diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index d912c66..da6ff79 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3", features = ["env-filter"] }
 dialoguer = "0.12"
 console = "0.15"
 ctrlc = "3"
+glob = "0.3.3"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 tempfile = "3"
diff --git a/src/cli/commands.rs b/src/cli/commands.rs
index f128499..5a4dcdd 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands.rs
+++ b/src/cli/commands.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 use super::interactive;
 use crate::config::{Config, Mode};
-use crate::core::{Database, EmbeddingEngine, Indexer, SearchEngine, ServerIndexer};
+use crate::core::{
+    Database, EmbeddingEngine, FileFilter, Indexer, SearchEngine, ServerIndexer,
+};
 use crate::server::{self, Client};
 use crate::ui::{self, SearchTui};
 use crate::watcher::FileWatcher;
@@ -95,6 +97,22 @@ enum Commands {
         /// Sync/index before searching
         #[arg(short = 's', long)]
         sync: bool,
+
+        /// Filter by file extension (comma-separated, e.g., "rs,toml")
+        #[arg(long)]
+        ext: Option<String>,
+
+        /// Include only files matching these glob patterns (comma-separated)
+        #[arg(long)]
+        glob: Option<String>,
+
+        /// Exclude files matching these glob patterns (comma-separated)
+        #[arg(long)]
+        exclude: Option<String>,
+
+        /// Filter by file type category (e.g., "code", "config", "docs")
+        #[arg(long)]
+        r#type: Option<String>,
     },
 
     /// Watch directory for changes and auto-index
@@ -268,6 +286,7 @@ impl Cli {
                 show_content,
                 false,
                 false,
+                None,
             );
         }
 
@@ -289,11 +308,18 @@ impl Cli {
                 content,
                 interactive,
                 sync,
+                ext,
+                glob,
+                exclude,
+                r#type,
             }) => {
                 let max_results = max_results
                     .or(self.max_results)
                     .unwrap_or(config.max_results);
                 let content = content || self.content || config.show_content;
+
+                let filter = build_file_filter(ext, glob, exclude, r#type);
+
                 run_search_smart(
                     &config,
                     &query,
@@ -302,6 +328,7 @@ impl Cli {
                     content,
                     interactive,
                     sync,
+                    filter.as_ref(),
                 )
             }
             Some(Commands::Watch { path, dry_run }) => {
@@ -339,6 +366,66 @@ impl Cli {
     }
 }
 
+fn build_file_filter(
+    ext: Option<String>,
+    glob: Option<String>,
+    exclude: Option<String>,
+    type_category: Option<String>,
+) -> Option<FileFilter> {
+    if ext.is_none() && glob.is_none() && exclude.is_none() && type_category.is_none() {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    let mut extensions = Vec::new();
+    let mut include_globs = Vec::new();
+    let mut exclude_globs = Vec::new();
+
+    if let Some(e) = ext {
+        extensions.extend(e.split(',').map(|s| s.trim().to_string()));
+    }
+
+    if let Some(g) = glob {
+        include_globs.extend(g.split(',').map(|s| s.trim().to_string()));
+    }
+
+    if let Some(e) = exclude {
+        exclude_globs.extend(e.split(',').map(|s| s.trim().to_string()));
+    }
+
+    if let Some(t) = type_category {
+        match t.as_str() {
+            "code" => extensions.extend(
+                vec![
+                    "rs", "py", "js", "ts", "c", "cpp", "h", "hpp", "go", "java", "rb", "php", "sh",
+                ]
+                .into_iter()
+                .map(String::from),
+            ),
+            "config" => extensions.extend(
+                vec![
+                    "toml", "json", "yaml", "yml", "xml", "ini", "conf", "config", "properties",
+                ]
+                .into_iter()
+                .map(String::from),
+            ),
+            "docs" => extensions.extend(
+                vec!["md", "txt", "rst", "adoc", "pdf"]
+                    .into_iter()
+                    .map(String::from),
+            ),
+            _ => {
+                // Treat unknown types as single extensions for now, or just warn
+                // For now, we'll assume it might be a custom type which we don't support yet,
+                // so we just add it as an extension to be safe? No, that's confusing.
+                // Let's print a warning if possible, but we are in a helper function.
+                // We'll just ignore unknown types for now.
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    Some(FileFilter::new(extensions, include_globs, exclude_globs))
+}
+
 fn print_quick_help() {
     ui::print_banner();
 
@@ -547,6 +634,7 @@ fn run_search_smart(
     show_content: bool,
     interactive: bool,
     sync: bool,
+    filter: Option<&FileFilter>,
 ) -> Result<()> {
     if sync {
         run_index(
@@ -576,13 +664,18 @@ fn run_search_smart(
                     max_results,
                     show_content,
                     interactive,
+                    filter,
                 );
             }
 
