GoKawiilDeveloper proposes 'deny by default' .gitignore strategy to stop accidental commits
A developer suggests flipping the typical .gitignore convention: instead of listing files to ignore, developers should block everything with a wildcard and explicitly allow only the file types they want tracked, such as source files, README, and module files. This approach aims to prevent common mistakes like committing .DS_Store files, node_modules, IDE configs, or sensitive environment variables. The post also recommends using 'git check-ignore -v' to debug tracking issues and mentions lazygit as a useful Git terminal tool.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
As projects increasingly accumulate clutter from local tooling, IDE configs, and now AI-agent-related files, the traditional 'ignore what you don't want' model is becoming harder to maintain reliably. A default-deny approach shifts the burden of curation to something more deliberate, reducing the risk of leaking secrets or bloating repositories with junk. While not universally applicable, it offers a practical alternative for teams tired of after-the-fact cleanup and history rewrites.
- Default-deny .gitignore blocks everything except explicitly whitelisted files like *.go, go.mod, and README.md.
- This approach reduces risks of accidentally committing secrets, IDE files, or agentic tool artifacts.
- Developers can verify ignore behavior using 'git check-ignore -v' to avoid confusion over untracked files.
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Published there as: “.gitignore Everything by Default”
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