diff --git a/packages/types/src/codebase-index.ts b/packages/types/src/codebase-index.ts
index 61009ba301..1babc7244d 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/codebase-index.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/codebase-index.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ export const codebaseIndexConfigSchema = z.object({
 	codebaseIndexBedrockProfile: z.string().optional(),
 	// OpenRouter specific fields
 	codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider: z.string().optional(),
+	// Gitignore behavior
+	codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore: z.boolean().optional(),
 })
 
 export type CodebaseIndexConfig = z.infer<typeof codebaseIndexConfigSchema>
diff --git a/packages/types/src/vscode-extension-host.ts b/packages/types/src/vscode-extension-host.ts
index b20539afe4..c3c235dc20 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/vscode-extension-host.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/vscode-extension-host.ts
@@ -669,6 +669,7 @@ export interface WebviewMessage {
 		codebaseIndexSearchMaxResults?: number
 		codebaseIndexSearchMinScore?: number
 		codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider?: string // OpenRouter provider routing
+		codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore?: boolean // Whether to respect .gitignore when listing files
 
 		// Secret settings
 		codeIndexOpenAiKey?: string
diff --git a/src/core/webview/ClineProvider.ts b/src/core/webview/ClineProvider.ts
index 2ffe421c09..0ba6851dce 100644
--- a/src/core/webview/ClineProvider.ts
+++ b/src/core/webview/ClineProvider.ts
@@ -2334,6 +2334,7 @@ export class ClineProvider
 				codebaseIndexBedrockRegion: codebaseIndexConfig?.codebaseIndexBedrockRegion,
 				codebaseIndexBedrockProfile: codebaseIndexConfig?.codebaseIndexBedrockProfile,
 				codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider: codebaseIndexConfig?.codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider,
+				codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore: codebaseIndexConfig?.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore,
 			},
 			// Only set mdmCompliant if there's an actual MDM policy
 			// undefined means no MDM policy, true means compliant, false means non-compliant
@@ -2560,6 +2561,7 @@ export class ClineProvider
 				codebaseIndexBedrockProfile: stateValues.codebaseIndexConfig?.codebaseIndexBedrockProfile,
 				codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider:
 					stateValues.codebaseIndexConfig?.codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider,
+				codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore: stateValues.codebaseIndexConfig?.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore,
 			},
 			profileThresholds: stateValues.profileThresholds ?? {},
 			lockApiConfigAcrossModes: this.context.workspaceState.get("lockApiConfigAcrossModes", false),
diff --git a/src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts b/src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts
index e3b8c1bea8..45c802a91f 100644
--- a/src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts
+++ b/src/core/webview/webviewMessageHandler.ts
@@ -2533,6 +2533,7 @@ export const webviewMessageHandler = async (
 					codebaseIndexSearchMaxResults: settings.codebaseIndexSearchMaxResults,
 					codebaseIndexSearchMinScore: settings.codebaseIndexSearchMinScore,
 					codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider: settings.codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider,
+					codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore: settings.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore,
 				}
 
 				// Save global state first
diff --git a/src/services/code-index/config-manager.ts b/src/services/code-index/config-manager.ts
index e7f239e621..ce6e878ec2 100644
--- a/src/services/code-index/config-manager.ts
+++ b/src/services/code-index/config-manager.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ export class CodeIndexConfigManager {
 	private qdrantApiKey?: string
 	private searchMinScore?: number
 	private searchMaxResults?: number
+	private codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore: boolean = true
 
 	constructor(private readonly contextProxy: ContextProxy) {
 		// Initialize with current configuration to avoid false restart triggers
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ export class CodeIndexConfigManager {
 		this.qdrantApiKey = qdrantApiKey ?? ""
 		this.searchMinScore = codebaseIndexSearchMinScore
 		this.searchMaxResults = codebaseIndexSearchMaxResults
+		this.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore = codebaseIndexConfig.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore ?? true
 
 		// Validate and set model dimension
 		const rawDimension = codebaseIndexConfig.codebaseIndexEmbedderModelDimension
@@ -194,6 +196,7 @@ export class CodeIndexConfigManager {
 			openRouterSpecificProvider: this.openRouterOptions?.specificProvider ?? "",
 			qdrantUrl: this.qdrantUrl ?? "",
 			qdrantApiKey: this.qdrantApiKey ?? "",
+			codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore: this.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore,
 		}
 
