layer — Context layers for git & agentic coding workflows

A fast CLI to manage local-only context files using Git’s .git/info/exclude.

layer keeps your personal AI context (Claude instructions, Cursor rules, Aider configs, project notes) out of git without touching .gitignore.

Why

If you use AI coding tools, you accumulate context files like CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, .aider.conf.yml, and custom markdown docs per project. These are personal to your workflow — teammates don't need them, and they shouldn't clutter the repo's .gitignore.

Git already has a mechanism for this: .git/info/exclude. But managing it manually (finding the file, editing it, remembering the syntax) is tedious. layer automates the entire workflow.

Since .git/info/exclude is local to each clone, it disappears if you delete the repo and re-clone. layer backup saves your entries to ~/.layer-backups/, and layer restore brings them back in seconds.

Concept

layer treats local context as a layer on top of your repository:

• Repo layer — tracked files
• Local layer — personal context hidden via .git/info/exclude

This keeps personal AI context separate from the project itself.

Install

cargo install git-layer

Quick start

# Discover and layer local AI context files
layer scan

# Or add files directly
layer add CLAUDE.md .claude/ .cursorrules

# Check your dashboard
layer status

Commands

Core

Diagnostics

Maintenance

Safety

Global

Terminology

layer uses consistent terms across all commands:

• Layered — file is in .git/info/exclude and hidden from git
• Exposed — file is excluded but still tracked by git (needs git rm --cached)
• Discovered — known context file found on disk that isn't layered yet
• Stale — layered entry that no longer matches any file on disk

Auto-detected AI context files

layer scan and layer status automatically detect these files:

You can always add any file manually with layer add <file>.

How it works

Git checks ignore rules in this order:

1. .git/info/exclude — local to this clone, never shared (this is what layer manages)
2. .gitignore — tracked and shared with the team
3. ~/.config/git/ignore — global, applies to all repos

A file must be untracked for any ignore rule to take effect. If a file is already tracked, layering it will mark it as "exposed" and tell you exactly how to fix it.

Development

cargo check
cargo test
cargo clippy
cargo build --release

Changelog

v0.1.3

• Tree picker for layer add — interactive mode now shows a collapsible tree instead of a flat list. Directories are collapsed by default; use ←/→ to expand/collapse at any nesting depth.
• Nested directory grouping — sub-directories are independently expandable. Single-file directories are promoted to the parent level.
• Exposed file details — layer status and layer ls now show which specific files are tracked inside a directory entry.

License

MIT