Exclude directories like experiments from Dependabot updates

TL;DR

Use the exclude-paths option in the dependabot.yml update entry to list directories Dependabot should skip, e.g. the experiments folder. This applies per update entry, so set it on each ecosystem block that scans near the excluded paths.

Steps

1. Use the exclude-paths option in the dependabot.yml update entry to list directories Dependabot should skip, e.g. the experiments folder. This applies per update entry, so set it on each ecosystem block that scans near the excluded paths. It keeps the noise PRs away without moving the experiments out of the repo or disabling Dependabot for the directories you do care about.

When to use

You are seeing this: It keeps the noise PRs away without moving the experiments out of the repo or disabling Dependabot for the directories you do care about. Use this skill when you run into "Exclude directories like experiments from Dependabot updates".

When not to use

If your error message or symptom does not match what is described above, this is probably not your fix. Search for your exact error text instead of forcing this one to fit.

Versions

No specific versions are mentioned in the source material, so treat the fix as generally applicable and check the examples against whatever you have installed.

Why this happens

The original report does not dig into a root cause. It documents the symptom and the fix that resolved it.

Source: Stack Overflow #65275433 (accepted answer, 37 votes): the asker has an /experiments directory full of one-off package.json files they never intend to maintain, but Dependabot keeps opening PRs for them. The accepted answer notes this was impossible for years and is now supported via configuration.

Verified resolution: Use the exclude-paths option in the dependabot.yml update entry to list directories Dependabot should skip, e.g. the experiments folder. This applies per update entry, so set it on each ecosystem block that scans near the excluded paths. It keeps the noise PRs away without moving the experiments out of the repo or disabling Dependabot for the directories you do care about.

Source URL: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65275433/can-i-exclude-directories-from-github-dependabot