 		// Refresh secrets from VSCode storage to ensure we have the latest values
@@ -410,6 +413,12 @@ export class CodeIndexConfigManager {
 			return true
 		}
 
+		// codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore change
+		const prevRespectGitIgnore = prev?.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore ?? true
+		if (prevRespectGitIgnore !== this.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore) {
+			return true
+		}
+
 		return false
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/services/code-index/interfaces/config.ts b/src/services/code-index/interfaces/config.ts
index f52f98aaa0..14fbf3d880 100644
--- a/src/services/code-index/interfaces/config.ts
+++ b/src/services/code-index/interfaces/config.ts
@@ -45,4 +45,5 @@ export type PreviousConfigSnapshot = {
 	openRouterSpecificProvider?: string
 	qdrantUrl?: string
 	qdrantApiKey?: string
+	codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore?: boolean
 }
diff --git a/src/services/code-index/manager.ts b/src/services/code-index/manager.ts
index 91ea515e40..384b765c3c 100644
--- a/src/services/code-index/manager.ts
+++ b/src/services/code-index/manager.ts
@@ -370,20 +370,31 @@ export class CodeIndexManager {
 			return
 		}
 
-		// Create .gitignore instance
-		const ignorePath = path.join(workspacePath, ".gitignore")
+		// Read the respectGitIgnore setting from the codebaseIndexConfig
+		let respectGitIgnore = true
 		try {
-			const content = await fs.readFile(ignorePath, "utf8")
-			ignoreInstance.add(content)
-			ignoreInstance.add(".gitignore")
-		} catch (error) {
-			// Should never happen: reading file failed even though it exists
-			console.error("Unexpected error loading .gitignore:", error)
-			TelemetryService.instance.captureEvent(TelemetryEventName.CODE_INDEX_ERROR, {
-				error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
-				stack: error instanceof Error ? error.stack : undefined,
-				location: "_recreateServices",
-			})
+			const codebaseIndexConfig = this._configManager!.getContextProxy()?.getGlobalState("codebaseIndexConfig")
+			respectGitIgnore = codebaseIndexConfig?.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore ?? true
+		} catch {
+			// Fall back to default (respect .gitignore) if config proxy is not available
+		}
+
+		// Create .gitignore instance (only when respecting .gitignore)
+		if (respectGitIgnore) {
+			const ignorePath = path.join(workspacePath, ".gitignore")
+			try {
+				const content = await fs.readFile(ignorePath, "utf8")
+				ignoreInstance.add(content)
+				ignoreInstance.add(".gitignore")
+			} catch (error) {
+				// Should never happen: reading file failed even though it exists
+				console.error("Unexpected error loading .gitignore:", error)
+				TelemetryService.instance.captureEvent(TelemetryEventName.CODE_INDEX_ERROR, {
+					error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+					stack: error instanceof Error ? error.stack : undefined,
+					location: "_recreateServices",
+				})
+			}
 		}
 
 		// Create RooIgnoreController instance
@@ -396,6 +407,7 @@ export class CodeIndexManager {
 			this._cacheManager!,
 			ignoreInstance,
 			rooIgnoreController,
+			respectGitIgnore,
 		)
 
 		// Validate embedder configuration before proceeding
diff --git a/src/services/code-index/processors/scanner.ts b/src/services/code-index/processors/scanner.ts
index 5d9ff5e362..8c18ccb1d8 100644
--- a/src/services/code-index/processors/scanner.ts
+++ b/src/services/code-index/processors/scanner.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ export class DirectoryScanner implements IDirectoryScanner {
 		private readonly cacheManager: CacheManager,
 		private readonly ignoreInstance: Ignore,
 		batchSegmentThreshold?: number,
+		private readonly respectGitIgnore: boolean = true,
 	) {
 		// Get the configurable batch size from VSCode settings, fallback to default
 		// If not provided in constructor, try to get from VSCode settings
@@ -77,8 +78,13 @@ export class DirectoryScanner implements IDirectoryScanner {
 		// Capture workspace context at scan start
 		const scanWorkspace = getWorkspacePathForContext(directoryPath)
 
