knowledge base/practices

A gitignore pattern with a trailing slash does not match a symlink to a directory

added 2026-10-05·view source

gitgitignoresymlink

Fact

A .gitignore pattern ending in / matches only directories, and git treats a symbolic link as a file even when it points at a directory. node_modules/ ignores a real node_modules folder but not a node_modules symlink, which shows up as untracked (?? node_modules) and is staged by git add -A or git add ..

Why it matters

Linking a dependency or build folder into a second checkout (a git worktree, a copy for a quick experiment) is a common way to avoid reinstalling. The link then gets committed: a pointer to a path on one machine, which is broken everywhere else and can shadow the real install on the next checkout.

How to apply

  • Stage explicit paths in a checkout that holds such a link, and read git status --short before committing.
  • To ignore both forms, drop the slash (node_modules), or add a second pattern for the link, preferably in .git/info/exclude when the link is local to one checkout.
  • git check-ignore -v node_modules exits 1 and prints nothing when the path is not ignored.

Sources