Add .azdxignore support for azd x watch #6153

Copilot · 2025-11-12T19:40:01Z

azd x watch monitors all files in a project directory, including unwanted artifacts like node_modules/ and build outputs, causing unnecessary rebuilds.

Changes

File ignore support: Load .azdxignore from working directory if present, using existing go-gitignore library
Pattern matching: Apply gitignore-style patterns to both directory enumeration and file change events
Affected components:
- pkg/watch/watch.go: Added isIgnored() helper, updated event handler and watchRecursive()
- extensions/microsoft.azd.extensions/internal/cmd/watch.go: Applied same pattern matching logic

Usage

Create .azdxignore in project root with standard gitignore syntax:

node_modules/
build/
dist/
*.log
*.tmp

Patterns are matched using relative paths from the working directory. If the file doesn't exist, all existing default ignores (.git/, etc.) still apply.

Testing

Added unit tests for watcher creation with/without ignore file and pattern verification.

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>add way for azd x to ignore files for commands</issue_title>
<issue_description>Right now when you run azd x watch it montiors files and folders that I don't want it to. I'd like to be able to set that in a .somethingignore file, like .azdxignore</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

Fixes add way for azd x to ignore files for commands #6152

✨ Let Copilot coding agent set things up for you — coding agent works faster and does higher quality work when set up for your repo.

Co-authored-by: jongio <[email protected]>

jongio · 2025-11-12T20:34:01Z

@copilot what other azd x commands should honor this file?

Copilot · 2025-11-12T20:37:38Z

@copilot what other azd x commands should honor this file?

Currently, azd x watch is the only azd x command that continuously monitors files. The other commands (build, pack, init, publish, release) either work with build outputs or don't scan source directories.

However, the .azdxignore file also benefits the conversational agent (when file watching is enabled) since it uses the same pkg/watch package that was updated.

If future azd x commands need file watching or directory scanning functionality, they can leverage the same pkg/watch.NewWatcher() or load .azdxignore directly using the go-gitignore library pattern implemented in this PR.

Copilot

Pull Request Overview

This PR adds .azdxignore file support to azd x watch to allow users to exclude unwanted files and directories (like node_modules/, build outputs) from watch monitoring, preventing unnecessary rebuilds.

Key Changes

Added gitignore-style pattern matching support using the existing go-gitignore library
Applied ignore logic to both directory enumeration and file change event handling in the file watcher
Added unit tests to verify watcher creation and ignore functionality

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 5 changed files in this pull request and generated 6 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
cli/azd/pkg/watch/watch.go	Added `.azdxignore` loading and `isIgnored()` helper method; integrated ignore checking in event handler and `watchRecursive()`
cli/azd/extensions/microsoft.azd.extensions/internal/cmd/watch.go	Applied same `.azdxignore` pattern matching to extension's watch command
cli/azd/pkg/watch/watch_test.go	Added new unit tests for watcher creation with/without ignore file and pattern verification
cli/azd/.vscode/cspell.yaml	Added "azdxignore" to spell check dictionary
cli/azd/extensions/azure.coding-agent/go.sum	Automatic dependency checksum updates (indirect dependencies)

Copilot · 2025-11-13T01:02:26Z

cli/azd/pkg/watch/watch.go

+				// Check if the file is ignored by .azdxignore
+				if fw.ignorer != nil {
+					// Check if this is a file or directory for gitignore matching
+					info, statErr := os.Stat(event.Name)
+					isDir := statErr == nil && info.IsDir()
+					if fw.isIgnored(event.Name, isDir) {
+						continue
+					}
+				}


Double file stat: The code calls os.Stat(event.Name) here (line 111) and then again later (line 122) within the same event handler. The second call on line 122 checks the same file again to determine if it's a directory.

Recommendation: Reuse the info and isDir variables from line 111-112 for the check on line 122, eliminating the redundant os.Stat call. This improves performance by avoiding the duplicate system call.

Copilot · 2025-11-13T01:02:27Z

cli/azd/pkg/watch/watch_test.go

+	isIgnored := fw.ignorer.Absolute(nodeModulesPath, true)
+	require.NotNil(t, isIgnored, "node_modules should be ignored")


Using Absolute() instead of Relative(): The test uses fw.ignorer.Absolute(nodeModulesPath, true) but the actual implementation in isIgnored() uses fw.ignorer.Relative(relPath, isDir). This inconsistency means the test is not actually testing the same code path used during runtime.

Recommendation: Change this line to use the isIgnored() method instead:

isIgnored := fw.isIgnored(nodeModulesPath, true) require.True(t, isIgnored, "node_modules should be ignored")

This ensures the test validates the actual behavior of the watcher.