-		// Get all files recursively (handles .gitignore automatically)
-		const [allPaths, _] = await listFiles(directoryPath, true, MAX_LIST_FILES_LIMIT_CODE_INDEX)
+		// Get all files recursively (handles .gitignore based on respectGitIgnore setting)
+		const [allPaths, _] = await listFiles(
+			directoryPath,
+			true,
+			MAX_LIST_FILES_LIMIT_CODE_INDEX,
+			this.respectGitIgnore,
+		)
 
 		// Filter out directories (marked with trailing '/')
 		const filePaths = allPaths.filter((p) => !p.endsWith("/"))
diff --git a/src/services/code-index/service-factory.ts b/src/services/code-index/service-factory.ts
index d23eff4810..b26c83b4c6 100644
--- a/src/services/code-index/service-factory.ts
+++ b/src/services/code-index/service-factory.ts
@@ -181,6 +181,7 @@ export class CodeIndexServiceFactory {
 		vectorStore: IVectorStore,
 		parser: ICodeParser,
 		ignoreInstance: Ignore,
+		respectGitIgnore: boolean = true,
 	): DirectoryScanner {
 		// Get the configurable batch size from VSCode settings
 		let batchSize: number
@@ -192,7 +193,15 @@ export class CodeIndexServiceFactory {
 			// In test environment, vscode.workspace might not be available
 			batchSize = BATCH_SEGMENT_THRESHOLD
 		}
-		return new DirectoryScanner(embedder, vectorStore, parser, this.cacheManager, ignoreInstance, batchSize)
+		return new DirectoryScanner(
+			embedder,
+			vectorStore,
+			parser,
+			this.cacheManager,
+			ignoreInstance,
+			batchSize,
+			respectGitIgnore,
+		)
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -237,6 +246,7 @@ export class CodeIndexServiceFactory {
 		cacheManager: CacheManager,
 		ignoreInstance: Ignore,
 		rooIgnoreController?: RooIgnoreController,
+		respectGitIgnore: boolean = true,
 	): {
 		embedder: IEmbedder
 		vectorStore: IVectorStore
@@ -251,7 +261,7 @@ export class CodeIndexServiceFactory {
 		const embedder = this.createEmbedder()
 		const vectorStore = this.createVectorStore()
 		const parser = codeParser
-		const scanner = this.createDirectoryScanner(embedder, vectorStore, parser, ignoreInstance)
+		const scanner = this.createDirectoryScanner(embedder, vectorStore, parser, ignoreInstance, respectGitIgnore)
 		const fileWatcher = this.createFileWatcher(
 			context,
 			embedder,
diff --git a/src/services/glob/__mocks__/list-files.ts b/src/services/glob/__mocks__/list-files.ts
index d798762691..c1f58e1158 100644
--- a/src/services/glob/__mocks__/list-files.ts
+++ b/src/services/glob/__mocks__/list-files.ts
@@ -28,9 +28,10 @@ const mockResolve = (dirPath: string): string => {
  * @param dirPath - Directory path to list files from
  * @param recursive - Whether to list files recursively
  * @param limit - Maximum number of files to return
+ * @param _respectGitIgnore - Whether to respect .gitignore (ignored in mock)
  * @returns Promise resolving to [file paths, limit reached flag]
  */
-export const listFiles = vi.fn((dirPath: string, _recursive: boolean, limit: number) => {
+export const listFiles = vi.fn((dirPath: string, _recursive: boolean, limit: number, _respectGitIgnore?: boolean) => {
 	// Early return for limit of 0 - matches the actual implementation
 	if (limit === 0) {
 		return Promise.resolve([[], false])
diff --git a/src/services/glob/list-files.ts b/src/services/glob/list-files.ts
index 5366bbb84b..76ed0067d4 100644
--- a/src/services/glob/list-files.ts
+++ b/src/services/glob/list-files.ts
@@ -28,9 +28,15 @@ interface ScanContext {
  * @param dirPath - Directory path to list files from
  * @param recursive - Whether to recursively list files in subdirectories
  * @param limit - Maximum number of files to return
+ * @param respectGitIgnore - Whether to respect .gitignore when listing files (default: true)
  * @returns Tuple of [file paths array, whether the limit was reached]
  */
-export async function listFiles(dirPath: string, recursive: boolean, limit: number): Promise<[string[], boolean]> {
+export async function listFiles(
+	dirPath: string,
+	recursive: boolean,
+	limit: number,
+	respectGitIgnore: boolean = true,
+): Promise<[string[], boolean]> {
 	// Early return for limit of 0 - no need to scan anything
 	if (limit === 0) {
 		return [[], false]
@@ -48,8 +54,8 @@ export async function listFiles(dirPath: string, recursive: boolean, limit: numb
 
