@ file picker excludes hidden folders (dotfiles like .github) from search results

[nickytonline]

Describe the bug

The @ file picker excludes hidden folders (those prefixed with .) from search results, making it impossible to reference important configuration files like GitHub workflows, VS Code settings, and other dotfiles.

When attempting to use @ to reference a file in .github/workflows/, the file picker does not show these files even though they exist in the project and are visible in the file tree.

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To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Open a project that contains a .github folder with workflow files (e.g., .github/workflows/deploy.yml)
2. In the chat interface, type @ to open the file picker
3. Search for the workflow file (e.g., type "deploy" or "workflow")
4. Observe that files within .github folder do not appear in the search results
5. Note that the file is visible in the folder tree on the right side panel in VS Code

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Expected behavior

The @ file picker should include files from hidden folders (dotfiles) in search results, especially since these folders often contain critical development configuration:

• .github/workflows/ - CI/CD configurations
• .vscode/ - Editor settings
• .config/ - Application configs
• Other dotfiles tracked in git

Alternatively, there should be a toggle/setting to show/hide dotfiles in the file picker.

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Screenshots

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Please provide the following information

• OS & Arch: macOS Tahoe 26.1 (25B78)

• Interface: UI

• Version: 1.17.0

• Extensions enabled: Auto Visualiser, Chatrecall, Code Execution, Context7, Developer, Extension Manager, Linear, Memory, Notion, Skills

• Provider & Model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5 — OpenRouter

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Additional context

It probably makes sense not to show all hidden files (although you could respect the OS' settings for that)

Possible solutions:

1. Include all git-tracked files regardless of hidden status (I'd probably suggest this one as this is more of a developer specific issue)
2. Add a setting to toggle "Show hidden files in @ picker"
3. Respect .gitignore but include tracked dotfiles (maybe you want to access build artifacts for some reason, so maybe don't opt for this)
4. Add a special indicator in the picker for hidden files but still show them

[katzdave]

+1. I don't even think we need the setting. I like the concept of use .gitignore or .gooseignore for the list of what to exclude. Maybe you don't want to shove .env into your agent which sends out external data.

[nickytonline]

I'd probably lean towards .gitignore as it's already in a repo instead of duplicating some stuff in a .gooseignore file.

[Abhijay007]

+1. I don't even think we need the setting. I like the concept of use .gitignore or .gooseignore for the list of what to exclude. Maybe you don't want to shove .env into your agent which sends out external data.

So, for this fix, is it better to allow .dotfiles with exceptions like .env, etc.?

[DOsinga]

I would allow everything. of course if we filter things down later and then goose can't find the files we should not to that

[Abhijay007]

I would allow everything. of course if we filter things down later and then goose can't find the files we should not to that

Hi @DOsinga, I made this PR here: #6315. I left a few of the .dotfiles to skip, you can review and share which other ones I can filter out or keep