git-ignore-local

Ignore files locally in Git when you can’t use .gitignore.

git-ignore-local is a lightweight command-line tool that integrates with Git to help you ignore files using .git/info/exclude. This is useful when you want to ignore files locally but don’t want to (or can't) commit changes to .gitignore, such as machine-specific configs, debug logs, or IDE files.

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Installation

1. Download the prebuilt binary for your OS and architecture from the Releases page,
   or build it yourself by running:

   ./build.sh

2. Install it as a Git subcommand:

   sudo cp build/git-ignore-local-<your-platform> /usr/local/bin/git-ignore-local
   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/git-ignore-local

   You can now use it via:

   git ignore-local

Usage

Add files or patterns

git ignore-local <pattern1> <pattern2> ...

Example:

git ignore-local .env logs/debug.log config/dev.yaml

This appends the given patterns to .git/info/exclude.

Restore (remove) files or patterns

git ignore-local --restore <pattern1> <pattern2> ...

Example:

git ignore-local --restore logs/debug.log

This removes matching lines from .git/info/exclude.

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Notes

• All paths or patterns must be specified relative to the root of the Git repository.

  For example, if your Git project is located at:

  /home/user/my-project/
  

  And you want to ignore this file:

  /home/user/my-project/logs/debug.log
  

  You should run:

  git ignore-local logs/debug.log

  Do not use absolute paths or paths relative to your shell location. Always start from the Git root.

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Reporting Issues

If you find a bug or unexpected behavior, please open an issue in the repository. Contributions and feedback are welcome.