Add documentation for .mintignore feature

docs.json

@@ -40,7 +40,8 @@
                   "organize/settings",
                   "organize/navigation",
                   "organize/pages",
-                  "organize/hidden-pages"
+                  "organize/hidden-pages",
+                  "organize/mintignore"
                 ]
               },
               {
@@ -348,7 +349,8 @@
                   "fr/organize/settings",
                   "fr/organize/navigation",
                   "fr/organize/pages",
-                  "fr/organize/hidden-pages"
+                  "fr/organize/hidden-pages",
+                  "organize/mintignore"
                 ]
               },
               {
@@ -656,7 +658,8 @@
                   "es/organize/settings",
                   "es/organize/navigation",
                   "es/organize/pages",
-                  "es/organize/hidden-pages"
+                  "es/organize/hidden-pages",
+                  "organize/mintignore"
                 ]
               },
               {
@@ -964,7 +967,8 @@
                   "zh/organize/settings",
                   "zh/organize/navigation",
                   "zh/organize/pages",
-                  "zh/organize/hidden-pages"
+                  "zh/organize/hidden-pages",
+                  "organize/mintignore"
                 ]
               },
               {

organize/mintignore.mdx

@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+---
+title: ".mintignore"
+description: "Exclude files and folders from your documentation build"
+---
+
+Use `.mintignore` to exclude specific files and folders from your documentation build. This file works exactly like `.gitignore`, allowing you to define patterns for content that should not be processed or deployed.
+
+## Creating a `.mintignore` file
+
+Create a `.mintignore` file in the root of your documentation directory. The file uses the same syntax and pattern matching as `.gitignore`.
+
+```text .mintignore
+# Ignore draft content
+drafts/
+
+# Ignore temporary files
+*.tmp
+*.bak
+
+# Ignore specific files
+internal-notes.mdx
+team-only.mdx
+
+# Ignore all files in a directory except one
+secret/*
+!secret/public-info.mdx
+```
+
+## Pattern syntax
+
+`.mintignore` supports standard gitignore pattern matching:
+
+- `*` matches any string of characters except `/`
+- `**` matches any string of characters including `/`
+- `?` matches any single character except `/`
+- `[abc]` matches any character inside the brackets
+- Lines starting with `#` are comments
+- Lines starting with `!` negate previous patterns
+
+## Common use cases
+
+### Ignore draft content
+
+Exclude work-in-progress documentation from your build:
+
+```text
+drafts/
+wip/
+*.draft.mdx
+```
+
+### Ignore internal documentation
+
+Keep internal notes and team-specific content out of your public docs:
+
+```text
+internal/
+team-notes/
+*-internal.mdx
+```
+
+### Ignore temporary files
+
+Exclude backup files and editor artifacts:
+
+```text
+*.tmp
+*.bak
+*.swp
+*~
+.DS_Store
+```
+
+### Ignore test files
+
+Exclude test content used during development:
+
+```text
+test/
+*.test.mdx
+examples/sandbox/
+```
+
+## How it works
+
+When you build your documentation, Mintlify reads the `.mintignore` file and excludes any matching files and folders from processing. Ignored files:
+
+- Are not processed during the build
+- Do not appear in your deployed documentation
+- Are not indexed for search
+- Are not available to the AI assistant
+
+<Note>
+  Files excluded by `.mintignore` are completely removed from the build. If you want to keep files accessible by URL but hidden from navigation, use [hidden pages](/organize/hidden-pages) instead.
+</Note>
+
+## Differences from hidden pages
+
+`.mintignore` and [hidden pages](/organize/hidden-pages) serve different purposes:
+
+| Feature | `.mintignore` | Hidden pages |
+|---------|---------------|--------------|
+| Included in build | No | Yes |
+| Accessible by URL | No | Yes |
+| Indexed for search | No | Optional |
+| Available to AI assistant | No | Optional |
+| Use case | Exclude from deployment | Hide from navigation |
+
+## Examples
+
+### Basic example
+
+```text .mintignore
+# Ignore all draft content
+drafts/
+
+# Ignore specific files
+internal-roadmap.mdx
+team-meeting-notes.mdx
+```
+
+### Advanced example
+
+```text .mintignore
+# Ignore all markdown files in the temp directory
+temp/**/*.mdx
+
+# Ignore all files starting with underscore
+_*
+
+# But don't ignore _meta.json files
+!_meta.json
+
+# Ignore backup files
+*.bak
+*.tmp
+
+# Ignore OS files
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Ignore editor files
+*.swp
+*.swo
+*~
+```
+
+### Monorepo example
+
+For monorepo setups, place `.mintignore` in your documentation directory:
+
+```text
+/your-monorepo
+  |- packages/
+  |- apps/
+  |- docs/
+    |- .mintignore
+    |- docs.json
+    |- index.mdx
+```
+
+The patterns in `.mintignore` are relative to the documentation directory, not the repository root.