gitmatch
Gitignore-style path matching
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Gitmatch is a focused, well-maintained library with zero dependencies, permissive licensing, and active development. Install it if you need to match file paths against gitignore-style patterns in Python code without shelling out to git. The only constraint is Python 3.10+.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or higher.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies.
- Actively maintained as of 2026-07-20 with recent release activity.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open and closed projects.
last release 2025-12-05 (252 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-20 · 4 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 87,742 downloads/mo, #13,771 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
import gitmatch
gi = gitmatch.compile(["foo", "!bar", "*.dir/"])
match_result = gi.match("foo/bar")
if match_result:
print(f"Matched pattern: {match_result.pattern}")- Exact behavior differences from git's wildmatch implementation (e.g., edge cases in negation or directory matching).
- Performance characteristics on large pattern sets or deeply nested paths.
What it is and what it does
Gitmatch is a pure Python library that brings gitignore pattern matching semantics to your code. You compile a list of gitignore-style patterns (including negations with `!` prefix) into a matcher object, then test relative file paths against it to determine if they match. The matcher returns a match object that tells you not just whether a path matched, but which pattern matched it and whether that pattern was a negation.
The library handles the full gitignore syntax including wildcards, directory-only patterns (trailing `/`), and negation rules. It has no external dependencies and runs on Python 3.10+, making it straightforward to embed in tools that need to respect or replicate gitignore behavior without shelling out to git itself.
Use it for
- Build tools that need to respect .gitignore rules when deciding which files to process or exclude.
- File synchronization or backup utilities that filter paths using gitignore patterns.
- Code generators or linters that should skip files matching project ignore rules.
- Testing frameworks that need to exclude test files or directories based on gitignore patterns.
- Static analysis tools that want to honor ignore patterns without invoking git.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Gitmatch is a focused, well-maintained library with zero dependencies, permissive licensing, and active development. Install it if you need to match file paths against gitignore-style patterns in Python code without shelling out to git. The only constraint is Python 3.10+.
Install
gitmatch on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained as of 2026-07-20 with recent release activity.
Requires Python 3.10 or higher.
License in practice
MIT license permits unrestricted use, modification, and distribution in both open and closed projects.
Quickstart
import gitmatch
gi = gitmatch.compile(["foo", "!bar", "*.dir/"])
match_result = gi.match("foo/bar")
if match_result:
print(f"Matched pattern: {match_result.pattern}")Verify before relying
- Exact behavior differences from git's wildmatch implementation (e.g., edge cases in negation or directory matching).
- Performance characteristics on large pattern sets or deeply nested paths.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 252 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 87,742 / month, #13,771 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Intended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Software Development :: Version Control :: GitTopic :: Text Processing :: FiltersTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: gitmatch-0.3.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also pathspec · py-walk · globmatch · wcmatch · ignore-python · glob2 · igittigitt · gitignore-parser · gitignorant · ripgrep