Ignore Files After First Run

Some files should be generated once and then left under full developer control. SKA supports this via ignore lists that are automatically set during the first scaffolding and honored on every later update.

When to Use This

Project-specific files that differ per team (e.g., local.env, README badges, example configs)
Binary artifacts or lockfiles you want to manage manually
Any content you don’t want future template updates to override

How It Works

Your upstream template includes a .ska-upstream.yaml with configuration that pre-populates the project’s local SKA config:

Section	Purpose
`ignorePaths`	Paths ignored when reading the upstream template itself (e.g., `.git`, `.idea`)
`skaConfig.ignorePaths`	Paths that will NOT be updated on future `ska update` runs

Example Configuration

# .ska-upstream.yaml in your blueprint

# Files/folders ignored when reading the upstream template repository
ignorePaths:
  - .git
  - .idea

# Files/folders that SKA should ignore in generated projects on future updates
skaConfig:
  ignorePaths:
    - "docs/changelog.md"
    - "local/*.env"
    - "configs/example-{{.appName}}.yaml"
    - "*.local"

Pattern Support

Globs: *.env, folder/*, **/path/**
Templated paths: configs/example-{{.appName}}.yaml

On the first creation, SKA writes these into the project’s internal configuration, so future updates skip them.

Create from a Template

ska create \
  --blueprint https://github.com/your-org/templates-repo//templates/service-rest@v1.2.0 \
  --output ./my-rest-service

What Happens

SKA fetches and renders the template
It collects inputs in TUI (unless you pass --non-interactive)
It seeds the project’s SKA configuration with the skaConfig.ignorePaths specified by the upstream
From now on, those paths are excluded from updates

After the Initial Scaffolding

Ignored files: Edit freely; SKA will not overwrite them
Other files: Still updated as the template evolves

To update the project:

ska update --path .

If you manage multiple SKA configurations in the same root:

ska update --path . --name service-rest

Pin or Switch Template Versions

Ignored files remain untouched when you update or switch versions:

Change the upstream ref (e.g., @v1.2.0 → @v1.3.0)
Apply the update:

ska update --path .

Result:

SKA applies upstream changes to non-ignored files
Files in the ignore list remain exactly as you customized them

Common Ignore Patterns

Add these to skaConfig.ignorePaths in your upstream to control behavior in generated projects:

Pattern	What It Ignores
`README.md`	Single file
`docs/*`	Entire folder
`.env`	Environment file
`local/*.env`	Environment files in local folder
`configs/example-{{.appName}}.yaml`	Templated filename
`.vscode/*`	Editor settings
`*.local`	Files with .local extension

Re-enabling Management

If a file was ignored but you later want SKA to manage it:

Remove it from the project’s ignore list (in .ska-config/)
Run ska update