diff --git a/archive/.gitignore b/archive/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9d2eabccb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/archive/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# Ignore everything
+*
+
+# But not these files...
+!.gitignore
+!README.md
+
diff --git a/archive/README.md b/archive/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e80ecef42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/archive/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+This folder is only intended for keeping temporary downloaded files needed by install_utils and specific plugins. See [here](https://gitlab.com/QEF/q-e/-/issues/467) for more details.