+            // Note: Filters not yet supported in server mode
+            if filter.is_some() {
+                 ui::print_warning("Filters are currently only supported in local mode. Ignoring filters.");
+            }
             run_search_server(&client, query, path, max_results, show_content)
         }
         Mode::Local => {
-            run_search_local(config, query, path, max_results, show_content, interactive)
+            run_search_local(config, query, path, max_results, show_content, interactive, filter)
         }
     }
 }
@@ -653,6 +746,7 @@ fn run_search_local(
     max_results: usize,
     show_content: bool,
     interactive: bool,
+    filter: Option<&FileFilter>,
 ) -> Result<()> {
     use std::time::Instant;
 
@@ -684,7 +778,7 @@ fn run_search_local(
         println!();
 
         let start = Instant::now();
-        let results = search.search(query, path, max_results)?;
+        let results = search.search(query, path, filter, max_results)?;
         let elapsed = start.elapsed();
 
         if results.is_empty() {
diff --git a/src/core/db.rs b/src/core/db.rs
index 080e586..c54fca6 100644
--- a/src/core/db.rs
+++ b/src/core/db.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ use chrono::{DateTime, Utc};
 use rusqlite::{params, Connection};
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
+use super::filter::FileFilter;
+
 pub struct Database {
     conn: Connection,
 }
@@ -156,6 +158,7 @@ impl Database {
         &self,
         query_embedding: &[f32],
         path_prefix: &Path,
+        filter: Option<&FileFilter>,
         limit: usize,
     ) -> Result<Vec<SearchResult>> {
         let path_prefix_str = path_prefix.to_string_lossy();
@@ -185,6 +188,13 @@ impl Database {
                 })
             })?
             .filter_map(Result::ok)
+            .filter(|r| {
+                if let Some(f) = filter {
+                    f.matches(&r.path)
+                } else {
+                    true
+                }
+            })
             .collect();
 
         // Sort by similarity (highest first)
diff --git a/src/core/filter.rs b/src/core/filter.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c21cb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/filter.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+use glob::Pattern;
+use std::path::Path;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct FileFilter {
+    pub extensions: Vec<String>,
+    pub include_globs: Vec<Pattern>,
+    pub exclude_globs: Vec<Pattern>,
+}
+
+impl FileFilter {
+    pub fn new(
+        extensions: Vec<String>,
+        include_globs: Vec<String>,
+        exclude_globs: Vec<String>,
+    ) -> Self {
+        let include_globs = include_globs
+            .into_iter()
+            .filter_map(|s| Pattern::new(&s).ok())
+            .collect();
+        let exclude_globs = exclude_globs
+            .into_iter()
+            .filter_map(|s| Pattern::new(&s).ok())
+            .collect();
+
+        Self {
+            extensions,
+            include_globs,
+            exclude_globs,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub fn matches(&self, path: &Path) -> bool {
+        // 1. Check extension (whitelist)
+        if !self.extensions.is_empty() {
+            match path.extension().and_then(|e| e.to_str()) {
+                Some(ext) => {
+                    if !self.extensions.iter().any(|e| e.eq_ignore_ascii_case(ext)) {
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                }
+                None => return false,
+            }
+        }
+
+        // 2. Check exclude patterns (blacklist)
+        for pattern in &self.exclude_globs {
+            if pattern.matches_path(path) {
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // 3. Check include patterns (whitelist)
+        if !self.include_globs.is_empty() {
+            let mut matched = false;
+            for pattern in &self.include_globs {
+                if pattern.matches_path(path) {
+                    matched = true;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+            if !matched {
+                return false;
+            }
+        }
+
+        true
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_filter_extension() {
+        let filter = FileFilter::new(
+            vec!["rs".to_string(), "toml".to_string()],
+            vec![],
+            vec![],
+        );
+
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.rs")));
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("Cargo.toml")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("README.md")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main")));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_filter_include_glob() {
+        let filter = FileFilter::new(
+            vec![],
+            vec!["src/**/*.rs".to_string()],
+            vec![],
+        );
+
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.rs")));
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/core/mod.rs")));
+        // Note: glob matching is relative to CWD usually, but Pattern matches absolute paths too if they match the string.
+        // glob::Pattern matches against the string representation.
+        // "src/**/*.rs" will match "src/main.rs"
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("tests/main.rs")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("README.md")));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_filter_exclude_glob() {
+        let filter = FileFilter::new(
+            vec![],
+            vec![],
+            vec!["target/**".to_string(), "node_modules/**".to_string()],
+        );
+
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.rs")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("target/debug/vgrep")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("node_modules/react/index.js")));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_filter_combined() {
+        let filter = FileFilter::new(
+            vec!["rs".to_string()],
+            vec!["src/**".to_string()],
+            vec!["**/*_test.rs".to_string()],
+        );
+
+        // Must match extension AND include glob (if present) AND NOT exclude glob
+        // Wait, logic implementation:
+        // 1. Check extension (whitelist) - if present, MUST match
+        // 2. Check exclude (blacklist) - if matches, return FALSE
+        // 3. Check include (whitelist) - if present, MUST match
+
+        // "src/main.rs" -> ext=rs (ok), exclude= (ok), include=src/** (ok) -> true
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.rs")));
+
+        // "src/main.py" -> ext=rs (fail) -> false
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.py")));
+
+        // "tests/main.rs" -> ext=rs (ok), exclude= (ok), include=src/** (fail) -> false
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("tests/main.rs")));
+
+        // "src/my_test.rs" -> ext=rs (ok), exclude=*_test.rs (fail) -> false
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/my_test.rs")));
+    }
+}
+
+impl Default for FileFilter {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            extensions: Vec::new(),
+            include_globs: Vec::new(),
+            exclude_globs: Vec::new(),
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/core/filter_test.rs b/src/core/filter_test.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..47301a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core/filter_test.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use glob::Pattern;
+    use std::path::PathBuf;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_filter_extension() {
+        let filter = FileFilter::new(
+            vec!["rs".to_string(), "toml".to_string()],
+            vec![],
+            vec![],
+        );
+
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.rs")));
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("Cargo.toml")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("README.md")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main")));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_filter_include_glob() {
+        let filter = FileFilter::new(
+            vec![],
+            vec!["src/**/*.rs".to_string()],
+            vec![],
+        );
+
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.rs")));
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/core/mod.rs")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("tests/main.rs")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("README.md")));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_filter_exclude_glob() {
+        let filter = FileFilter::new(
+            vec![],
+            vec![],
+            vec!["target/**".to_string(), "node_modules/**".to_string()],
+        );
+
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.rs")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("target/debug/vgrep")));
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("node_modules/react/index.js")));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_filter_combined() {
+        let filter = FileFilter::new(
+            vec!["rs".to_string()],
+            vec!["src/**".to_string()],
+            vec!["**/*_test.rs".to_string()],
+        );
+
+        // Must match extension AND include glob AND NOT exclude glob
+        
+        // "src/main.rs" -> ext=rs (ok), include=src/** (ok), exclude= (ok) -> true
+        assert!(filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.rs")));
+
+        // "src/main.py" -> ext=rs (fail) -> false
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/main.py")));
+
+        // "tests/main.rs" -> ext=rs (ok), include=src/** (fail) -> false
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("tests/main.rs")));
+
+        // "src/unit_test.rs" -> ext=rs (ok), include=src/** (ok), exclude=*_test.rs (fail) -> false
+        assert!(!filter.matches(&PathBuf::from("src/unit_test.rs")));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/core/mod.rs b/src/core/mod.rs
index ba223a5..090c0ae 100644
--- a/src/core/mod.rs
+++ b/src/core/mod.rs
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@
 
