diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..924532b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# System files
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Dependencies (Crucial - these should never be in Git)
+node_modules/
+__pycache__/
+*.pyc
+
+# IDEs
+.vscode/
+.idea/
+
+# Environment secrets
+.env
+*.local
+
+# Build folders
+dist/
+build/
\ No newline at end of file