diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 1a1fabe..b9ba6e3 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -147,7 +147,9 @@ interface TabDescriptor {
   /**
    * 声明式设置（v0.4.1+）：每个注册的 tab 都会在 Side card 设置页获得一行
    * 开关（图标 + 标题 + 类型 id），`settings.toggles` 在其行下追加嵌套设置行，
-   * 绑定 SidebarPrefs 字段。嵌套设置仅父级启用时显示（v0.11.0 起行控件不限于
+   * `settings.texts` 追加多行文本输入行（每行一个值，失焦提交到
+   * SidebarPrefs 的字符串数组字段），均绑定 SidebarPrefs 字段。嵌套设置仅
+   * 父级启用时显示（齿轮按钮在父级卡片上）。v0.11.0 起行控件不限于
    * 布尔开关：`type: 'switch' | 'text' | 'number'`，缺省 'switch'；text/number
    * 行 blur/Enter 提交，number 行按 min/max 钳制，unit 渲染单位后缀）。
    * v0.12.0 起增加两个插件自有扩展（详见 §5 声明式设置）：
@@ -171,6 +173,13 @@ interface TabDescriptor {
       /** 输入框后的单位后缀（如 'px'）。 */
       unit?: string
     }[]
+    texts?: readonly {
+      /** SidebarPrefs 字符串数组字段名（内置键：'explorerExclude'） */
+      key: string
+      title: string | (() => string)
+      desc?: string | (() => string)
+      placeholder?: string | (() => string)
+    }[]
     /** 插件自有设置行（v0.12.0+）：形状同 toggles，但 key 是插件局部的，
      *  持久化在 `pluginSettings[<descriptor id>]`——不需要宿主 PrefsSchema 字段。 */
     pluginToggles?: readonly {
@@ -328,7 +337,7 @@ interface FileViewerDescriptor {
    *  卸载/重匹配时中止（忽略 signal 的 load 也照常工作） */
   load?: (path: string, scope: SessionScope, signal?: AbortSignal) => Promise<unknown>
   /** 声明式设置（v0.4.1+）：形状同 TabDescriptor.settings */
-  settings?: { toggles?: readonly { key: string; title: string | (() => string); desc?: string | (() => string) }[] }
+  settings?: { toggles?: readonly { key: string; title: string | (() => string); desc?: string | (() => string) }[]; texts?: readonly { key: string; title: string | (() => string); desc?: string | (() => string); placeholder?: string | (() => string) }[] }
   /** 渲染函数 */
   component: (props: FileViewerProps) => ReactNode
 }
@@ -503,7 +512,7 @@ interface OpenTabSeed {
 }
 ```
 
-> **声明式设置（v0.4.1+）**：每个注册的 tab/viewer 自动出现在 DSH 设置页「侧边卡片」分区的清单里——响应式网格中的**小卡片**（图标 + 标题 + 类型 id + **高亮 = 启用**，勾选徽标钉在卡片最右端，viewer 卡片还显示扩展名），开关持久化到 `SidebarPrefs.tabsEnabled / viewersEnabled`（开放 map，缺省 = 启用）。关闭语义：tab 从 `+` 菜单消失、`openTab` 拒绝新开、子代理自动展开 / agent 终端自动补 tab 等派生流程停止，**已打开的 tab 保留**；viewer 被 `matchFileViewer` 跳过，文件落到下一个匹配。`settings.toggles` 声明的相关设置（如子代理的 `autoOpenSubagent`、终端的 `terminalFontFamily`/`terminalFontSize`）通过卡片右下角的齿轮按钮在**原生弹窗**中编辑——`type: 'switch'` 行是复选框，`type: 'text'`/`'number'` 行是输入框（v0.11.0+）——父级卡片关闭时齿轮隐藏；`settings.toggles` 的 **key 必须是宿主 PrefsSchema 的字段**（内置键：`autoOpenSubagent` / `agentTerminalTools` / `terminalFontFamily` / `terminalFontSize` / `htmlViewerNoSandbox` / `htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe` / `browserNoSandbox` / `browserInterceptLinks`）。**v0.12.0 起设置 seam 已开放**：外部插件用 `settings.pluginToggles`（同款行控件，key 插件局部）或 `settings.render`（自定义面板）声明自己的设置，值持久化在 prefs 文档的 `pluginSettings[<descriptor id>]`（开放 map，宿主 schema 已有字段，无需注册）——齿轮弹窗对 tab 与 viewer 都可用（viewer 卡片 v0.12.0 起也有齿轮）。
+> **声明式设置（v0.4.1+）**：每个注册的 tab/viewer 自动出现在 DSH 设置页「侧边卡片」分区的清单里——响应式网格中的**小卡片**（图标 + 标题 + 类型 id + **高亮 = 启用**，勾选徽标钉在卡片最右端，viewer 卡片还显示扩展名），开关持久化到 `SidebarPrefs.tabsEnabled / viewersEnabled`（开放 map，缺省 = 启用）。关闭语义：tab 从 `+` 菜单消失、`openTab` 拒绝新开、子代理自动展开 / agent 终端自动补 tab 等派生流程停止，**已打开的 tab 保留**；viewer 被 `matchFileViewer` 跳过，文件落到下一个匹配。`settings.toggles` 声明的相关设置（如子代理的 `autoOpenSubagent`、终端的 `terminalFontFamily`/`terminalFontSize`）通过卡片右下角的齿轮按钮在**原生弹窗**中编辑——`type: 'switch'` 行是复选框，`type: 'text'`/`'number'` 行是输入框（v0.11.0+）；`settings.texts` 声明的文本设置（如资源管理器的 `explorerExclude`）在同一弹窗中渲染**多行文本输入**（每行一个值，失焦提交到 SidebarPrefs 的字符串数组字段）——父级卡片关闭时齿轮隐藏；`settings.toggles` / `settings.texts` 的 **key 必须是宿主 PrefsSchema 的字段**（内置 toggles 键：`autoOpenSubagent` / `agentTerminalTools` / `terminalFontFamily` / `terminalFontSize` / `htmlViewerNoSandbox` / `htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe` / `browserNoSandbox` / `browserInterceptLinks`；内置 texts 键：`explorerExclude`）。**v0.12.0 起设置 seam 已开放**：外部插件用 `settings.pluginToggles`（同款行控件，key 插件局部）或 `settings.render`（自定义面板）声明自己的设置，值持久化在 prefs 文档的 `pluginSettings[<descriptor id>]`（开放 map，宿主 schema 已有字段，无需注册）——齿轮弹窗对 tab 与 viewer 都可用（viewer 卡片 v0.12.0 起也有齿轮）。
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f76a986..616af68 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 
 ## ✨ 功能一览
 
-- **🗂️ 文件工作台**：资源管理器（懒加载目录树）+ CodeMirror 编辑器；图片 / Markdown / HTML / PDF / Office 内联预览
+- **🗂️ 文件工作台**：资源管理器（懒加载目录树，支持按模式排除文件/目录——设置页「排除模式」可配，如 `*.meta`、`node_modules`，单个 `*` 通配、大小写不敏感）+ CodeMirror 编辑器；图片 / Markdown / HTML / PDF / Office 内联预览
 - **🌐 内嵌浏览器**：多开网页 tab，后退 / 前进 / 刷新；内容运行在沙箱 iframe，外链默认在侧边栏打开
 - **💻 真实终端**：xterm.js + node-pty 真实 shell，断线重连回放；可选为模型注入 `terminal_*` 工具
 - **🌿 Git 面板**：真 diff + VSCode 式 diff tab、历史、右键暂存 / 提交 / 还原
@@ -251,6 +251,7 @@ pnpm watch        # tsdown --watch
 ## ⚠️ 已知限制
 
 - Git 无 push/pull/fetch；无文件 watcher（手动刷新）；工具行内文件打开按钮不可拦截
+- 资源管理器排除是显示层过滤：超大目录（单层 >1000 项）的截断计数在过滤后可能偏少
 - 终端 Tab 拖到另一分栏会重挂载（shell 重开）
 - Office 三件套预览（.docx/.xlsx/.pptx）已移至「推荐插件」（Office 预览插件，见设置页「添加插件」弹窗）；未安装时此类文件走代码/下载查看兜底
 - 浏览器沙箱无登录态/第三方 Cookie 受限，部分站点登录需走弹窗；被 `X-Frame-Options`/`frame-ancestors` 拒绝嵌入的站点（如 arxiv.org）显示原因面板（含「在浏览器中打开」）；iframe 内部跳转不进后退栈
diff --git a/README_EN.md b/README_EN.md
index 6512dde..d244dd8 100644
--- a/README_EN.md
+++ b/README_EN.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 
 ## ✨ Features
 
-- **🗂️ File Workbench**: file explorer (lazy-loading tree) + CodeMirror editor; inline preview for images / Markdown / HTML / PDF / Office
+- **🗂️ File Workbench**: file explorer (lazy-loading tree, with pattern-based file/directory exclusion — the "Exclude patterns" setting, e.g. `*.meta`, `node_modules`; single `*` wildcard, case-insensitive) + CodeMirror editor; inline preview for images / Markdown / HTML / PDF / Office
 - **🌐 Embedded Browser**: multiple web tabs with back / forward / refresh; content runs in a sandboxed iframe; external links open in the sidebar by default
 - **💻 Real Terminal**: xterm.js + node-pty real shell, reconnect with transcript replay; optionally injects `terminal_*` tools for the model
 - **🌿 Git Panel**: real diff + VSCode-style diff tabs, history, right-click to stage / commit / revert
@@ -251,6 +251,7 @@ pnpm watch        # tsdown --watch
 ## ⚠️ Known Limitations
 
 - Git has no push/pull/fetch; no file watcher (manual refresh); tool inline file-open buttons cannot be intercepted
