Beyond `.gitignore`: Three Ways to Hide Files in Git

Many developers assume that ~~.gitignore is the only tool available~~ for keeping unwanted files out of their version control. However, Git actually provides three distinct levels of file exclusion.

"I've been using Git for so long and I just realized you can ignore files at three different levels and not just with .gitignore." — Nelson Figueroa

The Hierarchy of Exclusion

Depending on whether you want a rule to apply to everyone on the project, just yourself in one project, or every project on your computer, you have different options:

Comparison Table

File Path	Scope	Tracked in Git?	Best Use Case
`.gitignore`	Project-wide	Yes	Standard project ignores (e.g., `node_modules`)
`.git/info/exclude`	Local Repo	No	Personal workflow files (e.g., `notes.txt`)
`~/.config/git/ignore`	Machine-wide	No	OS-specific files (e.g., `.DS_Store`)

Detailed Breakdown

1. The Standard: `.gitignore`

This is the most common method. Any pattern added here is ignored by Git commands and is checked into the repository so that all collaborators share the same ignore rules.

2. The Private Stash: `.git/info/exclude`

Located inside the .git folder, this file allows you to ignore files without committing those rules to the repo. It is ideal for files that are unique to your specific setup but aren't relevant to other team members.

3. The Global Rulebook: `~/.config/git/ignore`

This file resides in your home directory. Anything listed here is ignored across every single repository on your machine. This is the perfect spot for system-generated files like macOS .DS_Store.

Customizing the Global Path: If you prefer a different location (e.g., ~/.gitignore_global), you can change the configuration:

# Set a custom global ignore file
git config --global core.excludesFile ~/.gitignore_global

# Revert to the default system setting
git config --global --unset core.excludesFile

Verifying Ignore Rules

If you are unsure why a file is being ignored, you can use the check-ignore command. Mathematically, the "Ignored" state can be represented as: $\text{Ignored} = (\text{Global} \cup \text{Repo} \cup \text{Local})$

How to debug:

Identify the file you are questioning.
Run the verbose check command.
Analyze the output path.

Example Command: git check-ignore -v .DS_Store

Possible Outputs:

From .gitignore: .gitignore:1:.DS_Store .DS_Store
From .git/info/exclude: .git/info/exclude:7:.DS_Store .DS_Store
From the default global file: /Users/nelson/.config/git/ignore:2:.DS_Store .DS_Store
From a custom global file: /Users/nelson/.gitignore_global:1:.DS_Store .DS_Store

Note: If the file is not being ignored by any of these, the command will return no output.

Related Reading:

Cloning specific branches (using --single-branch and --depth).
Extracting contributor emails via git shortlog.
GitHub email scraping and privacy protection.

Beyond .gitignore: Three Ways to Hide Files in Git