Is it possible to prevent spotlight from indexing all folders with a specific name?

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Is it possible to prevent spotlight from indexing all folders with a specific name?

As a developer I encounter folders like "node modules" that should never be indexed. I don't want to add this folder to the non-indexed list in system-preferences > spotlight > privacy for every single project manually and have to manage that. My current solution is to prevent Spotlight from indexing everything inside my development folder.

Is there a way to tell spotlight to not index any folder with a specific name like "node-modules"? Perhaps a terminal command or with Applescript (does Applescript even exist anymore?)

MacBook

Posted on Aug 10, 2019 8:47 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 10, 2019 12:03 PM in response to Ahab the Eskimo

You’ll have to write some code to do that. Use the file system events for the creation of one of those entries, and have that add the Spotlight exclusion. Probably also to remove the exclusion when the files are deleted.

Seems like a whole lot of work for not much benefit, though.

As for AppleScript, it’s mostly still around. Wouldn’t be my choice here, and isn’t particularly applicable here.

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Answer 2

Aug 10, 2019 11:46 AM in response to Ahab the Eskimo

Spotlight is location based. If you designate a parent folder (as you are presently) in the Privacy panel, then it won't index within it. Spotlight does not however, offer a do not index within any folder that matches an arbitrary name string in any location.

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Is it possible to prevent spotlight from indexing all folders with a specific name?

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