+- Explorer excludes are a display-layer filter: the truncation counter of very large directories (>1000 entries per level) may undercount after filtering
 - Dragging a terminal tab to another pane remounts it (shell restarts)
 - Office-suite preview (.docx/.xlsx/.pptx) moved to the recommended office plugin (see the "Add plugins" modals in settings); without it these files fall through to the code/download fallbacks
 - Browser sandbox has no login state / third-party cookies are restricted; some sites need popup login; sites that refuse embedding via `X-Frame-Options`/`frame-ancestors` (e.g. arxiv.org) show a reason panel (with "Open in browser"); in-iframe navigation does not enter the back stack
diff --git a/docs/plans/2026-08-14-explorer-exclude-design.md b/docs/plans/2026-08-14-explorer-exclude-design.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..30dd033
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/plans/2026-08-14-explorer-exclude-design.md
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+# 资源管理器：按模式排除文件/目录（issue #18）
+
+**日期**：2026-08-14
+**状态**：已实施（PR 待合）
+**目标版本**：v0.11.0（待定）
+
+## 1. 目标
+
+让资源管理器可以像常见 IDE 一样按规则**隐藏**不需要的文件/目录（issue #18 的 Unity 场景：过滤 `.meta` 这类系统生成文件）。用户通过设置页为 explorer tab 维护一组「排除模式」，匹配的条目在树中不显示。
+
+## 2. 非目标
+
+- **不做 glob 全量支持**（`**`、`?`、`{a,b}`、`[x]` 等）：无依赖优先，单 `*` 通配足够覆盖 `.meta` / `node_modules` / `build` 场景；需要更强模式时后续再加。
+- **不默认过滤任何东西**：`explorerExclude` 默认 `[]`，行为与现状完全一致（符合项目「缺席 = 默认启用」惯例）。
+- **不碰 host 半**：过滤是纯显示层偏好，host 的 `fs.tree` 路由、`listDirectory`、其他消费者（git/editor 等）全部不动。目录超大（>1000 项）时 `truncated` 计数可能把本可显示的行挤掉——可接受，文档已知限制记录。
+- **不做 .gitignore 解析 / 内置噪声规则预设**：保持可预期，规则完全由用户显式声明。
+
+## 3. 现状回顾
+
+- `ExplorerView`（`src/client/ExplorerView.tsx`）懒加载目录树：`api.fsTree` → `fs.tree` 路由 → host `listDirectory` 返回 `SidebarFsEntry[]`（`name/path/isDir/hidden`），client 渲染时目录优先排序，dotfile 变暗显示。
+- 设置体系：`SidebarPrefs`（`prefs-shared.ts` 共享类型 + `config.ts` schemastery schema + `client/prefs.ts` parsePrefs 校验 + `SidebarStore` 持有 + `/sidebar/settings` RPC 持久化）。设置页 `SideCardSection` 按注册表渲染 tab/viewer 卡片，卡片齿轮弹窗渲染 `settings.toggles`（目前仅布尔复选框行）。
+- explorer tab 在 `builtins/tabs.tsx` 注册，`component` 收到 `{ ctx, store, scope, expanded, onToggleDir, onReferenceFile }`，`store` 是 `SidebarStore`（`getPrefs()` / `subscribe()` 可用）。
+
+## 4. 设计
+
+### 4.1 模式匹配（新 `src/exclude-patterns.ts`，纯函数、零依赖）
+
+```ts
+/** 单模式匹配：单个 '*' 通配 0+ 字符；无 '*' = 精确名称匹配；大小写不敏感。 */
+export function matchesExcludePattern(name: string, pattern: string): boolean
+
+/** 任一模式命中（空模式/空白串忽略）。 */
+export function isExcludedName(name: string, patterns: readonly string[]): boolean
+```
+
+- 匹配对象是**条目名**（`entry.name`），不是完整路径——目录和文件一视同仁（`node_modules`、`build`、`*.meta` 都自然成立），且不需要从 client 向 host 传 cwd 相关逻辑。
+- 大小写不敏感：跨平台一致（Windows/macOS 文件系统本身不敏感），用户心智中 `.meta` 与 `.META` 是同一文件。
+- 实现：无 `*` 时直接 `toLowerCase()` 相等；有 `*` 时把模式转正则（其余字符 `RegExp.escape` 语义手写转义），`*` → `.*`，锚定 `^...$`。支持 `*.meta`、`build*`、`*.min.js`、`foo*bar`。
+- 放 `src/` 根级共享（host/client 都能 import，当前只用 client；对齐 `prefs-shared.ts` 位置）。
+
+### 4.2 偏好字段（三处同步）
+
+`SidebarPrefs` 新增：
+
+```ts
+/** 资源管理器排除模式列表：匹配（条目名，单 '*' 通配，大小写不敏感）的条目在树中隐藏。 */
+explorerExclude: string[]
+```
+
+- `prefs-shared.ts`：接口 + `SIDEBAR_PREFS_DEFAULTS.explorerExclude = []`
+- `config.ts` `PrefsSchema`：`explorerExclude: z.array(z.string()).default([])`
+- `client/prefs.ts` `parsePrefs`：新增 `stringArrayOf(record.explorerExclude)`——非数组回退 `[]`；数组过滤出非空 string、trim、去重、保序（对齐 `booleanMapOf` 的防御风格）。
+
+### 4.3 设置 UI：声明式「文本行」
+
+现有 `settings.toggles` 只支持布尔。扩展 `SidebarSettingsDeclaration` 增加**文本行**（多行文本框，每行一个模式）：
+
+```ts
+/** 声明式文本设置：多行文本框（每行一个值），失焦/Enter 提交到 SidebarPrefs 数组字段。 */
+export interface SidebarSettingText {
+  key: string                 // SidebarPrefs 数组字段名（'explorerExclude'）
+  title: string | (() => string)
+  desc?: string | (() => string)
+  placeholder?: string | (() => string)
+}
+
+export interface SidebarSettingsDeclaration {
+  toggles?: readonly SidebarSettingToggle[]
+  texts?: readonly SidebarSettingText[]      // 新增
+}
+```
+
+- 弹窗 `FeatureSettingsRows` 支持两种行：复选框行（现逻辑不变）+ 文本行（新组件 `TextSettingRow`：textarea + title/desc/placeholder）。
+- 文本行交互：focus 时从 `prefs[key]` 初始化 draft；编辑为本地 state；blur（或 Enter，非 Shift）时 trim 行 → 去空 → 去重 → `commit({ [key]: lines })`；提交成功/失败后 `applyOutcome` 更新 prefs，draft 随 prefs 同步（`useEffect` 监听外部变化，避免并发写后残留）。
+- 弹窗宽度/样式沿用现有 `popupRows`；textarea 样式新增（多行、等宽字体、行间紧凑）。
+
+### 4.4 explorer tab 声明
+
+`builtins/tabs.tsx` explorer 描述符加：
+
+```ts
+settings: {
+  texts: [{
+    key: 'explorerExclude',
+    title: () => t('settingsExplorerExcludeTitle'),
+    desc: () => t('settingsExplorerExcludeDesc'),
+    placeholder: () => t('settingsExplorerExcludePlaceholder'),
+  }],
+}
+```
+
+卡片齿轮按钮的显隐条件 `(tab.settings?.toggles?.length ?? 0) > 0` 扩展为 `> 0 || texts > 0`。
+
+### 4.5 ExplorerView 过滤
+
+- `ExplorerView` 新增 prop `exclude: string[]`，由 `builtins/tabs.tsx` 传入 `store.getPrefs().explorerExclude`。
+- `ExplorerView` 内部订阅 prefs 变更（新 prop `store` 传入，`useEffect(() => store.subscribe(...))` + useState 快照），排除规则变化即时生效。
+- `renderLevel` 渲染前 `entries.filter(e => !isExcludedName(e.name, exclude))`。被过滤目录不渲染；`expanded` 中残留被过滤目录的路径时照常 loadDir（数据无害），仅不渲染。
+- 现有能力不变：被过滤文件不显示，因此右键复制路径 / 打开 / @引用对它们不可达（符合「隐藏」语义）。
+
+### 4.6 i18n
+
+`locales.ts` zh/en 各加 3 条：
+
+| key | zh | en |
+|---|---|---|
+| settingsExplorerExcludeTitle | 排除模式 | Exclude patterns |
+| settingsExplorerExcludeDesc | 匹配（名称，* 通配，大小写不敏感）的条目在树中隐藏，每行一个 | Entries whose name matches (single `*` wildcard, case-insensitive) are hidden from the tree; one per line |
+| settingsExplorerExcludePlaceholder | 例如：\*.meta、.DS_Store、node_modules | e.g. \*.meta, .DS_Store, node_modules |
+
+## 5. 测试计划
+
+1. `tests/exclude-patterns.spec.ts`：精确名、`*` 前缀/后缀/中间、大小写、空模式/空白串、正则特殊字符转义（`foo[bar]`、`a+b`）。
+2. `tests/unit.spec.ts` 追加 `parsePrefs` 的 `explorerExclude` 用例：缺省/非法值回退 `[]`、过滤非 string/空串、trim、去重保序。
+3. `tests/side-card-section.spec.tsx` 追加：声明 `texts` 的 tab 卡片有齿轮；`FeatureSettingsRows` 渲染文本行（title/desc/placeholder 出现、textarea 值 = 模式 join('\n')）；`onCommitText` 提交解析后的行。
+4. `tests/builtins.spec.ts` 追加：explorer 描述符声明 `settings.texts` 且 key 为 `explorerExclude`。
+5. ExplorerView 过滤渲染测试（`tests/` 新增或并入现有）：mock `api.fsTree` 返回含 `.meta` 的 entries，`exclude: ['*.meta']` 时渲染不含该行；空规则时全部渲染。
