Manage tracked-file index flags
Sometimes you change a tracked file only on your computer, such as a local config. Two Git flags hide such changes: Skip Worktree… keeps your copy and stops showing its changes; Assume Unchanged… is a speed-up that stops Git checking the file. Neither is a way to ignore a file.
Works in GitTree Free: every local Git feature, once you are signed in.
On this page
Before you start
- The file is tracked (already committed) and you have local changes you never want to commit.
Where to find it
- Right-click a changed file in Working Changes: Skip Worktree… or Assume Unchanged….
| Action | macOS | Windows and Linux |
|---|---|---|
| The command palette | ⌘⇧P | Ctrl+Shift+P |
Steps
Choose the flag
For a file you keep changed on purpose, choose Skip Worktree…. Use Assume Unchanged… only as a speed-up for large files you do not touch.
Read the confirmation
GitTree explains what the flag does and the command that clears it, such as
git update-index --no-skip-worktree <file>.Set it
Press Set Flag. The file leaves your working changes.
Expected result
Your local edits stay on your computer and no longer show up for staging.
Skip worktree or assume unchanged?
| Flag | What Git does | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Skip Worktree… | Keeps your working copy and stops showing its changes. | Pulling changes to that file may fail until the flag is cleared. |
| Assume Unchanged… | Stops checking the file for changes, as a speed-up. | Git may still notice and overwrite your changes. |
If something goes wrong
A pull or checkout fails on a flagged file
Clear the flag with git update-index --no-skip-worktree <file> in the terminal, then pull again.
“Some files are marked assume-unchanged or skip-worktree, so their edits cannot be checked.”
Some operations need to see every change. Clear those marks first.
Questions
Do these flags travel with a push?
No. They live in your local index only; teammates do not see them.