 	if (!recursive) {
 		// For non-recursive, use the existing approach
-		const files = await listFilesWithRipgrep(rgPath, dirPath, false, limit)
-		const ignoreInstance = await createIgnoreInstance(dirPath)
+		const files = await listFilesWithRipgrep(rgPath, dirPath, false, limit, respectGitIgnore)
+		const ignoreInstance = await createIgnoreInstance(dirPath, respectGitIgnore)
 		// Calculate remaining limit for directories
 		const remainingLimit = Math.max(0, limit - files.length)
 		const directories = await listFilteredDirectories(dirPath, false, ignoreInstance, remainingLimit)
@@ -57,8 +63,8 @@ export async function listFiles(dirPath: string, recursive: boolean, limit: numb
 	}
 
 	// For recursive mode, use the original approach but ensure first-level directories are included
-	const files = await listFilesWithRipgrep(rgPath, dirPath, true, limit)
-	const ignoreInstance = await createIgnoreInstance(dirPath)
+	const files = await listFilesWithRipgrep(rgPath, dirPath, true, limit, respectGitIgnore)
+	const ignoreInstance = await createIgnoreInstance(dirPath, respectGitIgnore)
 	// Calculate remaining limit for directories
 	const remainingLimit = Math.max(0, limit - files.length)
 	const directories = await listFilteredDirectories(dirPath, true, ignoreInstance, remainingLimit)
@@ -202,8 +208,9 @@ async function listFilesWithRipgrep(
 	dirPath: string,
 	recursive: boolean,
 	limit: number,
+	respectGitIgnore: boolean = true,
 ): Promise<string[]> {
-	const rgArgs = buildRipgrepArgs(dirPath, recursive)
+	const rgArgs = buildRipgrepArgs(dirPath, recursive, respectGitIgnore)
 
 	const relativePaths = await execRipgrep(rgPath, rgArgs, limit)
 
@@ -216,10 +223,15 @@ async function listFilesWithRipgrep(
 /**
  * Build appropriate ripgrep arguments based on whether we're doing a recursive search
  */
-function buildRipgrepArgs(dirPath: string, recursive: boolean): string[] {
+function buildRipgrepArgs(dirPath: string, recursive: boolean, respectGitIgnore: boolean = true): string[] {
 	// Base arguments to list files
 	const args = ["--files", "--hidden", "--follow"]
 
+	// When not respecting .gitignore, tell ripgrep to skip VCS ignore files
+	if (!respectGitIgnore) {
+		args.push("--no-ignore-vcs")
+	}
+
 	if (recursive) {
 		return [...args, ...buildRecursiveArgs(dirPath), dirPath]
 	} else {
@@ -234,7 +246,7 @@ function buildRecursiveArgs(dirPath: string): string[] {
 	const args: string[] = []
 
 	// In recursive mode, respect .gitignore by default
-	// (ripgrep does this automatically)
+	// (ripgrep does this automatically; --no-ignore-vcs is added at buildRipgrepArgs level when needed)
 
 	// Check if we're explicitly targeting a hidden directory
 	// Normalize the path first to handle edge cases
@@ -303,7 +315,7 @@ function buildNonRecursiveArgs(): string[] {
 	args.push("--maxdepth", "1") // ripgrep uses maxdepth, not max-depth
 
 	// Respect .gitignore in non-recursive mode too
-	// (ripgrep respects .gitignore by default)
+	// (ripgrep respects .gitignore by default; --no-ignore-vcs is added at buildRipgrepArgs level when needed)
 