+
+## 6. 文档
+
+- `README.md` 功能一览「资源管理器」补一句：支持按模式隐藏文件/目录（设置页可配，如 `*.meta`）；「已知限制」补：过滤是显示层，超大目录（>1000 项）的截断计数在过滤后可能偏少。
+- `README_EN.md` 同步。
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a8c8b31..cfc6000 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -166,6 +166,8 @@
     "react-dom": "18.2.0",
     "tsdown": "^0.22.2",
     "typescript": "^5.6.0",
+    "unrun": "^0.3.1",
     "vitest": "^4.1.8"
-  }
+  },
+  "packageManager": "pnpm@11.21.0+sha512.521705bce689924eac72f5a3587122f362689ef6571e55ba80076fd637c11132ecffada26fad4ea79c485bfddbfd3d5a2a5b05805a77e893de71ec8a6cca3bb1"
 }
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index cf62710..257b676 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -176,10 +176,13 @@ importers:
         version: 18.2.0(react@18.2.0)
       tsdown:
         specifier: ^0.22.2
-        version: 0.22.14(typescript@5.6.2)
+        version: 0.22.14(typescript@5.6.2)(unrun@0.3.1)
       typescript:
         specifier: ^5.6.0
         version: 5.6.2
+      unrun:
+        specifier: ^0.3.1
+        version: 0.3.1
       vitest:
         specifier: ^4.1.8
         version: 4.1.10(@types/node@24.13.3)(jsdom@29.1.1(@noble/hashes@2.2.0))(vite@8.2.1(@types/node@24.13.3))
@@ -2024,6 +2027,36 @@ packages:
   unist-util-visit@5.1.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-m+vIdyeCOpdr/QeQCu2EzxX/ohgS8KbnPDgFni4dQsfSCtpz8UqDyY5GjRru8PDKuYn7Fq19j1CQ+nJSsGKOzg==}
 
+  unrun@0.3.1:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-onIck/oNnCaytwths1ZVp1LK2Gq2hPoyFhiHebObuUXqR3S0uHuLLaBK8K6mRRgV7Ptip8AnNvaUsgzwWwBZuA==}
+    engines: {node: ^22.13.0 || >=24.0.0}
+    hasBin: true
+    peerDependencies:
+      synckit: ^0.11.11
+    peerDependenciesMeta:
+      synckit:
+        optional: true
+
+  use-callback-ref@1.3.3:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-jQL3lRnocaFtu3V00JToYz/4QkNWswxijDaCVNZRiRTO3HQDLsdu1ZtmIUvV4yPp+rvWm5j0y0TG/S61cuijTg==}
+    engines: {node: '>=10'}
+    peerDependencies:
+      '@types/react': '*'
+      react: ^16.8.0 || ^17.0.0 || ^18.0.0 || ^19.0.0 || ^19.0.0-rc
+    peerDependenciesMeta:
+      '@types/react':
+        optional: true
+
+  use-sidecar@1.1.3:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-Fedw0aZvkhynoPYlA5WXrMCAMm+nSWdZt6lzJQ7Ok8S6Q+VsHmHpRWndVRJ8Be0ZbkfPc5LRYH+5XrzXcEeLRQ==}
+    engines: {node: '>=10'}
+    peerDependencies:
+      '@types/react': '*'
+      react: ^16.8.0 || ^17.0.0 || ^18.0.0 || ^19.0.0 || ^19.0.0-rc
+    peerDependenciesMeta:
+      '@types/react':
+        optional: true
+
   use-sync-external-store@1.2.0:
     resolution: {integrity: sha512-eEgnFxGQ1Ife9bzYs6VLi8/4X6CObHMw9Qr9tPY43iKwsPw8xE8+EFsf/2cFZ5S3esXgpWgtSCtLNS41F+sKPA==}
     peerDependencies:
@@ -4235,7 +4268,7 @@ snapshots:
 
   trim-lines@3.0.1: {}
 
-  tsdown@0.22.14(typescript@5.6.2):
+  tsdown@0.22.14(typescript@5.6.2)(unrun@0.3.1):
     dependencies:
       ansis: 4.3.1
       cac: 7.0.0
@@ -4254,6 +4287,7 @@ snapshots:
       verkit: 0.3.2
     optionalDependencies:
       typescript: 5.6.2
+      unrun: 0.3.1
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - '@typescript/native-preview'
       - '@volar/typescript'
@@ -4301,6 +4335,25 @@ snapshots:
       unist-util-is: 6.0.1
       unist-util-visit-parents: 6.0.2
 
+  unrun@0.3.1:
+    dependencies:
+      rolldown: 1.2.4
+
+  use-callback-ref@1.3.3(@types/react@18.3.31)(react@18.2.0):
+    dependencies:
+      react: 18.2.0
+      tslib: 2.8.1
+    optionalDependencies:
+      '@types/react': 18.3.31
+
+  use-sidecar@1.1.3(@types/react@18.3.31)(react@18.2.0):
+    dependencies:
+      detect-node-es: 1.1.0
+      react: 18.2.0
+      tslib: 2.8.1
+    optionalDependencies:
+      '@types/react': 18.3.31
+
   use-sync-external-store@1.2.0(react@18.2.0):
     dependencies:
       react: 18.2.0
diff --git a/src/client/ExplorerView.tsx b/src/client/ExplorerView.tsx
index d0eb593..e04e794 100644
--- a/src/client/ExplorerView.tsx
+++ b/src/client/ExplorerView.tsx
@@ -10,15 +10,17 @@
  * "copied" label replacing the button after a successful write); file rows
  * also offer a download action (the host serves raw bytes, binary-safe).
  */
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState, type MouseEvent, type ReactNode } from 'react'
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState, type MouseEvent, type ReactNode } from 'react'
 import clsx from 'clsx'
 import {
   IconCodeOutline16, IconCopyOutline16, IconDownloadOutline16, IconFolderClose16, IconFolderOpen16,
   IconRefreshOutline16, Menu, writeClipboard,
 } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-client-ui-primitives'
 import { api, downloadUrl, type FsEntry } from './api.ts'
+import { compileExcludePatterns } from '../exclude-patterns.ts'
 import { relativeTo } from './paths.ts'
 import { t } from './locales.ts'
+import type { SidebarStore } from './state.ts'
 import css from './sidebar.module.css'
 
 interface LevelData {
@@ -39,16 +41,28 @@ const COPIED_MS = 1200
 export function ExplorerView(props: {
   sessionId: string
   cwd: string | undefined
+  /** The shared store: the explorer excludes read from `store.getPrefs()`
+   *  and re-render live when the settings change (issue #18). */
+  store: SidebarStore
   expanded: string[]
   onToggle: (path: string) => void
   onOpenFile: (path: string) => void
   /** Insert `@<relative path>` into the composer draft. */
   onReferenceFile: (path: string) => void
 }) {
-  const { sessionId, cwd, expanded, onToggle, onOpenFile, onReferenceFile } = props
+  const { sessionId, cwd, store, expanded, onToggle, onOpenFile, onReferenceFile } = props
   const [data, setData] = useState<Record<string, LevelData>>({})
   const dataRef = useRef(data)
   const [refreshTick, setRefreshTick] = useState(0)
+  // Live exclude patterns: follow the shared prefs so a settings-page edit
+  // hides/show rows without reopening or manual refresh.
+  const [exclude, setExclude] = useState<string[]>(() => store.getPrefs().explorerExclude)
+  useEffect(() => store.subscribe(() => {
+    setExclude(store.getPrefs().explorerExclude)
+  }), [store])
+  // Precompiled matcher: the regexes are built once per pattern list, not
+  // per row per render (large levels × many patterns stay cheap).
