diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2ea1e04..e05c3ca 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # nothing is built here. Guard against stray artifacts if someone runs a
 # build inside template/ while editing it.
 template/node_modules/
-template/src/index.jsx
+template/dist/
 template/.build/
 template/bin/*
 !template/bin/.gitkeep
diff --git a/template/.gitignore b/template/.gitignore
index 733707c..49e70d5 100644
--- a/template/.gitignore
+++ b/template/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-# build artifacts
+# build artifacts (the esbuild bundle lands in dist/index.jsx)
 /node_modules/
-/src/index.jsx
+/dist/
 /.build/
 
 # compiled BPF objects + generated CO-RE header
diff --git a/template/Makefile b/template/Makefile
index 9c96809..70cfe4e 100644
--- a/template/Makefile
+++ b/template/Makefile
@@ -28,8 +28,9 @@ all: bpf bundle
 
 # Bundle the entry with the vendored esbuild. esbuild honors tsconfig `paths`
 # (so `@/` resolves at bundle time), while `yeet:*` builtins and `*.bpf.o`
-# objects stay external. The bundle is written to src/index.jsx, which the
-# entry ladder prefers over src/main.jsx — so once built, that is what runs.
+# objects stay external. The bundle is written to dist/index.jsx: the entry
+# ladder tries dist/ before src/, so once built, that is what runs — and the
+# generated file stays out of the source tree (dist/ is gitignored).
 # The .jsx extension keeps the bundle eligible for component auto-mount.
 # Compiled BPF objects in bin/ are loaded by path at runtime, never imported,
 # so they are not bundled.
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ all: bpf bundle
 ESBUILD_FLAGS := --bundle --format=esm --platform=neutral \
 	--main-fields=module,main --conditions=import,module \
 	--define:import.meta.main=false \
-	--outfile=src/index.jsx --jsx=automatic --jsx-import-source=yeet:tui
+	--outfile=dist/index.jsx --jsx=automatic --jsx-import-source=yeet:tui
 
 bundle: | toolchain
 	$(ESBUILD) src/main.jsx $(ESBUILD_FLAGS) '--external:yeet:*' '--external:*.bpf.o'
@@ -62,6 +63,6 @@ postgen: | vendored-git
 	fi
 
 clean: clean-bpf
-	rm -rf node_modules dist src/index.jsx
+	rm -rf node_modules dist
 
 .PHONY: all bundle clean postgen
diff --git a/template/README.md b/template/README.md
index ddc8b2c..5f87b87 100644
--- a/template/README.md
+++ b/template/README.md
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ src/lib/format.js     pure render helpers (rate, duration, heat color)
 src/bpf/cpusched.bpf.c  sched_switch program + the runtime knob
 src/bpf/runqlat.bpf.c   wakeup→on-CPU latency histogram
 bin/                  the linked BPF object lands here
+dist/                 the esbuild JS bundle lands here (gitignored)
 .github/workflows/kernel-matrix.yml  CI: verify the object across kernels
 build/verify-kernel.sh  the in-VM gate that workflow runs
 ```
@@ -63,12 +64,12 @@ the `@/` alias; `main.jsx` wires them together and owns input.
 
 ```sh
 make           # compile BPF (clang + bpftool) + bundle JS (esbuild)
-yeet run .     # runs the bundled src/index.jsx (needs root for BPF)
+yeet run .     # runs the bundled dist/index.jsx (needs root for BPF)
 ```
 
 `make` runs two independent compilers: **clang + bpftool** compile
 `src/bpf/*.bpf.c` and link them into one loadable object `bin/probe.bpf.o`;
-**esbuild** bundles `src/main.jsx` into `src/index.jsx`, resolving the `@/`
+**esbuild** bundles `src/main.jsx` into `dist/index.jsx`, resolving the `@/`
 alias (and inlining any npm/jsr deps you add) and leaving `yeet:*` builtins
 external. esbuild is vendored by the toolchain, so the build needs no
 node/npm.
diff --git a/template/tsconfig.json b/template/tsconfig.json
index ac0d0fa..6782b63 100644
--- a/template/tsconfig.json
+++ b/template/tsconfig.json
@@ -17,5 +17,5 @@
     "skipLibCheck": true
   },
   "include": ["src"],
-  "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist", "src/index.jsx"]
+  "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"]
 }