---
title: Name the files a task must not touch
description: Put protected files on a task's Preserve list, and Ship leaves them unchanged while it builds the task.
url: https://openplanr.dev/docs/tips/name-files-to-preserve
updated: 2026-10-06
related:
  - https://openplanr.dev/docs/prompts/ship-a-direct-fix.md
  - https://openplanr.dev/docs/prompts/ship-one-task.md
  - https://openplanr.dev/docs/prompts/ship-within-preserve.md
---

# Name the files a task must not touch

Put protected files on a task's Preserve list, and Ship leaves them unchanged while it builds the task.

Every task has 3 file lists: Create, Modify, and Preserve. Create and Modify tell `/ship` (Claude Code), `$ship` (Codex) or `@planr-ship` (Cursor) where the change should land. Preserve names the files it must leave alone, such as a generated file, a vendored dependency, or a contract another team owns.

Ship treats Create and Modify as the expected surface, not a fence, and adds companion files, such as a test, when correctness needs them. Preserve entries stay unchanged, and so do unrelated changes already in your working tree.

When a review keeps flagging the same file, add it to the Preserve list of the tasks that come near it.