+  const excluded = useMemo(() => compileExcludePatterns(exclude), [exclude])
   /** The row whose path was just copied ("copied" label replaces its button). */
   const [copiedPath, setCopiedPath] = useState<string | null>(null)
   /** Open context menu: the row path (and whether it is a directory) plus the cursor position. */
@@ -142,7 +156,9 @@ export function ExplorerView(props: {
       )
     }
     const entries = level.entries ?? []
-    return entries.map(entry => {
+    // Hide entries whose NAME matches an exclude pattern (directories and
+    // files alike, case-insensitive single-`*` wildcards — issue #18).
+    return entries.filter(entry => !excluded(entry.name)).map(entry => {
       if (entry.isDir) {
         const isOpen = expanded.includes(entry.path)
         return (
diff --git a/src/client/SideCardSection.module.css b/src/client/SideCardSection.module.css
index 18f9823..31d04b7 100644
--- a/src/client/SideCardSection.module.css
+++ b/src/client/SideCardSection.module.css
@@ -358,6 +358,40 @@
   outline-offset: 2px;
 }
 
+/* One declarative TEXT row: title/desc stacked above a multi-line input
+   (vertical layout, unlike the horizontal checkbox row). */
+.textRow {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 10px;
+  padding: 16px 0;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--dsw-alias-border-l2);
+}
+
+/* The multi-line pattern input: monospace, compact, DSH text tokens. */
+.textSetting {
+  width: 100%;
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+  padding: 8px 10px;
+  border: 1px solid var(--dsw-alias-border-l2);
+  border-radius: 6px;
+  background: var(--dsw-alias-bg-layer-1);
+  color: var(--dsw-alias-label-primary);
+  font-family: var(--ds-font-family-code, ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, Consolas, monospace);
+  font-size: 12px;
+  line-height: 18px;
+  resize: vertical;
+}
+
+.textSetting:focus-visible {
+  outline: 2px solid var(--dsw-alias-border-l4);
+  outline-offset: 1px;
+}
+
+.textSetting::placeholder {
+  color: var(--dsw-alias-label-tertiary);
+}
+
 .control {
   flex: none;
   display: flex;
diff --git a/src/client/SideCardSection.tsx b/src/client/SideCardSection.tsx
index c0e4950..49d5f02 100644
--- a/src/client/SideCardSection.tsx
+++ b/src/client/SideCardSection.tsx
@@ -23,11 +23,12 @@
  * A card's on/off state is its VISUAL STATE: enabled = highlighted (brand
  * border + tinted fill + a circular check badge pinned to the card's far
  * right), disabled = neutral and dimmed. Features that declare
- * `settings.toggles` carry a gear corner button that opens a native Modal
- * (wider than the primitive default) with the related settings as
- * title/desc + custom-switch rows and a Done footer. The toggles
- * themselves are custom switches: a real checkbox (native semantics and
- * focus) driving a styled track/thumb.
+ * `settings.toggles` / `settings.texts` carry a gear corner button that
+ * opens a native Modal (wider than the primitive default) with the related
+ * settings as title/desc + custom-switch rows, free-form / number input
+ * rows, and/or multi-line text rows (e.g. the Explorer page's exclude
+ * patterns) and a Done footer. The toggles themselves are custom switches:
+ * a real checkbox (native semantics and focus) driving a styled track/thumb.
  *
  * Writes ride the plugin's own fenced settings route (the host calls the
  * settings seam in-process — the DSH settings RPC domain does not serve
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@
  * shows the wire error inline — a broken settings surface never crashes the
  * shell.
  */
-import { Fragment, useEffect, useRef, useState, type ReactNode } from 'react'
+import { Fragment, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState, type ReactNode } from 'react'
 import {
   IconCheckOutline16,
   IconPlusOutline16,
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ import type {
   BetterSidebarService,
   FileViewerDescriptor,
   SidebarSettingsRenderProps,
+  SidebarSettingText,
   SidebarSettingToggle,
   TabDescriptor,
 } from './service.ts'
@@ -115,6 +117,7 @@ function hasSettings(feature: TabDescriptor | FileViewerDescriptor): boolean {
   const settings = feature.settings
   return settings !== undefined && (
     (settings.toggles?.length ?? 0) > 0
+    || (settings.texts?.length ?? 0) > 0
     || (settings.pluginToggles?.length ?? 0) > 0
     || settings.render !== undefined
   )
@@ -125,6 +128,75 @@ function featureNameOf(feature: TabDescriptor | FileViewerDescriptor): string {
   return textOf('title' in feature ? feature.title : undefined) || feature.id
 }
 
+/** Read one string-array pref by declarative key (missing/non-array = []). */
+function prefStrings(prefs: SidebarPrefs, key: string): string[] {
+  const value = (prefs as unknown as Record<string, unknown>)[key]
+  return Array.isArray(value) ? value : []
+}
+
+/**
+ * One declarative TEXT row: a multi-line input (one value per line) that
+ * commits on blur — the explorer exclude patterns. Draft stays local while
+ * typing; the external value (prefs round-trip) re-syncs the draft only
+ * when the committed array actually changes, so in-progress edits are
+ * never clobbered by re-renders.
+ */
+export function TextSettingRow(props: {
+  text: SidebarSettingText
+  prefs: SidebarPrefs
+  onCommit: (text: SidebarSettingText, lines: string[]) => void
+}) {
+  const { text, prefs, onCommit } = props
+  const title = textOf(text.title)
+  const value = prefStrings(prefs, text.key)
+  const serialized = useMemo(() => value.join('\n'), [value])
+  const [draft, setDraft] = useState(serialized)
+  useEffect(() => { setDraft(serialized) }, [serialized])
+  /** Normalize: trim, drop blanks, dedupe preserving order. */
+  const normalized = (): string[] => {
+    const lines: string[] = []
+    for (const line of draft.split('\n')) {
+      const trimmed = line.trim()
+      if (trimmed === '' || lines.includes(trimmed)) continue
+      lines.push(trimmed)
+    }
+    return lines
+  }
+  /** Commit only when the edit actually changed the patterns (blur on a
+   *  pristine box writes nothing). */
+  const commit = (): void => {
+    const lines = normalized()
+    if (lines.length === value.length && lines.every((line, i) => line === value[i])) return
+    onCommit(text, lines)
+  }
+  return (
+    <div className={css.textRow} key={text.key}>
+      <span className={css.rowText}>
+        <span className={css.title}>{title}</span>
+        {textOf(text.desc) !== '' && <span className={css.desc}>{textOf(text.desc)}</span>}
+      </span>
+      <textarea
+        className={css.textSetting}
+        rows={3}
+        spellCheck={false}
+        value={draft}
+        placeholder={textOf(text.placeholder)}
+        aria-label={title}
+        onChange={event => { setDraft(event.currentTarget.value) }}
+        onBlur={commit}
+        onKeyDown={event => {
+          // Ctrl/Cmd+Enter commits without leaving the box; plain Enter
+          // starts a new pattern line.
+          if ((event.ctrlKey || event.metaKey) && event.key === 'Enter') {
+            event.preventDefault()
+            event.currentTarget.blur()
+          }
+        }}
+      />
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
 /**
  * Merge one plugin-owned setting into a pluginSettings map (pure, v0.12.0+).
  * Sequential merges are additive: each call spreads the map it was GIVEN,
@@ -196,11 +268,17 @@ function Switch(props: {
  * The body of a feature's secondary settings popup: one row (title/desc +
  * control) per declared setting. Switches render the custom switch; text and
  * number rows render a free-form / numeric input committed on blur/Enter
- * (clamped to the declared min/max). Extracted so the rows are testable
- * without opening the Modal (the Modal portal renders only while open).
+ * (clamped to the declared min/max); multi-line TEXT settings
+ * (`settings.texts`, e.g. the explorer exclude patterns) render a textarea
+ * with one value per line, committed on blur. Extracted so the rows are
+ * testable without opening the Modal (the Modal portal renders only while
+ * open).
  */
 export function FeatureSettingsRows(props: {
   toggles: readonly SidebarSettingToggle[]
+  /** Multi-line TEXT rows (`settings.texts`); optional — plugin-only rows
+   *  callers omit them. */
+  texts?: readonly SidebarSettingText[]
   prefs: SidebarPrefs
   onToggle: (toggle: SidebarSettingToggle, next: boolean) => void
   /** Commit one text/number row; returns the canonical value the row should
@@ -213,8 +291,10 @@ export function FeatureSettingsRows(props: {
    *  a host pref of the same name. (Named `valueSource`, not `valueOf`:
    *  the latter collides with the inherited Object.prototype.valueOf.) */
   valueSource?: (key: string) => unknown
+  /** Commit one multi-line text setting (a SidebarPrefs string-array field). */
+  onCommitText?: (text: SidebarSettingText, lines: string[]) => void
 }) {
-  const { toggles, prefs, onToggle, onCommit, valueSource } = props
+  const { toggles, texts, prefs, onToggle, onCommit, valueSource, onCommitText } = props
   const read = valueSource ?? ((key: string): unknown => (prefs as unknown as Record<string, unknown>)[key])
   return (
     <div className={css.popupRows}>
@@ -249,6 +329,9 @@ export function FeatureSettingsRows(props: {
           />
         )
       })}
+      {texts?.map(text => (
+        <TextSettingRow key={text.key} text={text} prefs={prefs} onCommit={onCommitText ?? (() => { /* no-op */ })} />
+      ))}
     </div>
   )
 }
@@ -305,9 +388,11 @@ function TypedRow(props: {
  * - `settings.render` (custom panel) when declared — rendered with the
  *   shared store/service, the live prefs, the descriptor's own plugin
  *   settings blob, a persistence helper, and a close callback;
- * - otherwise the host-prefs `toggles` rows, then the plugin-owned
- *   `pluginToggles` rows (their values live in `pluginSettings[feature.id]`,
- *   projected onto the prefs face so the shared row renderer reads them).
