diff --git a/add.go b/add.go
index f17e3a9c943..f4e2943f057 100644
--- a/add.go
+++ b/add.go
@@ -47,8 +47,10 @@ type AddAndCopyOptions struct {
 	// If the sources include directory trees, Hasher will be passed
 	// tar-format archives of the directory trees.
 	Hasher io.Writer
-	// Excludes is the contents of the .dockerignore file.
+	// Excludes is the contents of the .containerignore file.
 	Excludes []string
+	// IgnoreFile is the path to the .containerignore file.
+	IgnoreFile string
 	// ContextDir is the base directory for content being copied and
 	// Excludes patterns.
 	ContextDir string
@@ -564,7 +566,11 @@ func (b *Builder) Add(destination string, extract bool, options AddAndCopyOption
 			}
 		}
 		if itemsCopied == 0 {
-			return errors.Wrapf(syscall.ENOENT, "no items matching glob %q copied (%d filtered out)", localSourceStat.Glob, len(localSourceStat.Globbed))
+			excludesFile := ""
+			if options.IgnoreFile != "" {
+				excludesFile = " using " + options.IgnoreFile
+			}
+			return errors.Wrapf(syscall.ENOENT, "no items matching glob %q copied (%d filtered out%s)", localSourceStat.Glob, len(localSourceStat.Globbed), excludesFile)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/cmd/buildah/addcopy.go b/cmd/buildah/addcopy.go
index 48c14b4934b..a77adb5ad41 100644
--- a/cmd/buildah/addcopy.go
+++ b/cmd/buildah/addcopy.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
@@ -12,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containers/buildah/pkg/parse"
 	"github.com/containers/common/pkg/auth"
 	"github.com/containers/storage"
-	"github.com/openshift/imagebuilder"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -231,11 +229,8 @@ func addAndCopyCmd(c *cobra.Command, args []string, verb string, iopts addCopyRe
 	}
 	if iopts.contextdir != "" {
 		var excludes []string
-		if iopts.ignoreFile != "" {
-			excludes, err = parseIgnore(iopts.ignoreFile)
-		} else {
-			excludes, err = imagebuilder.ParseDockerignore(contextdir)
-		}
+
+		excludes, options.IgnoreFile, err = parse.ContainerIgnoreFile(options.ContextDir, iopts.ignoreFile)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
@@ -273,18 +268,3 @@ func addAndCopyCmd(c *cobra.Command, args []string, verb string, iopts addCopyRe
 	conditionallyAddHistory(builder, c, "/bin/sh -c #(nop) %s %s%s", verb, contentType, digest.Hex())
 	return builder.Save()
 }
-
-func parseIgnore(ignoreFile string) ([]string, error) {
-	var excludes []string
-	ignore, err := ioutil.ReadFile(ignoreFile)
-	if err != nil {
-		return excludes, err
-	}
-	for _, e := range strings.Split(string(ignore), "\n") {
-		if len(e) == 0 || e[0] == '#' {
-			continue
-		}
-		excludes = append(excludes, e)
-	}
-	return excludes, nil
-}
diff --git a/cmd/buildah/build.go b/cmd/buildah/build.go
index 3bab1637510..bc5898d541d 100644
--- a/cmd/buildah/build.go
+++ b/cmd/buildah/build.go
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ func buildCmd(c *cobra.Command, inputArgs []string, iopts buildOptions) error {
 
