feat(aiignore): add .aiignore and the recursive-read convention

Agents (and any future inventory tool) doing a naive recursive read of a project pick up node_modules, __pycache__, build output, and token artifacts even when those are gitignored, because a recursive read sees the disk, not git. I added a gitignore-syntax .aiignore at the repo root with the default skip list, and a protocols.org "Recursive Reads" subsection documenting the convention, the defaults to assume absent a file, and the lockfile policy (skip on agent reads, independent of git-tracking).

I did not wire the walking scripts (audit.sh, diff-lang.sh, sync-language-bundle.sh): they do targeted finds over .ai/.claude/bundle dirs, never whole-tree walks, so honoring .aiignore there would be dead code. That belongs in a future catalog tool.

1 files changed, 8 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/claude-templates/.ai/protocols.org b/claude-templates/.ai/protocols.org
index 25e634a..cf1b7f6 100644
--- a/claude-templates/.ai/protocols.org
+++ b/claude-templates/.ai/protocols.org
@@ -190,6 +190,14 @@ Check =inbox/= at every task boundary (after finishing a unit of work, before re
 
 Exit 1 means handoffs are pending — process them per =process-inbox.org=. For each accepted handoff, the act-vs-file rule: *act now* when it's clear, bounded, low-risk, in-scope, and cheaper than deferring — just do it, no asking; *file* otherwise — ask first, with filing as option 1 and "do it now" as option 2; *ask* if unsure. Always reply to a handoff's sender (confirm on accept, the why on reject). Full process, the reply discipline, and the opt-in background-monitor =/loop= recipe live in =monitor-inbox.org=.
 
+** Recursive Reads — Honor =.aiignore=
+
+Before a naive recursive read or glob of a project tree (file inventories, "what's in this repo", broad greps), skip the noise: dependency trees (=node_modules/=, =.venv/=), build output (=dist/=, =build/=, =coverage/=), language caches (=__pycache__/=, =.pytest_cache/=, =*.pyc=), editor/OS cruft, and generated token/OAuth artifacts. These waste tokens and skew project summaries even when gitignored — a recursive read sees the disk, not git.
+
+If the project root has a =.aiignore= (gitignore syntax), honor its patterns; it carries project-specific additions. rulesets ships one as the canonical example. Absent a file, assume the defaults above.
+
+Lockfile policy: skip lockfiles on agent reads (large and low-signal). That's about what agents read, not what git tracks for reproducibility.
+
 * Important Terminology
 
 ** "Let's run the [X] workflow" vs "I want to create an [X] workflow"