Version Control

Version Control

LNAI generates tool-specific configuration files from your .ai/ source directory. This page explains what to commit and what to ignore.

What to commit

The .ai/ directory is your source of truth. Commit it so your team shares the same configuration:

.ai/
├── config.json        # Tool enable/disable settings
├── settings.json      # Permissions, MCP servers
├── AGENTS.md          # Project guidelines
├── rules/             # Coding rules
├── context/           # Project context files
└── skills/            # Skill definitions

What to gitignore

Generated tool directories (.claude/, .cursor/, .github/, etc.) are output files that lnai sync recreates on demand. By default, they should not be committed.

Automatic .gitignore management

When you run lnai sync, LNAI automatically manages a section in your .gitignore:

# lnai-generated
.claude/CLAUDE.md
.claude/rules
.cursor/rules/typescript.mdc
.ai/.lnai-manifest.json
# end lnai-generated

This section is updated on every sync — stale entries are removed and new ones are added. You do not need to edit it manually.

.lnai-manifest.json

The file .ai/.lnai-manifest.json is a local cache that tracks which files LNAI has generated. It contains timestamps that change on every sync, so it is always added to .gitignore automatically. You do not need to commit it.

Per-tool version control

If you want to commit generated files for a specific tool (e.g. cloud-based workflows need them), set versionControl: true in .ai/config.json:

{
  "tools": {
    "claudeCode": {
      "enabled": true,
      "versionControl": true
    },
    "cursor": {
      "enabled": true,
      "versionControl": false
    }
  }
}

When versionControl is true for a tool, its generated files are excluded from the managed .gitignore section.

Recommended workflow

1. Commit .ai/ to your repository
2. Run lnai sync after cloning or pulling changes
3. Add lnai sync to your setup script or CI pipeline so generated files stay up to date