 	var excludes []string
 	if iopts.IgnoreFile != "" {
-		if excludes, err = parseIgnore(iopts.IgnoreFile); err != nil {
+		if excludes, _, err = parse.ContainerIgnoreFile(contextDir, iopts.IgnoreFile); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
@@ -350,6 +350,7 @@ func buildCmd(c *cobra.Command, inputArgs []string, iopts buildOptions) error {
 		IIDFile:                 iopts.Iidfile,
 		In:                      stdin,
 		Isolation:               isolation,
+		IgnoreFile:              iopts.IgnoreFile,
 		Labels:                  iopts.Label,
 		Layers:                  layers,
 		LogRusage:               iopts.LogRusage,
diff --git a/define/build.go b/define/build.go
index c9e3f4a7d73..f5db8a9aaa6 100644
--- a/define/build.go
+++ b/define/build.go
@@ -227,6 +227,8 @@ type BuildOptions struct {
 	RusageLogFile string
 	// Excludes is a list of excludes to be used instead of the .dockerignore file.
 	Excludes []string
+	// IgnoreFile is a name of the .containerignore file
+	IgnoreFile string
 	// From is the image name to use to replace the value specified in the first
 	// FROM instruction in the Containerfile
 	From string
diff --git a/imagebuildah/executor.go b/imagebuildah/executor.go
index 0afe0a8f72d..ea81cab15a3 100644
--- a/imagebuildah/executor.go
+++ b/imagebuildah/executor.go
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ type Executor struct {
 	rootfsMap                      map[string]bool             // Holds the names of every stage whose rootfs is referenced in a COPY or ADD instruction.
 	blobDirectory                  string
 	excludes                       []string
+	ignoreFile                     string
 	unusedArgs                     map[string]struct{}
 	capabilities                   []string
 	devices                        define.ContainerDevices
@@ -143,7 +144,7 @@ func newExecutor(logger *logrus.Logger, logPrefix string, store storage.Store, o
 
 	excludes := options.Excludes
 	if len(excludes) == 0 {
-		excludes, err = imagebuilder.ParseDockerignore(options.ContextDirectory)
+		excludes, options.IgnoreFile, err = parse.ContainerIgnoreFile(options.ContextDirectory, options.IgnoreFile)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -208,6 +209,7 @@ func newExecutor(logger *logrus.Logger, logPrefix string, store storage.Store, o
 		store:                          store,
 		contextDir:                     options.ContextDirectory,
 		excludes:                       excludes,
+		ignoreFile:                     options.IgnoreFile,
 		pullPolicy:                     options.PullPolicy,
 		registry:                       options.Registry,
 		ignoreUnrecognizedInstructions: options.IgnoreUnrecognizedInstructions,
diff --git a/imagebuildah/stage_executor.go b/imagebuildah/stage_executor.go
index 059dbada337..1d1f174bed6 100644
--- a/imagebuildah/stage_executor.go
+++ b/imagebuildah/stage_executor.go
@@ -401,6 +401,7 @@ func (s *StageExecutor) Copy(excludes []string, copies ...imagebuilder.Copy) err
 			PreserveOwnership: preserveOwnership,
 			ContextDir:        contextDir,
 			Excludes:          copyExcludes,
+			IgnoreFile:        s.executor.ignoreFile,
 			IDMappingOptions:  idMappingOptions,
 			StripSetuidBit:    stripSetuid,
 			StripSetgidBit:    stripSetgid,
diff --git a/pkg/parse/parse.go b/pkg/parse/parse.go
index 99aa62b28d4..bde6cf71374 100644
--- a/pkg/parse/parse.go
+++ b/pkg/parse/parse.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/unshare"
 	units "github.com/docker/go-units"
 	specs "github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
+	"github.com/openshift/imagebuilder"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
@@ -1231,3 +1232,20 @@ func SSH(sshSources []string) (map[string]*sshagent.Source, error) {
 	}
 	return parsed, nil
 }
+
+func ContainerIgnoreFile(contextDir, path string) ([]string, string, error) {
+	if path != "" {
+		excludes, err := imagebuilder.ParseIgnore(path)
+		return excludes, path, err
+	}
+	path = filepath.Join(contextDir, ".containerignore")
+	excludes, err := imagebuilder.ParseIgnore(path)
+	if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		path = filepath.Join(contextDir, ".dockerignore")
+		excludes, err = imagebuilder.ParseIgnore(path)
+	}
+	if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		return excludes, "", nil
+	}
+	return excludes, path, err
+}
diff --git a/tests/bud.bats b/tests/bud.bats
index eeb4a338611..3eadf1d2814 100644
--- a/tests/bud.bats
+++ b/tests/bud.bats
@@ -110,6 +110,7 @@ symlink(subdir)"
 @test "bud with .dockerignore #2" {
   run_buildah 125 build -t testbud3 --signature-policy ${TESTSDIR}/policy.json ${TESTSDIR}/bud/dockerignore3
   expect_output --substring 'error building.*"COPY test1.txt /upload/test1.txt".*no such file or directory'
+  expect_output --substring $(realpath "${TESTSDIR}/bud/dockerignore3/.dockerignore")
 }
 
 @test "bud-flags-order-verification" {