git-layer-0.1.5 is not a library.

layer

Manage .git/info/exclude so your personal AI files stay out of git — without touching .gitignore.

Developers drop personal context files into repos. API_SPEC.md, BACKEND_GUIDE.md, onboarding-notes.md, custom prompts, architecture docs. Everyone's got different ones. You can't keep adding each person's files to .gitignore. layer hides them locally using git's built-in exclude mechanism. No more bloating your team's .gitignore.

Install

cargo install git-layer

Usage

layer scan                          # auto-detect AI context files and exclude them
layer add API_SPEC.md my-prompts/   # or add specific files
layer status                        # see what's layered, exposed, and discovered

That's it. The files disappear from git status and stay on disk.

Toggle visibility

Editors (VS Code, Cursor, Claude Code) respect git exclude rules — so layered files vanish from autocomplete and file pickers too. If you need to reference them while prompting:

layer off              # files reappear in editor
layer off CLAUDE.md    # or just one file
layer on               # re-hide before committing

Commands

Command	Description
`layer add [files...]`	Exclude files (interactive tree picker if no args)
`layer rm [files...]`	Remove entries (interactive if no args)
`layer ls`	List all managed entries with status
`layer scan`	Auto-detect known AI files and exclude them
`layer status`	Summary of layered, exposed, and discovered files
`layer off [files...]`	Temporarily un-hide entries
`layer on [files...]`	Re-hide disabled entries
`layer doctor`	Find exposed, stale, and redundant entries
`layer why <file>`	Explain why a file is or isn't ignored
`layer clean`	Remove entries for files that no longer exist
`layer clear`	Remove all managed entries
`layer edit`	Open `.git/info/exclude` in `$EDITOR`
`layer backup`	Save entries to `~/.layer-backups/`
`layer restore`	Restore from a backup
`layer global add`	Add to `~/.config/git/ignore` (all repos)
`layer global ls`	List global gitignore entries
`layer global rm`	Remove global entries

Auto-detected files

layer scan recognizes files from these tools:

Tool	Files
Claude Code	`CLAUDE.md`, `.claude/`
OpenAI Codex	`AGENTS.md`, `.codex/`
Google Gemini CLI	`GEMINI.md`, `.gemini/`
Cursor	`.cursorrules`, `.cursor/`, `.cursorignore`
Windsurf	`.windsurfrules`, `.windsurf/`
Aider	`.aider*`, `.aider.conf.yml`, `.aiderignore`
Cline	`.clinerules`, `.clineignore`
Roo Code	`.roo/`, `.roorules`, `.roomodes`, `.rooignore`
GitHub Copilot	`.github/copilot-instructions.md`
JetBrains Junie	`.junie/`
Amazon Q Developer	`.amazonq/`
Kiro	`.kiro/`
Augment Code	`.augment/`, `.augment-guidelines`
Devin	`.devin/`
Trae	`.trae/`
Continue	`.continuerc.json`
Generic	`agents.md`, `AI.md`, `AI_CONTEXT.md`, `CONTEXT.md`, `INSTRUCTIONS.md`, `PROMPT.md`, `SYSTEM.md`

You can always add any file with layer add <file>.

How it works

Git checks ignore rules in this order:

.git/info/exclude — local to this clone, never shared (this is what layer manages)
.gitignore — tracked and shared with the team
~/.config/git/ignore — global, applies to all repos

A file must be untracked for ignore rules to apply. If it's already tracked, layer will flag it as "exposed" and tell you how to fix it (git rm --cached).

Terminology

Layered — in .git/info/exclude, hidden from git
Exposed — excluded but still tracked (needs git rm --cached)
Discovered — known AI file on disk, not yet layered
Stale — entry that no longer matches any file

Development

cargo check
cargo test
cargo clippy
cargo build --release

License

MIT

git-layer 0.1.5