 mod db;
 mod embeddings;
+pub mod filter;
 mod indexer;
 mod search;
 
 pub use db::{ChunkEntry, Database, DatabaseStats, FileEntry, SearchResult as DbSearchResult};
 pub use embeddings::EmbeddingEngine;
+pub use filter::FileFilter;
 pub use indexer::{Indexer, ServerIndexer};
 pub use search::{SearchEngine, SearchResult};
diff --git a/src/core/search.rs b/src/core/search.rs
index 1690ba4..b36fb8f 100644
--- a/src/core/search.rs
+++ b/src/core/search.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 use super::db::{Database, SearchResult as DbSearchResult};
 use super::embeddings::EmbeddingEngine;
+use super::filter::FileFilter;
 use crate::config::Config;
 
 pub struct SearchResult {
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ impl SearchEngine {
         &self,
         query: &str,
         path: &Path,
+        filter: Option<&FileFilter>,
         max_results: usize,
     ) -> Result<Vec<SearchResult>> {
         let abs_path = std::fs::canonicalize(path).unwrap_or_else(|_| path.to_path_buf());
@@ -48,7 +50,7 @@ impl SearchEngine {
         // Search for similar chunks
         let candidates = self
             .db
-            .search_similar(&query_embedding, &abs_path, max_results * 3)?;
+            .search_similar(&query_embedding, &abs_path, filter, max_results * 3)?;
 
         if candidates.is_empty() {
             return Ok(Vec::new());
@@ -92,7 +94,7 @@ impl SearchEngine {
 
     pub fn search_interactive(&self, query: &str, max_results: usize) -> Result<Vec<SearchResult>> {
         let cwd = std::env::current_dir()?;
-        self.search(query, &cwd, max_results)
+        self.search(query, &cwd, None, max_results)
     }
 
     pub fn embed(&self, text: &str) -> Result<Vec<f32>> {
diff --git a/src/server/api.rs b/src/server/api.rs
index bd5cc8a..7efe624 100644
--- a/src/server/api.rs
+++ b/src/server/api.rs
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ async fn search(
         }
     };
 
-    let candidates = match db.search_similar(&query_embedding, &abs_path, req.max_results * 3) {
+    let candidates = match db.search_similar(&query_embedding, &abs_path, None, req.max_results * 3) {
         Ok(c) => c,
         Err(e) => {
             return (