I have a small user-global gitignore that most of the job for me,

    ```.gitignore
    # Ignores
    ## Unix hidden files
    .*
    ## Temporary files and backups
    *~
    *.swp
    *.bak  
    
    # Exceptions
    !.ignore
    !.gitignore
    ```

But I tend to copy it over and extend it as I go, and there's well-known reference gitignore files to skim for if you have anxiety around any particular language/editor/tool.

Now, I could extend my user-global ignore, but there's no project where I want the state of the repo to be wrong, but my local state saving me unknowingly, as I know it'll bite others.

▲ mschuster91 2 hours ago | parent [-]

> Now, I could extend my user-global ignore

I'd add .nvmrc and .npmrc if you work with NodeJS.

	▲	dietr1ch 8 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		but if I add that to my user-global config instead of the projects I'm working with, I'd be making the deliberate choice of fixing things only for me and not anyone else for pretty much the exact same cost. I think rules for your personal tools, like editor-specific ignores belong to your user-level config, but anything around the project's tools and artifacts belongs in the project's gitignore.