.jpg
*.jpeg
*.gif
*.webp
*.pdf
*.mp4
*.webm

When to add more entries​

  • Monorepos: Add paths to other apps or packages you don’t want in context (e.g. apps/legacy/, packages/internal-tool/).
  • Large asset folders: If you have big static/, public/, or assets/ directories, add them or narrow with globs (e.g. static/**/*.png) so the AI isn’t flooded with binaries.
  • Docs or generated docs: If you use a docs site (e.g. Docusaurus), add its build output (e.g. .docusaurus/, build/) so Cursor doesn’t index generated HTML.

Why this matters: when too much is in context, the AI gets overloaded or forgets things. See Context windows (overload, rot, reset) for signs and how to reset.

Common mistakes​

  • Forgetting to exclude .env and secrets — If .env* or *.pem / *.key are not in .cursorignore, Cursor can index them and they may be sent to the AI. Always exclude environment and secret files.
  • Not excluding build output — Leaving dist/, .next/, or similar in context wastes tokens and can confuse the AI (it may suggest editing generated files). Add your framework’s output directory.
  • Over-ignoring — If you ignore whole app directories, the AI won’t see your code. Only ignore dependencies, build artifacts, secrets, and large binary/media paths.