diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8ea1f615
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# lsp keep state here
+.cache
+# typical build directories
+build
+ccov
+# for lsp: manual symlink to chosen build directory
+compile_commands.json