git-ignore

A command-line tool for easily adding patterns to git ignore files. Supports adding patterns to .gitignore, .git/info/exclude, or global gitignore files with validation and duplicate detection.

Features

• Multiple target files: Add patterns to .gitignore, .git/info/exclude, or global gitignore
• Smart duplicate detection: Automatically avoids adding duplicate patterns
• Pattern validation: Warns about potentially problematic patterns
• Git repository awareness: Works with regular repos, submodules, and worktrees
• Cross-platform: Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows
• Fast and reliable: Minimal dependencies, comprehensive test coverage

Installation

From crates.io (recommended)

With cargo (fastest and most reliable):

cargo install git-ignore-tool

Pre-built binaries

Download pre-built binaries for your platform from the releases page.

From source

Prerequisites: Rust 1.70+ (install via rustup)

git clone https://github.com/andrewleech/git-ignore.git
cd git-ignore
cargo build --release

The binary will be available at target/release/git-ignore.

For development

git clone https://github.com/andrewleech/git-ignore.git
cd git-ignore
cargo build
cargo test

Usage

Basic Usage

Add patterns to the repository's .gitignore file:

git ignore "*.pyc" "__pycache__/" "build/"

Target Specific Files

Add patterns to .git/info/exclude (not shared with others):

git ignore --local "*.tmp" "my-personal-notes.txt"

Add patterns to your global gitignore:

git ignore --global "*.log" ".DS_Store"

Options

• --local, -l: Add patterns to .git/info/exclude instead of .gitignore
• --global, -g: Add patterns to global gitignore file
• --no-validate: Skip pattern validation
• --allow-duplicates: Allow duplicate patterns to be added
• --version, -v: Show version information
• --help, -h: Show help message

Examples

# Add Python-specific patterns
git ignore "*.pyc" "*.pyo" "__pycache__/" ".pytest_cache/"

# Add build artifacts (local only, not shared)
git ignore --local "build/" "dist/" "*.egg-info/"

# Add OS-specific patterns globally
git ignore --global ".DS_Store" "Thumbs.db" "*.swp"

# Allow duplicates (useful for scripting)
git ignore --allow-duplicates "*.log"

# Skip validation for special patterns
git ignore --no-validate "*"

Pattern Validation

git ignore automatically validates patterns and provides feedback:

• ERROR: Patterns that would corrupt the ignore file (e.g., containing newlines)
• WARNING: Potentially problematic patterns (e.g., very broad patterns like *)
• INFO: Patterns that could be simplified (e.g., ./file → file)

$ git ignore "*"
WARNING: Potentially problematic patterns:
  *: Pattern is very broad and may ignore more than intended
Added 1 pattern to repository gitignore (.gitignore):
  *

Use --no-validate to skip validation when needed.

Exit Codes

git-ignore uses semantic exit codes:

• 0: Success
• 1: Pattern validation failed
• 2: Git repository issues (not in git repo, etc.)
• 3: Configuration issues (no global gitignore configured, etc.)
• 4: File system issues (permission denied, disk full, etc.)
• 130: Interrupted by user (Ctrl+C)
• 255: Unexpected error

Configuration

Global Gitignore Setup

To use --global, configure your global gitignore file:

# Set global gitignore file
git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global

# Or use the default location
mkdir -p ~/.config/git
touch ~/.config/git/ignore

Integration with Scripts

git ignore is designed to work well in scripts:

#!/bin/bash
# Add standard Python patterns
if git ignore "*.pyc" "__pycache__/" ".pytest_cache/"; then
    echo "Added Python ignore patterns"
else
    echo "Failed to add patterns (exit code: $?)" >&2
    exit 1
fi

Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/andrewleech/git-ignore.git
cd git-ignore
cargo build

Running Tests

# Unit tests
cargo test --lib

# Integration tests
cargo test --test integration_tests

# All tests
cargo test

Code Quality

# Linting
cargo clippy -- -D warnings

# Formatting
cargo fmt --check

# Full check
cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings

Building

# Build release binary
cargo build --release

# Test the built binary
./target/release/git-ignore --version

Architecture

The project consists of three main modules:

• git.rs: Git repository detection and path resolution
• ignore.rs: Core ignore file operations (reading, writing, validation)
• main.rs: CLI interface and argument parsing

See CLAUDE.md for detailed development information.

Supported Platforms

• Rust: 1.70.0+
• Operating Systems: Linux, macOS, Windows
• Git: Any version with git rev-parse support

Comparison with Alternatives

Feature	git-ignore	Manual editing	Other tools
Duplicate detection	✅	❌	Varies
Pattern validation	✅	❌	Limited
Multiple targets	✅	Manual	Limited
Git integration	✅	❌	Basic
Cross-platform	✅	✅	Varies
Batch operations	✅	Tedious	Limited

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Not in a git repository"

• Ensure you're running the command from within a git repository
• For --local option, the repository must have a .git directory

"No global gitignore file configured"

• Set up a global gitignore file: git config --global core.excludesfile ~/.gitignore_global
• Or create the default location: ~/.config/git/ignore

Permission errors

• Ensure you have write permissions to the target file
• For global gitignore, ensure the directory exists and is writable

Patterns not working as expected

• Check pattern validation warnings
• Verify patterns follow gitignore syntax

Getting Help

1. Check this README and the --help output
2. Look at the integration tests for usage examples
3. Open an issue on GitHub

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add tests for new functionality
4. Ensure all tests pass and code is formatted
5. Submit a pull request

See CLAUDE.md for development guidelines.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE file for details.