+ * - otherwise the host-prefs `toggles` rows, then the host-prefs multi-line
+ *   `texts` rows (string-array fields, e.g. the explorer exclude patterns),
+ *   then the plugin-owned `pluginToggles` rows (their values live in
+ *   `pluginSettings[feature.id]`, read through an explicit value source so
+ *   the shared row renderer never confuses them with host prefs).
  */
 export function SettingsBody(props: {
   feature: TabDescriptor | FileViewerDescriptor
@@ -316,12 +401,13 @@ export function SettingsBody(props: {
   service: BetterSidebarService
   onToggle: (toggle: SidebarSettingToggle, next: boolean) => void
   onCommit: (toggle: SidebarSettingToggle, raw: string) => string
+  onCommitText: (text: SidebarSettingText, lines: string[]) => void
   onPluginToggle: (toggle: SidebarSettingToggle, next: boolean) => void
   onPluginCommit: (toggle: SidebarSettingToggle, raw: string) => string
   onPluginWrite: (key: string, value: unknown) => void
   onClose: () => void
 }) {
-  const { feature, prefs, store, service, onToggle, onCommit, onPluginToggle, onPluginCommit, onPluginWrite, onClose } = props
+  const { feature, prefs, store, service, onToggle, onCommit, onCommitText, onPluginToggle, onPluginCommit, onPluginWrite, onClose } = props
   const render = feature.settings?.render
   if (render !== undefined) {
     return (
@@ -339,8 +425,9 @@ export function SettingsBody(props: {
     )
   }
   const toggles = feature.settings?.toggles ?? []
+  const texts = feature.settings?.texts ?? []
   const pluginToggles = feature.settings?.pluginToggles ?? []
-  if (toggles.length === 0 && pluginToggles.length === 0) return null
+  if (toggles.length === 0 && texts.length === 0 && pluginToggles.length === 0) return null
   // Plugin rows read their values from the descriptor's OWN blob through
   // an explicit value source — no projection onto the prefs face, so a
   // plugin key can never collide with (or silently read) a host pref of
@@ -348,14 +435,14 @@ export function SettingsBody(props: {
   const pluginBlob = prefs.pluginSettings[feature.id] ?? {}
   return (
     <div className={css.popupRows}>
-      {toggles.length > 0 && (
-        <FeatureSettingsRows
-          toggles={toggles}
-          prefs={prefs}
-          onToggle={onToggle}
-          onCommit={onCommit}
-        />
-      )}
+      <FeatureSettingsRows
+        toggles={toggles}
+        texts={texts}
+        prefs={prefs}
+        onToggle={onToggle}
+        onCommit={onCommit}
+        onCommitText={onCommitText}
+      />
       {pluginToggles.length > 0 && (
         <FeatureSettingsRows
           toggles={pluginToggles}
@@ -538,6 +625,11 @@ export function SideCardSection({ store, service }: SideCardSectionProps) {
     return raw
   }
 
+  /** Commit one declaratively-declared text setting (a SidebarPrefs string-array field). */
+  const onCommitTextSetting = (text: SidebarSettingText, lines: string[]): void => {
+    applyPref({ [text.key]: lines })
+  }
+
   const commitWidth = (): void => {
     const parsed = Number(widthDraft)
     if (!Number.isFinite(parsed)) {
@@ -663,8 +755,9 @@ export function SideCardSection({ store, service }: SideCardSectionProps) {
       </div>
 
       {/* 侧边栏内容: one small card per registered tab type in a responsive
-          grid; features declaring `settings.toggles` open their settings in
-          the popup (gear corner button) instead of nested inline rows. */}
+          grid; features declaring `settings.toggles` / `settings.texts` open
+          their settings in the popup (gear corner button) instead of nested
+          inline rows. */}
       <div className={css.group}>
         <div className={css.groupHeading}>
           <span>{t('settingsTabsTitle')}</span>
@@ -773,6 +866,7 @@ export function SideCardSection({ store, service }: SideCardSectionProps) {
             prefs={prefs}
             onToggle={onToggleSetting}
             onCommit={onCommitSetting}
+            onCommitText={onCommitTextSetting}
             onPluginToggle={(toggle, next) => { onPluginToggle(settingsFor.id, toggle, next) }}
             onPluginCommit={(toggle, raw) => onPluginCommitSetting(settingsFor.id, toggle, raw)}
             onPluginWrite={(key, value) => { applyPluginSetting(settingsFor.id, key, value) }}
diff --git a/src/client/builtins/tabs.tsx b/src/client/builtins/tabs.tsx
index 943d593..32231d0 100644
--- a/src/client/builtins/tabs.tsx
+++ b/src/client/builtins/tabs.tsx
@@ -79,10 +79,21 @@ export function builtinTabs(ctx: Context): readonly TabDescriptor[] {
       icon: (size: number) => <IconFolderOpen16 size={size} />,
       order: 10,
       single: true,
+      // Declarative settings: the exclude-patterns text row renders under
+      // this row in the Side card settings page (issue #18).
+      settings: {
+        texts: [{
+          key: 'explorerExclude',
+          title: () => t('settingsExplorerExcludeTitle'),
+          desc: () => t('settingsExplorerExcludeDesc'),
+          placeholder: () => t('settingsExplorerExcludePlaceholder'),
+        }],
+      },
       component: ({ ctx, store, scope, expanded, onToggleDir, onReferenceFile }) => (
         <ExplorerView
           sessionId={scope.sessionId}
           cwd={scope.cwd}
+          store={store}
           expanded={expanded ?? []}
           onToggle={onToggleDir ?? (() => { /* no-op */ })}
           onOpenFile={(path) => { openSidebarFile(ctx, store, scope.sessionId, path) }}
diff --git a/src/client/locales.ts b/src/client/locales.ts
index 448171a..3e5dfc9 100644
--- a/src/client/locales.ts
+++ b/src/client/locales.ts
@@ -122,6 +122,9 @@ export const zh = {
   downloadToView: '下载查看',
   settingsSubagentTitle: '检测到子代理时自动展开任务管理页',
   settingsSubagentDesc: '当前会话产生新的子代理时，自动展开侧边栏并打开任务管理页；关闭后需手动打开',
+  settingsExplorerExcludeTitle: '排除模式',
+  settingsExplorerExcludeDesc: '条目名称匹配任一模式（单个 * 通配，大小写不敏感）时在树中隐藏，每行一个',
+  settingsExplorerExcludePlaceholder: '例如：*.meta、.DS_Store、node_modules、build*',
   settingsJobsTitle: '有新后台任务时自动展开后台任务页',
   settingsJobsDesc: '当前会话出现新的后台任务时，自动展开侧边栏并打开后台任务页（每个新任务都会触发）；关闭后需手动打开',
   settingsToolsTitle: '为模型注入终端工具',
@@ -334,6 +337,9 @@ export const en: Record<keyof typeof zh, string> = {
   downloadToView: 'Download to view',
   settingsSubagentTitle: 'Auto-open the Tasks page when a subagent appears',
   settingsSubagentDesc: 'Expand the side card and open the Tasks page when the current conversation spawns a new subagent; turn off to open it manually',
+  settingsExplorerExcludeTitle: 'Exclude patterns',
+  settingsExplorerExcludeDesc: 'Entries whose name matches any pattern (single * wildcard, case-insensitive) are hidden from the tree; one per line',
+  settingsExplorerExcludePlaceholder: 'e.g. *.meta, .DS_Store, node_modules, build*',
   settingsJobsTitle: 'Auto-open the Jobs page on a new background job',
   settingsJobsDesc: 'Expand the side card and open the Jobs page whenever a new background job appears for the current conversation (every new job triggers); turn off to open it manually',
   settingsToolsTitle: 'Inject terminal tools for the model',
diff --git a/src/client/prefs.ts b/src/client/prefs.ts
index 9f993e5..30f7957 100644
--- a/src/client/prefs.ts
+++ b/src/client/prefs.ts
@@ -71,12 +71,30 @@ export function parsePrefs(value: unknown): SidebarPrefs {
     browserInterceptLinks: typeof record.browserInterceptLinks === 'boolean'
       ? record.browserInterceptLinks
       : SIDEBAR_PREFS_DEFAULTS.browserInterceptLinks,
+    explorerExclude: stringArrayOf(record.explorerExclude),
     tabsEnabled: booleanMapOf(record.tabsEnabled),
     viewersEnabled: booleanMapOf(record.viewersEnabled),
     pluginSettings: pluginSettingsMapOf(record.pluginSettings),
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Validate one string-list preference (the explorer exclude patterns). Only
+ * non-empty trimmed strings survive; duplicates are dropped preserving
+ * first-seen order; a non-array (or a malformed array) falls back to [].
