When you opt in to sharing your project context with Gemini in Android Studio, you can control which files specifically from the codebase are shared using`.aiexclude`files. AI features in Android Studio cannot access files outside of the current project and the Version Control System (VCS) roots attached to it. With this in mind, you can place`.aiexclude`files anywhere within the project and its VCS roots to control which files AI features are allowed to access.

Much like a`.gitignore`file, an`.aiexclude`file tracks files that shouldn't be shared with Gemini in Android Studio. This includes the chat experience as well as AI features that operate in the editor, like[code completion](https://developer.android.com/studio/gemini/code-completion). An`.aiexclude`file operates on files at or below the directory that contains it.
![An example `.aiexclude` file in Android Studio.](https://developer.android.com/static/studio/images/gemini-aiexclude.png)An example of an \`.aiexclude\` file in Android Studio.

## How to write`.aiexclude`files

An`.aiexclude`file follows the same syntax as a[`.gitignore`file](https://git-scm.com/docs/gitignore).

## Examples

Here are example`.aiexclude`file configurations:

- The pattern`KEYS`blocks all files called "KEYS" with no file extension in the directory containing the`.aiexclude`file, or in its subdirectories.

    KEYS

- The pattern`KEYS.*`blocks all files called "KEYS" with any file extension in the directory containing the`.aiexclude`file, or in its subdirectories.

    KEYS.*

- The pattern`*.kt`blocks all Kotlin files in the directory containing the`.aiexclude`file, or in its subdirectories.

    *.kt

- The pattern`/*.kt`blocks all Kotlin files in the`.aiexclude`directory, but not in its subdirectories.

    /*.kt

- The pattern`my/sensitive/dir/`blocks all files in the`my/sensitive/dir`directory and its subdirectories. The path is relative to the directory that contains the`.aiexclude`file.

    my/sensitive/dir/

- The pattern`my/sensitive/dir/**/.txt`blocks all TXT files in the`my/sensitive/dir/`directory or its subdirectories.

    my/sensitive/dir/**/.txt

- The pattern`my/sensitive/dir/*.txt`blocks all TXT files in the directory`my/sensitive/dir`, but not in sub-directories.

    my/sensitive/dir/*.txt