Tired of messy git status outputs from personal files you can't commit to .gitignore? Git Exclude - Local makes it effortless to hide files and folders from Git locally — without affecting the shared .gitignore — with just one right-click!

What is Git Exclude - Local?

Git Exclude - Local is a simple yet necessary extension that lets you append files and folders to your repository's private exclude file (.git/info/exclude) directly from the Explorer context menu.

Why Use Git Exclude - Local?

• Save Time: No more manually navigating to .git/info/ to edit the exclude file
• Stay Clean: Personal files (scratchpads, DB dumps, local configs) vanish from your untracked list instantly
• Team-Safe: Nothing is added to the shared .gitignore — your ignores stay local and private
• Directory-Aware: Automatically appends a trailing slash for folders so Git treats them correctly
• Cross-Platform: Converts Windows backslashes (\) to Git-standard forward slashes (/)
• Duplicate-Safe: Skips writing if the path is already present in the exclude file

Getting Started

Installation

1. Open VS Code or Cursor
2. Go to the Extensions view
3. Search for Git Exclude - Local
4. Click Install

First Steps

1. Open your project in VS Code or Cursor
2. Right-click any file or folder in the Explorer panel
3. Select Add to .git/exclude
4. The file or folder immediately disappears from your untracked list in Git

How It Works

The Difference from .gitignore

What Happens Under the Hood

When you right-click and select Add to .git/exclude, the extension:

1. Resolves the path: Calculates the relative path from your workspace root to the selected file or folder
2. Normalizes slashes: Converts any Windows backslashes (\) to forward slashes (/) for Git compatibility
3. Detects directories: Appends a trailing / automatically if the selected item is a folder
4. Checks for duplicates: Reads the existing exclude file and skips writing if the path is already present
5. Appends the entry: Writes the path to .git/info/exclude (creating the file with a standard Git header if it doesn't exist yet)

Storage Location

Git Exclude - Local writes to the standard Git exclude file inside your repository:

• Location: .git/info/exclude at the root of your workspace
• Private by default: This file is never tracked or committed — it exists only on your machine
• Manually editable: You can open and edit the file directly at any time if needed

Tips & Tricks

• Use for generated files: Local build artifacts or tool outputs that shouldn't be in .gitignore are perfect candidates
• Works on folders: Right-click a whole folder (like tmp/ or scratch/) to exclude everything inside it at once
• Safe to re-run: Running the command on an already-excluded path does nothing — no duplicate entries

Support the Project

If Git Exclude - Local has made your workflow easier, consider supporting (No Pressure):

Need Help?

• Issues: Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub
• Repository: github.com/inandi/git-exclude

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - feel free to use it however you'd like!

Made with ❤️ by Gobinda Nandi