Local Ignore
Hide files from git status and commits on this machine only. The rest of the team is unchanged.
Every apply does both:
- write the path into
.git/info/exclude (local ignore list; not committed)
- run
git update-index --skip-worktree (hides tracked files)
Git uses whichever of those applies. You do not pick.
Works in Visual Studio Code and Cursor. Search Local Ignore in the Extensions panel.
When to use it
- The repo tracks a file you never want locally (for example project
.cursor/mcp.json).
- You keep an untracked private file the team did not gitignore.
- You use several Git worktrees and want one ignore list in User settings, not a committed
.gitignore.
Install
- Extensions panel → search Local Ignore → Install.
VS Code uses the Visual Studio Marketplace; Cursor uses Open VSX. Same extension id: galloween.local-ignore.
- Add
localIgnore.files to User settings (see below).
- Open a trusted Git folder. Check Output → Local Ignore.
To install a .vsix by hand: Command Palette → Extensions: Install from VSIX…
Settings
Prefer User settings. Workspace settings work, but if you commit .vscode/settings.json, everyone who clones the repo gets your list.
{
"localIgnore.enable": true,
"localIgnore.files": [
{ "path": ".cursor/mcp.json", "delete": true }
]
}
| Setting |
Meaning |
localIgnore.files |
List of files to hide. |
path |
Relative to the Git repository root (not the VS Code folder, if those differ). Use /. Files only — no directories, globs, .., or absolute paths. |
delete |
false (default): hide the path, leave the file on disk. true: hide, then delete the working-tree file. |
localIgnore.enable |
Master switch. Default true. |
localIgnore.autoUnstick |
Default true. Temporarily clear skip-worktree when incoming commits touch those paths so Git can pull. |
localIgnore.autoRetryScmPull |
Default true. After that unstick, run SCM Pull once. Does not pull for a failed terminal git pull. |
Cursor MCP: delete: true on .cursor/mcp.json only makes sense if your servers live in ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Otherwise that window loses the project MCP servers.
What it does
On a trusted Git folder — at startup, when folders or localIgnore.* settings change, when a listed file is created or changed, and after SCM checkout/pull/merge in this window — for each configured path:
- Writes the path into a managed block in
.git/info/exclude.
- Runs
git update-index --skip-worktree (safe if Git says the path is not in the index).
- If
delete is true, deletes the file (never a directory).
Worktrees: skip-worktree is per checkout. .git/info/exclude is usually shared for the whole clone.
Pulls
Git will not update skip-worktree files while the index is locked. If you are behind upstream and the incoming commits touch a configured path, Local Ignore clears skip-worktree on those paths only, then retries SCM Pull once (defaults on).
A failed terminal git pull is not retried for you. After the unstick, pull again. Turn this off with localIgnore.autoUnstick / localIgnore.autoRetryScmPull.
Commands
- Local Ignore: Apply Now — run the same hide logic now.
- Local Ignore: Restore Path… — pick a configured path: clear skip-worktree, restore tracked content from
HEAD if needed, remove it from the managed exclude block. The next apply puts it back if it is still in settings.
- Local Ignore: Unstick for Git — clear skip-worktree and check those paths out from
HEAD (manual).
Logs: Output → Local Ignore.
Limits
- Does not untrack a file for the team (
git rm --cached) or rewrite history. Exclude and skip-worktree stay on your machine.
- Does nothing while the folder is closed, or in an untrusted workspace.
- Exact file paths only. No globs, no directories.
- Does not finish a
git pull that is already running.
Requirements
- Git on
PATH, or git.path set the same way as the built-in Git extension.
- Workspace trust granted.
Privacy
The extension runs git and optional local deletes for paths you listed. It does not upload your repositories.
License
MIT
