diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4313e9e..9f7cc77 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ Thumbs.db
 # Claude Code observability telemetry (per-checkout JSONL)
 .claude/observability/
 
+# Local scratch: backups, drafts, and working notes that never ship
+.work/
+
 # Node
 node_modules/