file-patterns.md

Unpack patterns

electron_app.asar_unpacked_patterns and electron_asar.unpacked_patterns select regular files for the unpacked sidecar. Supply a declared execution tool:

load("@rules_electron//electron:matching.bzl", "electron_file_matcher")

electron_file_matcher(
    name = "file_matcher",
    node = "@nodejs_26_13_0//:node",
    modules = ":pinned_minimatch_modules",
)

# electron_app attributes:
asar_unpacked_patterns = ["**/*.{node,dll}", "!**/fixtures/**"],
file_matcher = ":file_matcher",

The modules tree retains node_modules/minimatch and its locked dependencies. The example pins minimatch 10.2.4 and uses source-built hermeticbuild Node. No npm installation or target executable runs in assembly actions.

Patterns match archive-relative POSIX paths, case-sensitively, with dotfiles included. Globstars, braces, character classes and extglobs use minimatch itself. Patterns apply in order: inclusion, exclusion, then explicit re-inclusion. A bare directory name also selects its descendants. Selection starts empty; use **/* before an exclusion when all other files should match.

Matching sees only declared regular files after tree expansion. It does not walk the execution host's filesystem or select virtual ASAR links. Explicit asar_unpacked/unpacked paths join the selection and remain unpacked even when a pattern excludes them. Exact paths still fail when absent; patterns may match nothing. App patterns require asar=True.

BB unit tests, grammar tests and seven cross-build variants and native smoke passed. Native examples select unpacked addons through patterns in both main and additional ASARs on Linux x64, macOS ARM64 and Windows x64/ARM64 with GNU LLVM/MSVC. Existing installer/update and integrity checks also passed.