gitignore

Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with gitignore in under 5 minutes.

🚀 Basic Usage

1. Auto-Detect Project Type

The easiest way to get started:

cd your-project
gitignore auto

This automatically detects your project type and creates an appropriate .gitignore.

2. Initialize with Templates

For specific languages/frameworks:

# Single language
gitignore init python

# Multiple languages
gitignore init python node vscode

3. Add Individual Patterns

# Add common patterns
gitignore node_modules/ *.log .env

# Add custom patterns
gitignore dist/ build/ *.tmp

📋 Step-by-Step Examples

Example 1: New Python Project

# Create new project
mkdir my-python-app
cd my-python-app
git init

# Initialize with Python template
gitignore init python

# Add editor-specific patterns
gitignore init vscode

# Add custom patterns
gitignore .env secrets/

Result: Your .gitignore now contains Python, VS Code, and custom patterns.

Example 2: Node.js Project

cd existing-node-project

# Auto-detect (will find package.json)
gitignore auto

# Or manually specify
gitignore init node

# Add more patterns
gitignore node_modules/ dist/ .env

Example 3: Multi-Language Project

cd my-fullstack-app

# Initialize with multiple templates
gitignore init python node java

# Add OS-specific patterns
gitignore init linux

# Add editor patterns
gitignore init vscode intellij

🎯 Interactive Mode

For beginners or when unsure:

# Start interactive template selection
gitignore -t

# Or use long form
gitignore interactive

This shows a numbered menu of available templates.

🔍 Preview Before Applying

Use dry-run to see what would happen:

# Preview auto-detection
gitignore --dry-run auto

# Preview template initialization
gitignore --dry-run init python node

📁 What Gets Created

After running gitignore, you’ll have:

your-project/
├── .gitignore          # Main gitignore file
├── .gitignore_backup/  # Automatic backups (if enabled)
└── ...other files

✅ Verification

Check your .gitignore was created correctly:

# View contents
cat .gitignore

# Check git status
git status

# See what files are ignored
git ls-files --others --ignored --exclude-standard

🆘 Common Issues

“No templates found”

Run gitignore list to see available templates
Check if you spelled the template name correctly

“Permission denied”

Try running with sudo if installing system-wide
Or install to user directory: make PREFIX=~/.local install

“Command not found”

Ensure gitignore is in your PATH
Try full path: /usr/local/bin/gitignore --version

🎉 You’re Done!

Your project now has a proper .gitignore file. Here are some next steps:

📚 Further Reading

Complete Usage Guide - All commands and options
Template Reference - Available built-in templates
Configuration Guide - Customize gitignore

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