diff --git a/.editorconfig b/.editorconfig
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..99dd79af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.editorconfig
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# EditorConfig — machine-enforced formatting conventions for the Ludic repo.
+# Mirrors ludic-fmt (tools/ludic-tools/fmt.ludic), which re-indents with a
+# 2-space unit and normalises to LF/UTF-8. https://editorconfig.org
+root = true
+
+# Ludic is the primary language; 2-space indent, LF, UTF-8, no trailing
+# whitespace, and a final newline everywhere by default.
+[*]
+charset = utf-8
+end_of_line = lf
+insert_final_newline = true
+trim_trailing_whitespace = true
+indent_style = space
+indent_size = 2
+
+# The docgen/asset tooling is Python — PEP 8's 4-space indent.
+[*.py]
+indent_size = 4
+
+# Markdown uses two trailing spaces as a hard line break; keep them.
+[*.md]
+trim_trailing_whitespace = false
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index e5eba8b0..e1040ea0 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
-build
-**.zip
-out.ppm
+# Generated build tree: LLVM IR, objects, compiled apps and the docs site all
+# land under build/ (see `bin/x build` / `bin/x clean`). Root-anchored so a
+# source dir named "build" elsewhere is never accidentally ignored.
+/build/
+
+# Headless render dropped in the working directory by a --headless run.
+/out.ppm
+
+# Archives are never tracked: the Kenney art is committed *extracted* under
+# assets/kenney/**/ (PNG/tmx/License), while the original download .zips and any
+# packaged plugin .zip are local-only build inputs/outputs.
+*.zip
 
 # the toolchain binaries (ludicc, ludic, x, ludic-fmt, ludic-lsp) — all built
 # into bin/ by the one-line bootstrap + `bin/x build`; never checked in. The
@@ -15,7 +24,7 @@ tools/editors/jetbrains/build/
 
 # IntelliJ plugin SDK sandbox (tools/editors/jetbrains)
 .intellijPlatform/
-.idea
+.idea/
 
 # macOS Finder metadata
 .DS_Store
diff --git a/tools/x/build.ludic b/tools/x/build.ludic
index 384a7ac0..a9d989f4 100644
--- a/tools/x/build.ludic
+++ b/tools/x/build.ludic
@@ -81,3 +81,15 @@ function cmd_app() -> int {
   print(`done. run: ./{outbin}   (from the repo root, so assets/ resolves)`)
   return 0
 }
+
+# Remove every generated artifact and leave the tracked source untouched: the
+# whole build/ tree (IR, objects, compiled apps), the headless render dropped in
+# the root (out.ppm), and any stray *.tmp/*.ll left behind by a failed build.
+# The toolchain binaries in bin/ are kept so the running `x` survives; rebuild
+# them any time with `x build`.
+function cmd_clean() -> int {
+  run("rm -rf build")
+  run("rm -f out.ppm bin/*.tmp")
+  print("cleaned: build/, out.ppm, bin/*.tmp  (bin/ toolchain kept — `x build` to rebuild)")
+  return 0
+}
diff --git a/tools/x/main.ludic b/tools/x/main.ludic
index 8fa95c22..b2dd86be 100644
--- a/tools/x/main.ludic
+++ b/tools/x/main.ludic
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ program X {
     print("  x app <file.ludic> [--headless] [--save-temps]")
     print("                                compile a Ludic program to a native app in build/")
     print("  x tools [--install] [--test]  build the editor toolchain (ludic-fmt, ludic-lsp)")
+    print("  x clean                       remove build/, out.ppm and stray artifacts (keeps bin/)")
     print("")
     print("test:")
     print("  x test                        the full regression suite")
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ program X {
     if (cmd == "build-cli") { exit(cmd_build_cli()) }
     if (cmd == "app") { exit(cmd_app()) }
     if (cmd == "tools") { exit(cmd_tools()) }
+    if (cmd == "clean") { exit(cmd_clean()) }
     if (cmd == "test") { exit(cmd_test()) }
     if (cmd == "selfhost-test") { exit(cmd_selfhost_test()) }
     if (cmd == "test-tools") { exit(cmd_test_tools()) }