Ignore without ignoring
Ignoring File Changes Without .gitignore
Sometimes, you might find yourself in a situation where you need a file to be tracked by Git, but want to ignore local changes to it.
For example when dealing with files that contain secrets or environment-specific configurations.
Instead of using .gitignore, which ignores the file entirely, you can use the --skip-worktree cli-flag.
This approach allows the file to remain in the repository with default contents while enabling you to modify it locally without those changes popping up in git status.
Utilizing --skip-worktree
Marking a File to Skip
To prevent Git from tracking changes to a file (without ignoring it completely), you can use the --skip-worktree flag.
This is particularly useful for configuration files that you don’t want to accidentally commit after making local changes.
git update-index --skip-worktree <FILE_NAME>This command tells Git to ignore changes to the specified file, keeping your git status clean without removing the file from the repository.
Reverting the Skip
If you decide later that you want Git to start tracking changes to the file again, you can reverse the operation with the --no-skip-worktree flag.
git update-index --no-skip-worktree <FILE_NAME>This command reverts the file back to its default behavior, allowing any local changes to be recognized by Git.