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Git Frequently Asked Questions
How do I tell git to ignore my local changes to file XYZ from the repository? Can I use .gitignore for that?
No, you cannot use .gitignore, because that only works on files that are not being tracked in the repository. If you want to tell git to ignore your local changes to file XYZ, use the following command:
$ git update-index --assume-unchanged XYZ
The command above sets a special flag for the file XYZ which makes git ignore any you did in your copy of the file. The flag remains in effect until you cancel it again with the following command:
$ git update-index --no-assume-unchanged XYZ
See man git-update-index for more details.
