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feat: --show-gitignored flag for file picker (@-syntax) to show gitignored files #2490

@steilerDev

Description

@steilerDev

Problem

The @ file picker respects .gitignore, hiding gitignored files from the UI. For agents with a local knowledge base that is gitignored (e.g., because it contains account data or runtime content that shouldn't be versioned), this creates a painful UX gap:

  • The agent can read the files — filesystem tools have no issue accessing them
  • But pointing the agent at a specific file via @ is cumbersome; users must type full paths manually

The .gitignore contract is "don't version-control this" — not "hide from local tools." For an agent operating on the local filesystem, these are orthogonal concerns.

Proposed Solution

Add a --show-gitignored runtime flag to docker agent that controls whether the file picker respects .gitignore:

docker agent run --show-gitignored tampa.yaml

This mirrors the existing ignore_vcs option on filesystem read tools but exposed at the CLI level — no config file changes needed.

Optionally, support an .agentignore file (same syntax as .gitignore) so users can explicitly hide files from the picker without coupling that decision to VCS:

# .agentignore
secrets/
*.key

This keeps agent-visibility concerns separate from VCS concerns — users opt in to showing gitignored content at startup, and opt out of specific paths via .agentignore if needed.

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