+ */
+function stringArrayOf(value: unknown): string[] {
+  if (!Array.isArray(value)) return []
+  const out: string[] = []
+  for (const item of value) {
+    if (typeof item !== 'string') continue
+    const trimmed = item.trim()
+    if (trimmed === '' || out.includes(trimmed)) continue
+    out.push(trimmed)
+  }
+  return out
+}
+
 /**
  * Validate the plugin-owned settings map (v0.12.0+): `{ descriptorId: { key:
  * value } }`, nested open maps. Any non-object value (or a malformed whole)
diff --git a/src/client/service.ts b/src/client/service.ts
index 2aa34c4..8528741 100644
--- a/src/client/service.ts
+++ b/src/client/service.ts
@@ -88,6 +88,20 @@ export interface SidebarSettingsRenderProps {
   close(): void
 }
 
+/** One declarative TEXT setting of a tab/viewer, rendered as a nested
+ *  multi-line input row in the Side card settings page (one value per line,
+ *  committed on blur — e.g. the explorer's exclude patterns). */
+export interface SidebarSettingText {
+  /** The SidebarPrefs string-array field this text reads and writes ('explorerExclude'). */
+  key: string
+  /** Row title (i18n friendly: string or () => string). */
+  title: string | (() => string)
+  /** Row description (i18n friendly). */
+  desc?: string | (() => string)
+  /** Placeholder for the empty box (i18n friendly). */
+  placeholder?: string | (() => string)
+}
+
 /** Declarative settings of one registered tab or file viewer. */
 export interface SidebarSettingsDeclaration {
   /**
@@ -98,6 +112,13 @@ export interface SidebarSettingsDeclaration {
    * by the settings seam.
    */
   toggles?: readonly SidebarSettingToggle[]
+  /**
+   * Extra text rows (multi-line inputs) rendered under the feature's own
+   * row in the settings page. Keys must be string-array fields of the
+   * host's PrefsSchema (built-ins: 'explorerExclude'); unknown keys are
+   * dropped by the settings seam.
+   */
+  texts?: readonly SidebarSettingText[]
   /**
    * Plugin-owned settings rows (v0.12.0+): same row controls as `toggles`
    * (switch/text/number), but the keys are plugin-local and persisted in
diff --git a/src/config.ts b/src/config.ts
index b64198e..300a036 100644
--- a/src/config.ts
+++ b/src/config.ts
@@ -95,6 +95,9 @@ export const PrefsSchema: z<SidebarPrefs> = z.object({
   htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: z.boolean().default(false),
   browserNoSandbox: z.boolean().default(false),
   browserInterceptLinks: z.boolean().default(true),
+  // Explorer exclude patterns: a free-form string list (each entry is one
+  // name pattern). Old documents resolve to [] (nothing hidden).
+  explorerExclude: z.array(z.string()).default([]),
   // Per-feature enable switches are OPEN maps (any tab/viewer id, built-in or
   // external): an absent key means enabled, so old documents resolve to {}
   // (everything on) with no migration. Non-boolean values fail validation.
diff --git a/src/exclude-patterns.ts b/src/exclude-patterns.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..939cd04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/exclude-patterns.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+/**
+ * Explorer exclude-pattern matching (issue #18): pure, dependency-free
+ * name matching used to hide noisy files/directories (e.g. Unity `.meta`,
+ * `.DS_Store`, `node_modules`) from the sidebar explorer tree.
+ *
+ * A pattern is matched against the ENTRY NAME (not the full path), so
+ * directories and files are treated alike (`node_modules`, `build`,
+ * `*.meta` all work) and no cwd plumbing is needed on the client.
+ * A single `*` wildcard matches any run of characters (0+); a pattern
+ * without `*` is an exact-name match. Matching is case-insensitive for
+ * cross-platform consistency (Windows/macOS filesystems are insensitive
+ * anyway, and users think of `.meta` and `.META` as the same file).
+ * Blank patterns (empty or whitespace-only) are ignored.
+ *
+ * Deliberately NOT a full glob implementation (`**`, `?`, `{a,b}`,
+ * `[x]` are all unsupported — see
+ * docs/plans/2026-08-14-explorer-exclude-design.md): keeping the runtime
+ * dependency-free and the semantics predictable is the goal.
+ */
+
+/** One pattern compiled to an anchored, case-folded regex (undefined = blank). */
+function patternToRegExp(pattern: string): RegExp | undefined {
+  const trimmed = pattern.trim()
+  if (trimmed === '') return undefined
+  const pat = trimmed.toLowerCase()
+  const star = pat.indexOf('*')
+  if (star === -1) {
+    // Exact-name match (case-insensitive).
+    return new RegExp(`^${escapeRegExp(pat)}$`)
+  }
+  // Anchor the pattern and translate '*' → '.*'; everything else is
+  // escaped literally so `foo[bar]`, `a+b`, `.` never read as regex.
+  return new RegExp(`^${pat.split('*').map(escapeRegExp).join('.*')}$`)
+}
+
+/** Whether one pattern matches `name` (single `*` wildcard, case-insensitive). */
+export function matchesExcludePattern(name: string, pattern: string): boolean {
+  const re = patternToRegExp(pattern)
+  return re === undefined ? false : re.test(name.toLowerCase())
+}
+
+/**
+ * Precompile a pattern list into a `name => boolean` matcher (the regexes
+ * are built once). Use this in render paths (the explorer calls it per row
+ * per level) instead of {@link isExcludedName}, which recompiles on every
+ * call.
+ */
+export function compileExcludePatterns(patterns: readonly string[]): (name: string) => boolean {
+  const matchers: RegExp[] = []
+  for (const pattern of patterns) {
+    const re = patternToRegExp(pattern)
+    if (re !== undefined) matchers.push(re)
+  }
+  return (name: string): boolean => {
+    if (matchers.length === 0) return false
+    const needle = name.toLowerCase()
+    for (const re of matchers) {
+      if (re.test(needle)) return true
+    }
+    return false
+  }
+}
+
+/** Whether `name` is hidden by any of `patterns` (blank patterns ignored).
+ *  Convenience form of {@link compileExcludePatterns} — fine for one-off
+ *  checks, but render paths should precompile. */
+export function isExcludedName(name: string, patterns: readonly string[]): boolean {
+  return compileExcludePatterns(patterns)(name)
+}
+
+/** Escape one regex-special char (non-star part of a pattern). */
+function escapeRegExp(part: string): string {
+  return part.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\$&')
+}
diff --git a/src/prefs-shared.ts b/src/prefs-shared.ts
index a3b6210..eedb2e6 100644
--- a/src/prefs-shared.ts
+++ b/src/prefs-shared.ts
@@ -92,6 +92,13 @@ export interface SidebarPrefs {
    * bypasses the takeover.
    */
   browserInterceptLinks: boolean
+  /**
+   * Explorer exclude patterns (issue #18): entries whose NAME matches a
+   * pattern (single `*` wildcard, case-insensitive) are hidden from the
+   * explorer tree. Empty by default — no filtering, identical to previous
+   * behavior. See src/exclude-patterns.ts for the matching rules.
+   */
+  explorerExclude: string[]
   /**
    * Per-tab enable switches, keyed by tab descriptor id (`'explorer'`,
    * `'my-plugin:db'`). An ABSENT key means enabled — only an explicit
@@ -145,6 +152,7 @@ export const SIDEBAR_PREFS_DEFAULTS: SidebarPrefs = {
   htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false,
   browserNoSandbox: false,
   browserInterceptLinks: true,
+  explorerExclude: [],
   tabsEnabled: {},
   viewersEnabled: {},
   pluginSettings: {},
diff --git a/tests/builtins.spec.ts b/tests/builtins.spec.ts
index 14e726e..79343cb 100644
--- a/tests/builtins.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/builtins.spec.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,12 @@ describe('built-in tab registrations', () => {
     expect(toggles.map(t => t.key)).toEqual(['autoOpenSubagent', 'autoOpenJobs'])
   })
 
+  it('the explorer tab declares its exclude-patterns text setting', () => {
+    const { service } = setup()
+    const texts = service.getTab('explorer')?.settings?.texts ?? []
+    expect(texts.map(t => t.key)).toEqual(['explorerExclude'])
+  })
+
   it('the terminal tab declares the model terminal-tools, auto-terminal and custom-font settings', () => {
     const { service } = setup()
     const toggles = service.getTab('terminal')?.settings?.toggles ?? []
diff --git a/tests/exclude-patterns.spec.ts b/tests/exclude-patterns.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a53497
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/exclude-patterns.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+/**
+ * Exclude-pattern matching specs (issue #18): exact-name matches, the
+ * single-`*` wildcard (prefix / suffix / middle), case-insensitivity,
+ * blank-pattern handling, and regex-special characters being treated
+ * literally.