Suggested change

isIgnored := fw.ignorer.Absolute(nodeModulesPath, true)

require.NotNil(t, isIgnored, "node_modules should be ignored")

isIgnored := fw.isIgnored(nodeModulesPath, true)

require.True(t, isIgnored, "node_modules should be ignored")

Copilot · 2025-11-13T01:02:27Z

cli/azd/pkg/watch/watch_test.go

+
+	// Cancel the context to stop the watcher
+	cancel()
+	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond) // Give time for cleanup


[nitpick] Hardcoded sleep for synchronization: The test uses time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond) to wait for cleanup, which makes tests slower and potentially flaky. This pattern is repeated in all three tests.

Recommendation: Consider using a more robust synchronization mechanism, such as:

Having the watcher signal when it's fully stopped via a channel, or

Using a sync.WaitGroup to track goroutine completion

This would make tests more reliable and potentially faster.

Copilot · 2025-11-13T01:02:27Z

cli/azd/pkg/watch/watch.go

+	// Get the relative path from the root directory
+	relPath, err := filepath.Rel(fw.rootDir, path)
+	if err != nil {
+		// If we can't get relative path, use the path as-is


[nitpick] Missing documentation for the error handling fallback: The comment on line 204 says "If we can't get relative path, use the path as-is" but this fallback behavior may not work correctly with gitignore pattern matching. Gitignore patterns are designed to work with relative paths from the repository root, not absolute paths.

Recommendation: Add a comment explaining what happens in this edge case, or consider logging a warning when this fallback is used, since it might lead to unexpected behavior where patterns don't match as intended.

Suggested change

// If we can't get relative path, use the path as-is

// WARNING: If we can't get the relative path, we use the absolute path as-is.

// This may cause gitignore pattern matching to fail, since patterns are relative to the root directory.

log.Printf("watch: warning: could not determine relative path from root '%s' to '%s': %v. Using absolute path for ignore matching, which may not work as intended.", fw.rootDir, path, err)

Copilot · 2025-11-13T01:02:28Z

cli/azd/extensions/microsoft.azd.extensions/internal/cmd/watch.go

+				isDir := statErr == nil && info.IsDir()
+				// Get the relative path from the root directory
+				relPath, relErr := filepath.Rel(cwd, event.Name)
+				if relErr != nil {


[nitpick] Same error handling issue as in main implementation: When filepath.Rel() fails, the code falls back to using the absolute path (line 131) for gitignore matching. However, gitignore patterns are designed to work with relative paths, not absolute paths, which could lead to patterns not matching as expected.

Recommendation: Consider the same approach as the main implementation - either log a warning or add documentation explaining this edge case behavior.

Suggested change

if relErr != nil {

if relErr != nil {

fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: failed to compute relative path for gitignore matching (%v); using absolute path, which may cause ignore patterns to not match as expected.\n", relErr)

Initial plan

78ab324

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and jongio Nov 12, 2025

Copilot started work on behalf of jongio November 12, 2025 19:40 View session

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits November 12, 2025 19:56

Add .azdxignore file support for azd x watch

2381f16

Co-authored-by: jongio <[email protected]>

All checks passed - ready for review

6b03213

Co-authored-by: jongio <[email protected]>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Add support for .azdxignore file to ignore specified files~~ Add .azdxignore support for azd x watch Nov 12, 2025

Copilot AI requested a review from jongio November 12, 2025 20:03

Copilot finished work on behalf of jongio November 12, 2025 20:03

Copilot started work on behalf of jongio November 12, 2025 20:34 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of jongio November 12, 2025 20:39

jongio requested a review from Copilot November 13, 2025 00:58

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of jongio November 13, 2025 00:58 View session

Copilot finished reviewing on behalf of jongio November 13, 2025 01:01

Copilot AI reviewed Nov 13, 2025

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Add .azdxignore support for azd x watch #6153

Add .azdxignore support for azd x watch #6153

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		isIgnored := fw.ignorer.Absolute(nodeModulesPath, true)
		require.NotNil(t, isIgnored, "node_modules should be ignored")

-		// If we can't get relative path, use the path as-is
+		// WARNING: If we can't get the relative path, we use the absolute path as-is.
+		// This may cause gitignore pattern matching to fail, since patterns are relative to the root directory.
+		log.Printf("watch: warning: could not determine relative path from root '%s' to '%s': %v. Using absolute path for ignore matching, which may not work as intended.", fw.rootDir, path, err)

	if relErr != nil {
	if relErr != nil {
	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: failed to compute relative path for gitignore matching (%v); using absolute path, which may cause ignore patterns to not match as expected.\n", relErr)

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