LoopyLuci Git Ignore Patterns
Trigger: Use when creating a .gitignore file, excluding generated files, or keeping secrets out of version control.
Pattern Syntax
| Pattern | Matches | Example |
|---|---|---|
file.txt |
Specific file anywhere | config.local.json |
/file.txt |
File only in repo root | /secret.key |
dir/ |
Directory anywhere | node_modules/ |
/dir/ |
Directory only in root | /build/ |
*.log |
All files with extension | debug.log, error.log |
**/temp |
Nested directories | src/a/temp, src/a/b/temp |
!important.log |
Negation (re-include) | Track important.log while ignoring others |
name?.txt |
Single char wildcard | name1.txt, nameA.txt |
name[0-9].txt |
Char range | name5.txt |
By Language / Framework
Node.js
node_modules/
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*
.pnp.*
.yarn/
.env
.env.*.local
dist/
coverage/
*.tsbuildinfo
Python
__pycache__/
*.py[cod]
*$py.class
*.so
.env
venv/
.venv/
env/
*.egg-info/
dist/
build/
*.egg
.coverage
htmlcov/
.tox/
.mypy_cache/
.ruff_cache/
.pytest_cache/
Rust
/target/
**/*.rs.bk
Cargo.lock # Uncomment if library (not binary)
.env
Go
*.exe
*.exe~
*.dll
*.so
*.dylib
*.test
*.out
/target
/vendor/ # Unless using vendoring
Java / JVM
*.class
*.jar
*.war
*.nar
target/
build/
.gradle/
!gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.jar
.idea/
*.iml
*.ipr
*.iws
.settings/
.project
.classpath
Universal Patterns
# OS files
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
Desktop.ini
*.swp
*.swo
*~
*.orig
# IDE
.idea/
.vscode/
*.sublime-*
*.sublime-workspace
.project
.classpath
.settings/
# Secrets (NEVER commit these)
.env
.env.*
*.pem
*.key
*.p12
*.pfx
secrets.*
config/credentials.*
# Dependencies
vendor/
node_modules/
packages/
# Build output
dist/
build/
out/
*.tsbuildinfo
# Logs
*.log
logs/
# Temp files
*.tmp
*.temp
.cache/
Template Generator
# Using GitHub's API (lists templates by platform)
curl -s https://www.toptal.com/developers/gitignore/api/python,node,rust
# Or use gh:
gh api repos/github/gitignore/contents/Python.gitignore --jq '.content' | base64 -d
Global .gitignore (personal exclusions)
# Create a global gitignore for your editor & OS
git config --global core.excludesFile ~/.gitignore_global
echo ".DS_Store" >> ~/.gitignore_global
echo "*.swp" >> ~/.gitignore_global
Verification
# Check what would be ignored
git check-ignore -v path/to/file
# Show all ignored files
git status --ignored
# List gitignore rules affecting a file
git check-ignore -v node_modules/package.json
# Test if .gitignore rules work correctly
touch test-ignore-file.tmp
git check-ignore test-ignore-file.tmp # Should output the filename
rm test-ignore-file.tmp
Pitfalls
- Already tracked files:
.gitignoredoes NOT affect tracked files — usegit rm --cachedto untrack - Negation order: Later patterns override earlier ones —
!must come after the rule it negates - Nested .gitignores: Child directories'
.gitignoreoverrides parent's - Pattern anchoring: Leading
/anchors to repo root, no leading/matches anywhere .gitignorevs.git/info/exclude: Both work;excludeis local-only (not shared)
Verification
# Run through all rules
git check-ignore -v somefile.ext
# List every ignore rule affecting current directory
git check-ignore $(find . -maxdepth 3 -type f | head -50) 2>/dev/null