+ */
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { isExcludedName, matchesExcludePattern } from '../src/exclude-patterns.ts'
+
+describe('matchesExcludePattern', () => {
+  it('exact name match without a wildcard', () => {
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('node_modules', 'node_modules')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('.DS_Store', '.DS_Store')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('index.ts', 'index.ts')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('index.ts', 'index.js')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('wildcard suffix (*.meta)', () => {
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('Player.meta', '*.meta')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('.meta', '*.meta')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('meta', '*.meta')).toBe(false)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('Player.META', '*.meta')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('Player.metabak', '*.meta')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('wildcard prefix (build*)', () => {
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('build', 'build*')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('build-ios', 'build*')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('rebuild', 'build*')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('wildcard in the middle (foo*bar)', () => {
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('foobar', 'foo*bar')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('fooXYZbar', 'foo*bar')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('foo.bar', 'foo*bar')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('foobaz', 'foo*bar')).toBe(false)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('xxfoobar', 'foo*bar')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('bare * matches everything (and the empty string)', () => {
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('anything', '*')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('', '*')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('case-insensitive by design', () => {
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('README.MD', '*.md')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('Node_Modules', 'node_modules')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('Thumbs.DB', 'thumbs.db')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('blank and whitespace-only patterns never match', () => {
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('a', '')).toBe(false)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('a', '   ')).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('regex-special characters are matched literally', () => {
+    // `.` must not act as "any char"
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('aXb', 'a.b')).toBe(false)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('a.b', 'a.b')).toBe(true)
+    // character classes / groups / alternation are literal text
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('a.b', 'a[.]b')).toBe(false)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('a[.]b', 'a[.]b')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('axb', 'a+b')).toBe(false)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('a+b', 'a+b')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('a?b', 'a?b')).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('wildcard still works alongside literal specials', () => {
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('a.b.c', '*.b.*')).toBe(true)
+    expect(matchesExcludePattern('aXbYc', '*.b.*')).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('isExcludedName', () => {
+  it('matches when any pattern hits', () => {
+    expect(isExcludedName('Player.meta', ['*.meta', 'node_modules'])).toBe(true)
+    expect(isExcludedName('node_modules', ['*.meta', 'node_modules'])).toBe(true)
+    expect(isExcludedName('src', ['*.meta', 'node_modules'])).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('ignores blank entries in the list', () => {
+    expect(isExcludedName('a.meta', ['', '   ', '*.meta'])).toBe(true)
+    expect(isExcludedName('a.ts', ['', '   '])).toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it('empty list excludes nothing', () => {
+    expect(isExcludedName('anything', [])).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/tests/explorer-exclude.spec.tsx b/tests/explorer-exclude.spec.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8417af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/explorer-exclude.spec.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+/**
+ * Explorer exclude-pattern rendering specs (issue #18): rows whose NAME
+ * matches an exclude pattern are hidden from the tree, live re-render when
+ * the shared store prefs change, and the root row is never hidden by name
+ * matching. The host fs.tree call is stubbed (the client reads entries
+ * through the api object, swapped per test).
+ */
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { createElement, type ReactNode } from 'react'
+import { createRoot, type Root } from 'react-dom/client'
+import { act } from 'react-dom/test-utils'
+import { api, type FsEntry } from '../src/client/api.ts'
+import { ExplorerView } from '../src/client/ExplorerView.tsx'
+import { createSidebarStore, type SidebarStore } from '../src/client/state.ts'
+import css from '../src/client/sidebar.module.css'
+
+function listing(entries: FsEntry[]): { path: string; entries: FsEntry[]; truncated: boolean } {
+  return { path: '/cwd', entries, truncated: false }
+}
+
+/** Mount `node` into a detached body container under React's act(). */
+function mount(node: ReactNode): { container: HTMLDivElement; unmount: () => void } {
+  const container = document.createElement('div')
+  document.body.append(container)
+  const root: Root = createRoot(container)
+  act(() => { root.render(node) })
+  const unmount = (): void => {
+    act(() => { root.unmount() })
+    container.remove()
+  }
+  return { container, unmount }
+}
+
+/** The rendered explorer row names (file/folder names, root row included). */
+function rowNames(container: HTMLElement): string[] {
+  return Array.from(container.querySelectorAll(`.${css.explorerName}`)).map(el => el.textContent ?? '')
+}
+
+const SAMPLE: FsEntry[] = [
+  { name: 'Assets', path: '/cwd/Assets', isDir: true, hidden: false },
+  { name: 'Player.meta', path: '/cwd/Player.meta', isDir: false, hidden: false },
+  { name: 'Player.cs', path: '/cwd/Player.cs', isDir: false, hidden: false },
+  { name: 'node_modules', path: '/cwd/node_modules', isDir: true, hidden: false },
+  { name: 'README.md', path: '/cwd/README.md', isDir: false, hidden: false },
+]
+
+describe('ExplorerView exclude patterns', () => {
+  const originalFsTree = api.fsTree
+  afterEach(() => {
+    api.fsTree = originalFsTree
+    for (const el of document.querySelectorAll('body > div')) el.remove()
+  })
+
+  /** Render an explorer seeded with `exclude` prefs and the sample listing. */
+  function renderWithExclude(exclude: string[], store?: SidebarStore): { container: HTMLDivElement; unmount: () => void; store: SidebarStore } {
+    api.fsTree = vi.fn(async () => listing(SAMPLE))
+    const s = store ?? createSidebarStore()
+    s.setPrefs({ ...s.getPrefs(), explorerExclude: exclude })
+    const { container, unmount } = mount(createElement(ExplorerView, {
+      sessionId: 's1',
+      cwd: '/cwd',
+      store: s,
+      expanded: [],
+      onToggle: () => {},
+      onOpenFile: () => {},
+      onReferenceFile: () => {},
+    }))
+    return { container, unmount, store: s }
+  }
+
+  it('shows every entry without exclude patterns', async () => {
+    const { container, unmount } = renderWithExclude([])
+    await act(async () => {})
+    // The root row ('cwd') plus all five sample entries.
+    expect(rowNames(container)).toEqual(['cwd', 'Assets', 'Player.meta', 'Player.cs', 'node_modules', 'README.md'])
+    unmount()
+  })
+
+  it('hides file entries matching an exclude pattern', async () => {
+    const { container, unmount } = renderWithExclude(['*.meta'])
+    await act(async () => {})
+    const names = rowNames(container)
+    expect(names).not.toContain('Player.meta')
+    expect(names).toContain('Player.cs')
+    expect(names).toContain('Assets')
+    unmount()
+  })
+
+  it('hides directories by exact name too', async () => {
+    const { container, unmount } = renderWithExclude(['node_modules'])
+    await act(async () => {})
+    const names = rowNames(container)
+    expect(names).not.toContain('node_modules')
+    expect(names).toContain('Assets')
+    unmount()
+  })
+
+  it('matches case-insensitively (README.MD vs *.md)', async () => {
+    const { container, unmount } = renderWithExclude(['*.md'])
+    await act(async () => {})
+    const names = rowNames(container)
+    expect(names).not.toContain('README.md')
+    unmount()
+  })
+
+  it('re-renders live when the store prefs change', async () => {
+    const store = createSidebarStore()
+    const { container, unmount } = renderWithExclude([], store)
+    await act(async () => {})
+    expect(rowNames(container)).toContain('Player.meta')
+    // A settings-page write lands in the store → the tree hides the row
+    // without reopening or manual refresh.
+    act(() => {
+      store.setPrefs({ ...store.getPrefs(), explorerExclude: ['*.meta'] })
+    })
+    expect(rowNames(container)).not.toContain('Player.meta')
+    expect(rowNames(container)).toContain('Player.cs')
+    unmount()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/tests/plugin-shape.spec.ts b/tests/plugin-shape.spec.ts
index 1de4bcf..28714a9 100644
--- a/tests/plugin-shape.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/plugin-shape.spec.ts
@@ -63,6 +63,6 @@ describe('dsh-better-sidebar plugin export shape', () => {
     const overridden = (PrefsSchema as unknown as {
       (input: Record<string, unknown> | undefined): Record<string, unknown>
     })({ openByDefault: false, defaultWidthPercent: 45 })
-    expect(overridden).toEqual({ openByDefault: false, defaultWidthPercent: 45, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, tabsEnabled: {}, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
+    expect(overridden).toEqual({ openByDefault: false, defaultWidthPercent: 45, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, explorerExclude: [], tabsEnabled: {}, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
   })
 })
diff --git a/tests/side-card-section.spec.tsx b/tests/side-card-section.spec.tsx
index 7246561..9f35125 100644
--- a/tests/side-card-section.spec.tsx
+++ b/tests/side-card-section.spec.tsx
@@ -31,6 +31,14 @@ function mount(): { store: SidebarStore; service: BetterSidebarService } {
     title: () => 'Explorer',
     icon: () => createElement('svg', { 'data-icon': 'explorer' }),
     order: 10,
+    settings: {
+      texts: [{
+        key: 'explorerExclude',
+        title: () => 'Exclude patterns',
+        desc: () => 'Hidden from the tree; one per line',
+        placeholder: () => 'e.g. *.meta',
+      }],
+    },
     component: () => null,
   })
   service.registerTab({
@@ -113,10 +121,10 @@ describe('SideCardSection declarative inventory', () => {
   it('renders the gear corner button on features that declare related settings', () => {
     const { store, service } = mount()
     const html = renderSection(store, service)
-    // Subagents declares a toggle → its card carries the settings gear
-    // (aria-label = "<title> Feature settings"); Explorer and Image declare
-    // none → no gear.
