gitignore

Gitignore Management Skill (

ign

)

ign

(GitHub Gitignore CLI) is a high-performance, explicitly managed, and Agent-friendly

.gitignore

manager built with Rust. Powered by the official github/gitignore repository, it provides modular block-isolated merging, context-aware template detection, smart aliases, fuzzy search, and guaranteed preservation of custom user-defined rules. It operates completely offline by default with zero hidden network requests, synchronizing templates on-demand via explicit commands.

1. Prerequisites & Installation

Before performing any

.gitignore

operations, the Agent should verify installation and initialization in sequence:

1.1 Verify and Install the CLI Tool

bash

command -v ign >/dev/null 2>&1 || cargo install ign

1.2 Verify and Initialize the Template Library

Check if

~/.config/ign/templates

is initialized. If not ready, clone the official template repository:

bash

ign template status >/dev/null 2>&1 || ign template init

2. Context-Aware Template Selection

When configuring

.gitignore

for a project, the Agent should first inspect the workspace context (project markers, build files, OS, and IDE configuration) to automatically select and combine matching templates:

2.1 Language & Tech Stack Mapping

Project Marker / Directory	Recommended Template	Description
`Cargo.toml` , `Cargo.lock`	`Rust`	Rust build artifacts ( `target/` ) and backups
`package.json` , `pnpm-lock.yaml` , `yarn.lock`	`Node`	Node.js / Web frontend dependencies and build outputs
`pyproject.toml` , `requirements.txt` , `Pipfile`	`Python`	Python virtual environments and `__pycache__/`
`go.mod` , `go.sum`	`Go`	Go binaries and vendor directories
`pom.xml`	`Java` , `Maven`	Java Maven projects
`build.gradle` , `build.gradle.kts` , `gradlew`	`Java` , `Gradle`	Gradle / Kotlin / Android projects
`composer.json`	`PHP`	PHP Composer dependencies
`Gemfile`	`Ruby`	Ruby / Rails dependencies and logs
`pubspec.yaml`	`Dart` , `Flutter`	Dart / Flutter cross-platform projects
`CMakeLists.txt` , `Makefile`	`C++` or `C`	C / C++ build outputs
`deno.json` , `deno.jsonc`	`Deno`	Deno cache and build artifacts
`mix.exs`	`Elixir`	Elixir / Phoenix projects
`.sln` , `.csproj`	`VisualStudio`	.NET / C# solutions

2.2 Operating System & IDE Templates

Operating System (add based on current execution environment):
- Linux:
```
Linux
```
  (maps to
```
Global/Linux
```
  )
- macOS:
```
macOS
```
  (maps to
```
Global/macOS
```
  )
- Windows:
```
Windows
```
  (maps to
```
Global/Windows
```
  )
Developer Tools / IDE (add based on workspace settings or user preference):
- VS Code:
```
Visual_Studio_Code
```
  (alias
```
vscode
```
  , maps to
```
Global/VisualStudioCode
```
  )
- JetBrains (IDEA/CLion/RustRover/PyCharm/GoLand):
```
JetBrains
```
  (alias
```
idea
```
  , maps to
```
Global/JetBrains
```
  )

2.3 Agent Automated Decision Examples

bash

# Example: Rust project detected on Linux with VS Code and JetBrains IDEs
ign init Rust macOS Linux JetBrains Visual_Studio_Code

# Example: Frontend Node.js project detected
ign init Node macOS Linux Visual_Studio_Code

3. Usage & Commands

3.1 Initialize Project

.gitignore

(

init

)

Initialize with explicitly specified templates:
bash
```
ign init Rust macOS JetBrains Visual_Studio_Code
```
Interactive multi-select selection:
bash
```
ign init -i
```
Re-initialize existing file while preserving manual custom rules:
bash
```
ign init Rust macOS
```

3.2 Append & Update Templates (

add

)

Safely append new language or tool templates into an existing

.gitignore

(auto-deduplicated, preserving custom rules):

bash

ign add Linux Python

3.3 Inspect & Audit Applied Templates (

status

)

Inspect metadata of the current repository's

.gitignore

(applied templates, timestamps, custom rules):

bash

# Human-readable terminal output
ign status

# Structured JSON output for Agent/CI consumption
ign status --json

JSON Output Schema:

json

{
  "file_exists": true,
  "path": ".gitignore",
  "managed_by_ign": true,
  "templates_count": 4,
  "templates": [
    "Rust",
    "Global/macOS",
    "Global/JetBrains",
    "Global/VisualStudioCode"
  ],
  "created_at": "2026-08-29T04:33:10Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-08-29T04:33:21Z",
  "has_custom_rules": true,
  "custom_rules_lines": 2,
  "custom_rules": "# Custom user rule\nscratch/",
  "total_lines": 220
}

3.4 Remove Specified Templates (

remove

)

Remove templates from

.gitignore

while keeping remaining templates and custom rules intact:

bash

ign remove Global/macOS
# Or using smart alias:
ign remove macos

3.5 Search & Explore Templates (

search

list

show

)

bash

# Fuzzy search templates
ign search elixir
ign search jetbrains --json

# View raw template contents
ign show Rust

# List all templates in a category
ign list -c global

3.6 Local Template Repository Maintenance (

template

)

bash

# Inspect local template library status and directory path
ign template status
ign template path

# Manually pull latest templates from GitHub
ign template update
# (Top-level shorthand: ign update)

4. Environment Variables

Default template storage path:
```
~/.config/ign/templates
```

Custom storage path override:

export IGN_TEMPLATES_DIR="/path/to/custom/gitignore-repo"

gitignore

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Gitignore Management Skill (
`ign`
)

1. Prerequisites & Installation

1.1 Verify and Install the CLI Tool

1.2 Verify and Initialize the Template Library

2. Context-Aware Template Selection

2.1 Language & Tech Stack Mapping

2.2 Operating System & IDE Templates

2.3 Agent Automated Decision Examples

3. Usage & Commands

3.1 Initialize Project
`.gitignore`
(
`init`
)

3.2 Append & Update Templates (
`add`
)

3.3 Inspect & Audit Applied Templates (
`status`
)

3.4 Remove Specified Templates (
`remove`
)

3.5 Search & Explore Templates (
`search`
/
`list`
/
`show`
)

3.6 Local Template Repository Maintenance (
`template`
)

4. Environment Variables

gitignore

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Gitignore Management Skill (ign)

1. Prerequisites & Installation

1.1 Verify and Install the CLI Tool

1.2 Verify and Initialize the Template Library

2. Context-Aware Template Selection

2.1 Language & Tech Stack Mapping

2.2 Operating System & IDE Templates

2.3 Agent Automated Decision Examples

3. Usage & Commands

3.1 Initialize Project .gitignore (init)

3.2 Append & Update Templates (add)

3.3 Inspect & Audit Applied Templates (status)

3.4 Remove Specified Templates (remove)

3.5 Search & Explore Templates (search / list / show)

3.6 Local Template Repository Maintenance (template)

4. Environment Variables

Gitignore Management Skill (
`ign`
)

3.1 Initialize Project
`.gitignore`
(
`init`
)

3.2 Append & Update Templates (
`add`
)

3.3 Inspect & Audit Applied Templates (
`status`
)

3.4 Remove Specified Templates (
`remove`
)

3.5 Search & Explore Templates (
`search`
/
`list`
/
`show`
)

3.6 Local Template Repository Maintenance (
`template`
)