diff --git a/reference/.gdignore b/reference/.gdignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dae49df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/reference/.gdignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+# Reference projects are research inputs, not OpenWC runtime resources.
diff --git a/reference/README.md b/reference/README.md
index d1a9e22..f9f5eba 100644
--- a/reference/README.md
+++ b/reference/README.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ Reference-only sources and tools.
 
 This directory contains external projects used to compare WoW file-format behavior and editor pipelines while implementing OpenWC. Runtime code should not depend on anything in this directory.
 
+Godot project scanning is disabled for this directory by `.gdignore`. Reference
+assets remain available to Git, text search and external tooling, but Godot must
+not generate `.import` sidecars inside nested reference repositories.
+
 - `blender-wow-studio-3.4-1.1.0_Experimental/` - Blender add-on sources for M2/WMO import/export reference.
 - `wow.export/` - wow.export source tree and Blender OBJ importer reference.
 - `noggit-red/` - Noggit RED source tree from `https://gitlab.com/dirtbikercj/noggit-red`, used as a reference for WoW 3.3.5 map editing, ADT/WMO/M2 placement behavior, UID handling and editor workflows.