diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
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+# Secrets
+.env
+*.env
+
+# Assistant working files. This repo is public and contributor-facing, so it
+# holds project files only — README, schema, data, CI. Working notes belong in
+# the private bot repo, not here.
+CLAUDE.md
+AGENTS.md
+.claude/
+.cursor/
+.aider*
+
+# Tooling
+node_modules/
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+.venv/
+
+# OS
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db