git-check-ignore

Check whether a file or directory is ignored

$ git check-ignore [path/to/file_or_directory]

$ git check-ignore [path/to/file_or_directory1 path/to/file_or_directory2 ...]

$ git < [path/to/file_list] check-ignore --stdin

$ git check-ignore --no-index [path/to/file_or_directory1 path/to/file_or_directory2 ...]

$ git check-ignore [[-v|--verbose]] [path/to/file_or_directory1 path/to/file_or_directory2 ...]

git check-ignore [-q|--quiet] [-v|--verbose] [-c|--class] [--no-index] [--stdin] [-z|--null] [--] <pathspec>…

-q, --quiet
    Suppress output; exit 1 if any path ignored, 0 otherwise.

-v, --verbose
    Output the ignore rule: path, pattern, source file, line number.

-c, --class
    Output the rule class (e.g., !!, .gitignore, exclude).

--no-index
    Ignore index state; check as if all paths untracked.

--stdin
    Read paths from stdin instead of arguments.

-z, --null
    Paths terminated by NUL (use with --stdin or args).

git check-ignore is a Git utility for debugging ignore rules. It determines if specified paths match any ignore patterns from .gitignore files (in the working tree and subdirectories), .git/info/exclude, or global excludes via core.excludesfile. By default, it simulates the check Git performs before adding files to the index, respecting tracked status unless --no-index is used.

If a path is ignored, the command prints it (unless -q). With -v, it also shows the matching pattern, source file, and line number. -c adds the rule's class (e.g., !! for exceptions). Exit status is 0 if any path is not ignored, 1 if all are ignored, and >1 on error. Ideal for scripts and troubleshooting why files aren't tracked.

Supports multiple paths, stdin input (--stdin), and NUL-delimited strings (-z) for safe parsing.

Does not verify path existence or stage status; only simulates ignore check. Paths relative to current directory.

0: At least one path not ignored.
1: All paths ignored.
>1: Usage or other error.

git check-ignore -v Makefile
Makefile *.mk config.mk:1

Introduced in Git 1.7.6 (April 2011) to simplify debugging complex ignore rules across projects.

git-status(1), git-add(1), gitignore(5), git-config(1)