-    expect(html.match(/aria-label="[^"]*Feature settings"/g)?.length).toBe(1)
+    // Subagents declares a toggle and Explorer declares a text row → both
+    // cards carry the settings gear (aria-label = "<title> Feature settings");
+    // Image declares none → no gear.
+    expect(html.match(/aria-label="[^"]*Feature settings"/g)?.length).toBe(2)
   })
 
   it('renders the two dashed "add plugin" cards (tab grid + viewer grid)', () => {
@@ -149,7 +157,10 @@ describe('SideCardSection declarative inventory', () => {
     const { store, service } = mount()
     store.setPrefs({ ...store.getPrefs(), tabsEnabled: { subagent: false } })
     const html = renderSection(store, service)
-    expect(html).not.toContain('Feature settings')
+    // The disabled Subagents card loses its gear; the enabled Explorer card
+    // (text row) keeps its own.
+    expect(html).not.toContain('Subagents Feature settings')
+    expect(html).toContain('Explorer Feature settings')
   })
 })
 
@@ -167,8 +178,10 @@ describe('FeatureSettingsRows (the secondary settings popup body)', () => {
   it('renders one switch row per declared toggle with its current value', () => {
     const html = renderToString(createElement(FeatureSettingsRows, {
       toggles,
+      texts: [],
       prefs,
       onToggle: () => {},
+      onCommitText: () => {},
     }))
     expect(html).toContain('Auto-open Subagents')
     expect(html).toContain('Expand on new subagent')
@@ -181,12 +194,34 @@ describe('FeatureSettingsRows (the secondary settings popup body)', () => {
   it('checks the row when the pref is on', () => {
     const html = renderToString(createElement(FeatureSettingsRows, {
       toggles,
+      texts: [],
       prefs: { ...prefs, autoOpenSubagent: true },
       onToggle: () => {},
+      onCommitText: () => {},
     }))
     expect(html).toContain('checked=""')
   })
 
+  it('renders a text row per declared text with title, desc, placeholder, and the joined value', () => {
+    const html = renderToString(createElement(FeatureSettingsRows, {
+      toggles: [],
+      texts: [{
+        key: 'explorerExclude',
+        title: () => 'Exclude patterns',
+        desc: () => 'Hidden from the tree; one per line',
+        placeholder: () => 'e.g. *.meta',
+      }],
+      prefs: { ...prefs, explorerExclude: ['*.meta', 'node_modules'] },
+      onToggle: () => {},
+      onCommitText: () => {},
+    }))
+    expect(html).toContain('Exclude patterns')
+    expect(html).toContain('Hidden from the tree; one per line')
+    expect(html).toContain('placeholder="e.g. *.meta"')
+    // The textarea value is the patterns joined by newlines.
+    expect(html).toContain('*.meta\nnode_modules')
+  })
+
   it('renders a text row as an input seeded with the pref value (empty = theme default)', () => {
     const html = renderToString(createElement(FeatureSettingsRows, {
       toggles: [{
diff --git a/tests/smoke.spec.ts b/tests/smoke.spec.ts
index ef13e3a..a6f90e8 100644
--- a/tests/smoke.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/smoke.spec.ts
@@ -524,6 +524,8 @@ describe('side card settings routes', () => {
         htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false,
         browserNoSandbox: false,
         browserInterceptLinks: true,
+        // The explorer excludes default to [] (nothing hidden).
+        explorerExclude: [],
         // The enable-switch maps default to {} (everything on).
         tabsEnabled: {},
         viewersEnabled: {},
diff --git a/tests/unit.spec.ts b/tests/unit.spec.ts
index 9c88765..6800996 100644
--- a/tests/unit.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/unit.spec.ts
@@ -1144,6 +1144,7 @@ describe('side card preferences', () => {
         htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false,
         browserNoSandbox: false,
         browserInterceptLinks: true,
+        explorerExclude: [],
         tabsEnabled: {},
         viewersEnabled: {},
         pluginSettings: {},
@@ -1166,6 +1167,7 @@ describe('side card preferences', () => {
         htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false,
         browserNoSandbox: false,
         browserInterceptLinks: true,
+        explorerExclude: [],
         tabsEnabled: {},
         viewersEnabled: {},
         pluginSettings: {},
@@ -1188,6 +1190,7 @@ describe('side card preferences', () => {
         htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false,
         browserNoSandbox: false,
         browserInterceptLinks: true,
+        explorerExclude: [],
         tabsEnabled: {},
         viewersEnabled: {},
         pluginSettings: {},
@@ -1247,13 +1250,26 @@ describe('side card preferences', () => {
     expect(parsed.viewersEnabled).toEqual({ image: false })
   })
 
+  it('validates the explorer exclude patterns (non-array falls back to [])', async () => {
+    // Missing / non-array / malformed entries all resolve to [] (no filtering).
+    expect((await loadPrefs(wire({}))).explorerExclude).toEqual([])
+    expect((await loadPrefs(wire({ explorerExclude: '*.meta' }))).explorerExclude).toEqual([])
+    expect((await loadPrefs(wire({ explorerExclude: 42 }))).explorerExclude).toEqual([])
+    // Non-string and blank entries are dropped; the rest are trimmed,
+    // deduplicated preserving first-seen order.
+    const parsed = await loadPrefs(wire({
+      explorerExclude: [' *.meta ', '', 'node_modules', 'node_modules', 7, '  ', '*.meta'],
+    }))
+    expect(parsed.explorerExclude).toEqual(['*.meta', 'node_modules'])
+  })
+
   it('seeds new-session defaults from the store prefs (open flag + width)', () => {
     const store = createSidebarStore()
     // Node environment: no window → the width falls back to PANEL_DEFAULT,
     // while the open flag still follows the preference.
-    store.setPrefs({ openByDefault: false, defaultWidthPercent: 45, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, tabsEnabled: {}, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
+    store.setPrefs({ openByDefault: false, defaultWidthPercent: 45, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, explorerExclude: [], tabsEnabled: {}, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
     store.setSession('fresh-session')
-    expect(store.getPrefs()).toEqual({ openByDefault: false, defaultWidthPercent: 45, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, tabsEnabled: {}, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
+    expect(store.getPrefs()).toEqual({ openByDefault: false, defaultWidthPercent: 45, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, explorerExclude: [], tabsEnabled: {}, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
     const snapshot = store.getSnapshot()
     expect(snapshot.sessionId).toBe('fresh-session')
     expect(snapshot.state?.panelOpen).toBe(false)
@@ -1289,7 +1305,7 @@ describe('side card preferences', () => {
 
   it('skips the default explorer tab when the explorer type is disabled', () => {
     const store = createSidebarStore()
-    store.setPrefs({ openByDefault: true, defaultWidthPercent: 30, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, tabsEnabled: { explorer: false }, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
+    store.setPrefs({ openByDefault: true, defaultWidthPercent: 30, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, explorerExclude: [], tabsEnabled: { explorer: false }, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
     store.setSession('no-explorer')
     const state = store.getSnapshot().state!
     const tabs = allLeaves(state.splits).flatMap(leaf => leaf.tabs)
@@ -1297,7 +1313,7 @@ describe('side card preferences', () => {
     expect(state.splits.kind).toBe('leaf')
     // Re-enabling seeds the explorer tab again.
     const openStore = createSidebarStore()
-    openStore.setPrefs({ openByDefault: true, defaultWidthPercent: 30, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, tabsEnabled: {}, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
+    openStore.setPrefs({ openByDefault: true, defaultWidthPercent: 30, autoOpenSubagent: true, autoOpenJobs: true, agentTerminalTools: false, bottomPanelAutoTerminal: true, terminalFontFamily: '', terminalFontSize: 13, interceptOpenPath: true, htmlViewerNoSandbox: false, htmlViewerDefaultUnsafe: false, browserNoSandbox: false, browserInterceptLinks: true, explorerExclude: [], tabsEnabled: {}, viewersEnabled: {}, pluginSettings: {} })
     openStore.setSession('with-explorer')
     const openTabs = allLeaves(openStore.getSnapshot().state!.splits).flatMap(leaf => leaf.tabs)
     expect(openTabs.map(tab => tab.type)).toEqual(['explorer'])