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Commands

Complete reference for all gi commands and options.

📋 Command Overview

gi [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Global Options

Option Description
--help Show help message and exit
--version Show version and exit
--install-completion Install shell completion
--show-completion Show completion script

🎯 Main Command

gi main

Combine .gitignore templates into a single file.

gi main TEMPLATES... [OPTIONS]

Arguments

  • TEMPLATES: Space or comma-separated template names

Options

Option Short Description Default
--output -o Output file path .gitignore
--append -a Append to existing file False
--force -f Overwrite without prompting False
--no-cache Ignore cache for this run False
--update-index Refresh template list False
--from Override source repository URL github/gitignore

Examples

# Basic usage
gi main python rust

# Custom output location
gi main python rust -o my-project/.gitignore

# Append to existing file
gi main python -a existing/.gitignore

# Force overwrite
gi main python node --force

# Use aliases
gi main cpp csharp vscode

# Comma-separated templates
gi main python,rust,node

📋 List Command

gi list

List all available .gitignore templates.

gi list [OPTIONS]

Options

Option Description Default
--category Filter by category All
--limit Limit number of results All
--format Output format (table, json) table

Examples

# List all templates
gi list

# Filter by category
gi list --category "Language/Framework"

# Limit results
gi list --limit 10

# JSON output
gi list --format json

🔍 Search Command

Search for .gitignore templates by name.

gi search QUERY [OPTIONS]

Arguments

  • QUERY: Search term (case-insensitive)

Options

Option Description Default
--category Filter by category All
--limit Limit number of results All
--format Output format (table, json) table

Examples

# Search for Python-related templates
gi search python

# Search for IDE templates
gi search studio

# Search with category filter
gi search python --category "Language/Framework"

# JSON output
gi search python --format json

👀 Show Command

gi show

Display the raw content of a .gitignore template.

gi show TEMPLATE [OPTIONS]

Arguments

  • TEMPLATE: Template name to display

Options

Option Description Default
--lines Number of lines to show All
--format Output format (text, json) text

Examples

# Show Python template
gi show Python

# Show first 20 lines
gi show Python --lines 20

# Show VS Code template
gi show Global/VisualStudioCode

# JSON format
gi show Python --format json

🩺 Doctor Command

gi doctor

Show diagnostic information about gi's cache and configuration.

gi doctor [OPTIONS]

Options

Option Description Default
--verbose Show detailed information False
--format Output format (table, json) table

Examples

# Basic diagnostics
gi doctor

# Detailed information
gi doctor --verbose

# JSON output
gi doctor --format json

🎨 Template Aliases

gi includes convenient aliases for common templates:

Language Aliases

Alias Maps to Description
cpp C++ C++ development
csharp VisualStudio C# development
python Python Python development
node Node Node.js development
java Java Java development
rust Rust Rust development
go Go Go development
php PHP PHP development
ruby Ruby Ruby development
swift Swift Swift development
kotlin Kotlin Kotlin development

Framework Aliases

Alias Maps to Description
django Django Django framework
flask Flask Flask framework
react React React framework
vue Vue Vue.js framework
angular Angular Angular framework
express Express Express.js framework
spring Spring Spring framework
laravel Laravel Laravel framework

Tool Aliases

Alias Maps to Description
vscode Global/VisualStudioCode VS Code settings
jetbrains Global/JetBrains JetBrains IDEs
vim Global/Vim Vim editor
emacs Global/Emacs Emacs editor
docker Docker Docker containers
kubernetes Kubernetes Kubernetes

Platform Aliases

Alias Maps to Description
macos Global/macOS macOS system files
windows Global/Windows Windows system files
linux Global/Linux Linux system files
android Android Android development
ios iOS iOS development

🔧 Configuration

Cache Directory

gi caches templates locally for offline use:

  • Linux/macOS: ~/.cache/gi
  • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\gi\cache

Environment Variables

Variable Description Default
GI_CACHE_DIR Custom cache directory Platform default
GI_SOURCE_URL Custom source repository github/gitignore
GI_NO_CACHE Disable caching False

Configuration File

Create a gi.yml file in your home directory:

cache:
  directory: ~/.cache/gi
  ttl: 86400  # 24 hours

source:
  url: github/gitignore
  branch: main

output:
  format: gitignore
  header: true
  comments: true

🚨 Error Handling

Common Errors

Error Cause Solution
Template not found Invalid template name Use gi list to see available templates
Network error No internet connection Use cached templates or check connection
Permission denied No write access Check directory permissions
Cache error Corrupted cache Run gi doctor to check cache status

Troubleshooting

# Check system status
gi doctor

# Clear cache
rm -rf ~/.cache/gi  # Linux/macOS
rmdir /s %LOCALAPPDATA%\gi\cache  # Windows

# Update templates
gi main python --update-index

💡 Tips and Tricks

1. Use Aliases

# Instead of full names
gi main "Global/VisualStudioCode" "Global/JetBrains"

# Use aliases
gi main vscode jetbrains

2. Preview Before Using

# Check template content
gi show Python
gi show Global/JetBrains

# Web development stack
gi main node react typescript vscode

# Data science stack
gi main python jupyter pandas

4. Use Output Options

# Save to specific location
gi main python -o my-project/.gitignore

# Append to existing file
gi main python -a existing/.gitignore

5. Batch Operations

# Create multiple .gitignore files
for project in frontend backend; do
  gi main python node -o $project/.gitignore
done

Next: Templates Guide to learn about available templates!