> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rapidreview.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Files a review leaves out

> Which changed files Rapid Review doesn't review, such as secrets, lockfiles and generated code, and how very large changes are handled; read this when a file or part of a change wasn't reviewed, or you want to know which files are never sent for review.

## Which files does Rapid Review never review?

Rapid Review reviews the files a pull request changes, except:

* **Files that look like secrets,** such as `.env` files (but not `.env.example`, `.env.sample` or `.env.template`), private keys and certificates (`*.pem`, `*.key`, `*.p12`), SSH keys, `.npmrc`, `.netrc`, `.pypirc`, cloud credentials, and `*.tfstate` and `*.tfvars` files.
* **Lockfiles,** such as `package-lock.json`, `yarn.lock`, `pnpm-lock.yaml`, `go.sum` or any `*.lock` file.
* **Vendored, generated and minified code:** `node_modules/`, `vendor/`, `third_party/`, `bower_components/` and `dist/` folders, `*.min.js` files, files that say near the top that they're generated or are named as generated (such as `*.pb.go`), and files your root `.gitattributes` marks `linguist-generated` or `linguist-vendored`.
* **Images, audio, video, fonts, design files and other binary files,** submodules, and deleted files.
* **Files your `.rapid-review.yml` excludes,** or doesn't include.

## Are secret files sent to an AI model?

No. Changes to files that look like secrets, such as `.env` files, private keys and credentials, are never sent to a model, whatever your include rules say. The check lists them under Warnings as not sent for review.

## Can I bring back a file Rapid Review always leaves out?

No. `review.exclude` in `.rapid-review.yml` adds to the files Rapid Review leaves out, and `review.include` narrows what's reviewed, but neither can bring back a file Rapid Review always leaves out, such as a lockfile or a secret.

## How does Rapid Review handle very large changes?

* A file with a very large diff isn't reviewed.
* A file GitHub won't show a diff for isn't reviewed. The check lists it under Warnings.
* In a very large pull request, files past a set limit aren't reviewed.
* If GitHub's list of changed files stops short, the check warns that files are missing.

## Why does the check say the include and exclude rules left nothing to review?

Your `.rapid-review.yml` include and exclude rules left no changed file to review in this pull request, so nothing was sent for review. The check's warnings say how many files the rules excluded.

## Does the reviewer read excluded files when it looks at other code?

No. Files that a review leaves out by their path, including those your `.rapid-review.yml` excludes, aren't read for the review, also when the reviewer looks at other code in the repository.


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