diff --git a/.ctags b/.ctags
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5cb871643
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.ctags
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+--exclude=.build
+--exclude=.idea
+--exclude=.shake
+--exclude=.stack-work
+--exclude=.vagrant
+--exclude=.vscode
+--exclude=_*
+--exclude=bin
+--exclude=doc/irc
+--exclude=doc/profs
+--exclude=dist
+--exclude=examples
+--exclude=bootstrap*
+--exclude=excanvas*
+--exclude=highslide*
+--exclude=jquery*
+--exclude=typeahead*
+--exclude=old
+--exclude=site/doc
+--exclude=site/files
+--exclude=site/hakyll-std
+--exclude=tests/addons/hledger-*
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 155431523..d5cbf40c3 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1480,9 +1480,11 @@ cabalusage: \
 	$(call def-help,cabalusage, show size of cabal working dirs if any )
 	-du -shc */dist* 2>/dev/null
 
-tag: emacstags \
+tag: emacstags-ctags \
 	$(call def-help,tag, generate tag files for source code navigation (for emacs) )
 
+# Tag haskell files with hasktags and just list the other main source files
+# so they will be traversed by tags-search/tags-query-replace.
 emacstags:
 	rm -f TAGS
 	hasktags -e $(SOURCEFILES)
@@ -1490,6 +1492,12 @@ emacstags:
 		printf "\n$$f,1\n" >> TAGS; \
 	done
 
+# Tag haskell files with hasktags and everything else not excluded by .ctags
+# with (exuberant) ctags.
+emacstags-ctags:
+	hasktags -e $(SOURCEFILES)
+	ctags -a -e -R  
+
 cleantags: \
 	$(call def-help-hide,cleantags, remove tag files )
 	rm -f TAGS tags