---
id: gitmatch
version: "0.3.0"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# gitmatch — Gitignore-style path matching

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 87.7K/mo

## 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 above — 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

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

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 87.7K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

gitignore pattern matching, path matching with gitignore syntax, wildcard file path filtering, fnmatch glob patterns, gitignore-style path filtering, gitignore, pattern-matching

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/gitmatch) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/gitmatch/)