gitmatch

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

Gitmatch implements gitignore-style pattern matching for file paths, letting you compile patterns and test whether relative paths match them.

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

pip install gitmatch

uv add gitmatch

poetry add gitmatch

Installing gitmatch

Before you install

Low friction: pure Python wheel with no runtime dependencies. Actively maintained as of 2026-07-20 with recent release activity.

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}")

Requires Python 3.10 or higher.

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

Evidence: gitmatch-0.3.0-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: fnmatch, git, gitignore, glob, wildmatch

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