 	// Apply directory exclusions for non-recursive searches
 	for (const dir of DIRS_TO_IGNORE) {
@@ -326,9 +338,23 @@ function buildNonRecursiveArgs(): string[] {
 /**
  * Create an ignore instance that handles .gitignore files properly
  * This replaces the custom gitignore parsing with the proper ignore library
+ *
+ * @param dirPath - Directory path to create ignore instance for
+ * @param respectGitIgnore - Whether to load .gitignore patterns (default: true).
+ *   When false, returns an empty ignore instance so no gitignore filtering is applied.
  */
-async function createIgnoreInstance(dirPath: string): Promise<ReturnType<typeof ignore>> {
+async function createIgnoreInstance(
+	dirPath: string,
+	respectGitIgnore: boolean = true,
+): Promise<ReturnType<typeof ignore>> {
 	const ignoreInstance = ignore()
+
+	// When not respecting .gitignore, return an empty ignore instance
+	// so no gitignore-based filtering is applied to directories
+	if (!respectGitIgnore) {
+		return ignoreInstance
+	}
+
 	const absolutePath = path.resolve(dirPath)
 
 	// Find all .gitignore files from the target directory up to the root
diff --git a/webview-ui/src/components/chat/CodeIndexPopover.tsx b/webview-ui/src/components/chat/CodeIndexPopover.tsx
index 763c243ec1..d815b69be9 100644
--- a/webview-ui/src/components/chat/CodeIndexPopover.tsx
+++ b/webview-ui/src/components/chat/CodeIndexPopover.tsx
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ interface LocalCodeIndexSettings {
 	codebaseIndexVercelAiGatewayApiKey?: string
 	codebaseIndexOpenRouterApiKey?: string
 	codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider?: string
+	codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore?: boolean
 }
 
 // Validation schema for codebase index settings
@@ -225,6 +226,7 @@ export const CodeIndexPopover: React.FC<CodeIndexPopoverProps> = ({
 		codebaseIndexVercelAiGatewayApiKey: "",
 		codebaseIndexOpenRouterApiKey: "",
 		codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider: "",
+		codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore: true,
 	})
 
 	// Initial settings state - stores the settings when popover opens
@@ -265,6 +267,7 @@ export const CodeIndexPopover: React.FC<CodeIndexPopoverProps> = ({
 				codebaseIndexOpenRouterApiKey: "",
 				codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider:
 					codebaseIndexConfig.codebaseIndexOpenRouterSpecificProvider || "",
+				codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore: codebaseIndexConfig.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore ?? true,
 			}
 			setInitialSettings(settings)
 			setCurrentSettings(settings)
@@ -1586,6 +1589,24 @@ export const CodeIndexPopover: React.FC<CodeIndexPopoverProps> = ({
 											</VSCodeButton>
 										</div>
 									</div>
+									{/* Respect .gitignore toggle */}
+									<div className="space-y-2">
+										<div className="flex items-center gap-2">
+											<VSCodeCheckbox
+												checked={currentSettings.codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore ?? true}
+												onChange={(e: any) =>
+													updateSetting("codebaseIndexRespectGitIgnore", e.target.checked)
+												}>
+												<span className="font-medium">
+													{t("settings:codeIndex.respectGitIgnoreLabel")}
+												</span>
+											</VSCodeCheckbox>
+											<StandardTooltip
+												content={t("settings:codeIndex.respectGitIgnoreDescription")}>
+												<span className="codicon codicon-info text-xs text-vscode-descriptionForeground cursor-help" />
+											</StandardTooltip>
+										</div>
+									</div>
 								</div>
 							)}
 						</div>
diff --git a/webview-ui/src/i18n/locales/en/settings.json b/webview-ui/src/i18n/locales/en/settings.json
index 183cd663e3..f1e91d8ad6 100644
--- a/webview-ui/src/i18n/locales/en/settings.json
+++ b/webview-ui/src/i18n/locales/en/settings.json
@@ -229,6 +229,8 @@
 		"searchMaxResultsLabel": "Maximum Search Results",
 		"searchMaxResultsDescription": "Maximum number of search results to return when querying the codebase index. Higher values provide more context but may include less relevant results.",
 		"resetToDefault": "Reset to default",
+		"respectGitIgnoreLabel": "Respect .gitignore",
+		"respectGitIgnoreDescription": "When enabled, files listed in .gitignore are excluded from indexing and file listings. When disabled, only .rooignore is used for filtering, allowing gitignored files to be indexed and discovered by Roo Code.",
 		"startIndexingButton": "Start Indexing",
 		"clearIndexDataButton": "Clear Index Data",
 		"unsavedSettingsMessage": "Please save your settings before starting the indexing process.",