Git Configuration

Q: Global or repo pre-commit?

Repo .pre-commit-config.yaml committed - everyone shares hooks; pre-commit install per clone.

Q: SSH commit signing setup?

git config gpg.format ssh and user.signingkey to public key path - GitHub verifies SSH signatures.

Q: Alias for current branch PR?

gh pr view --web or alias pr = "!gh pr view --web" after push.

Q: Credential helper on macOS?

Osxkeychain stores HTTPS tokens; prefer SSH for git operations.

Q: Template gitconfig for onboarding?

Link from Environment Setup Checklist with copy-paste block.

Q: core.excludesfile global ignore?

~/.gitignore_global for .DS_Store, IDE files - supplements repo .gitignore.

Q: Blame ignore revs?

.git-blame-ignore-revs for mass format commits - cleaner archaeology.

Q: Submodule config?

Rare in Python services - if used, submodule.recurse for clone/pull behavior.

Q: Large repo performance?

feature.manyFiles true and partial clone git clone --filter=blob:none for huge monorepos.

Q: Disable rebase pull for one repo?

git config pull.rebase false local override when merging release branches frequently.

Aliases, hooks, and sensible Git defaults for Python teams using uv, ruff, and pytest locally and in CI.

Recipe

git config --global user.name "Ada Lovelace"
git config --global user.email "ada@acme.com"
git config --global pull.rebase true
git config --global fetch.prune true
git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph -20"

When to reach for this:

New laptop setup for developers
Standardizing team git behavior via docs + template config
Adding pre-commit hooks matching GitHub Actions
Enabling commit signing or GPG/SSH signatures

Working Example

# ~/.gitconfig (excerpt)
[user]
    name = Ada Lovelace
    email = ada@acme.com
[pull]
    rebase = true
[fetch]
    prune = true
[init]
    defaultBranch = main
[alias]
    st = status -sb
    sync = "!git fetch origin && git rebase origin/main"
    cleanup = "!git branch --merged main | grep -v main | xargs git branch -d"

# .pre-commit-config.yaml (repo)
repos:
  - repo: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff-pre-commit
    rev: v0.9.0
    hooks:
      - id: ruff
      - id: ruff-format
  - repo: local
    hooks:
      - id: pytest-quick
        name: pytest quick
        entry: uv run pytest -q tests/unit
        language: system
        pass_filenames: false

What this demonstrates:

Global identity and rebase-on-pull defaults
Short aliases for daily sync
pre-commit mirrors CI lint and fast unit tests
defaultBranch = main for new repos

Deep Dive

How It Works

Config levels - system < global < local < worktree; local overrides global per repo.
Hooks - Scripts in .git/hooks/ or managed by pre-commit framework.
Attributes - .gitattributes for nbstripout, LFS, linguist-generated.
Signing - SSH commit signing (gpg.format ssh) on modern Git.

Recommended Settings

Setting	Value	Why
`pull.rebase`	`true`	Linear feature integration
`fetch.prune`	`true`	Remove stale remote branches
`rebase.autoStash`	`true`	Rebase with dirty tree (careful)
`core.autocrlf`	`input` on mac/linux	Avoid CRLF noise in Python
`init.defaultBranch`	`main`	Consistent primary branch name

Python Notes

# Repo-local identity for work laptop
git config user.email "ada@acme.com"
 
# Ensure hooks run
uv run pre-commit install
uv run pre-commit run --all-files

Gotchas

Global hooks blocking WIP commits - Full pytest on every commit slows flow. Fix: quick unit subset locally; full suite in CI.
autoStash surprise - Hidden stash entries after rebase. Fix: git stash list hygiene.
Wrong email on commits - Breaks CLA and audit. Fix: git config user.email per repo for contractors.
Skipping hooks with --no-verify - Bypasses ruff on emergency commit. Fix: allow only break-glass; fix before merge.
Windows line endings - Mixed CRLF fails ruff. Fix: .gitattributes * text=auto eol=lf.
Commit signing misconfigured - Rejected pushes. Fix: test git commit -S -m "test" on one branch first.

Alternatives

Alternative	Use When	Don't Use When
Husky (Node teams)	Monorepo with JS + Python	Pure Python - pre-commit is native fit
CI-only gates	Hooks politically blocked	Developers push failing ruff often
`git config --global includeIf`	Work vs personal repos on one laptop	Single employer machine
Manual checklist	Tiny team	Scale beyond ~5 developers

FAQs

Global or repo pre-commit?

Repo .pre-commit-config.yaml committed - everyone shares hooks; pre-commit install per clone.

SSH commit signing setup?

git config gpg.format ssh and user.signingkey to public key path - GitHub verifies SSH signatures.

Alias for current branch PR?

gh pr view --web or alias pr = "!gh pr view --web" after push.

Credential helper on macOS?

Osxkeychain stores HTTPS tokens; prefer SSH for git operations.

Template gitconfig for onboarding?

Link from Environment Setup Checklist with copy-paste block.

core.excludesfile global ignore?

~/.gitignore_global for .DS_Store, IDE files - supplements repo .gitignore.

Blame ignore revs?

.git-blame-ignore-revs for mass format commits - cleaner archaeology.

Submodule config?

Rare in Python services - if used, submodule.recurse for clone/pull behavior.

Large repo performance?

feature.manyFiles true and partial clone git clone --filter=blob:none for huge monorepos.

Disable rebase pull for one repo?

git config pull.rebase false local override when merging release branches frequently.

Essential Git Commands - commands aliases wrap
Git for Data/Notebooks - nbstripout attributes
Linting & Formatting - ruff in hooks
Environment Setup Checklist - new dev setup

Stack versions: This page was written for Python 3.14.0 (stable 3.14, maintenance 3.13), FastAPI 0.115+, Django 5.2, Flask 3.1, Pydantic 2, PyTorch 2.6+, pandas 2.2+, Polars 1.x, ruff 0.9+, and uv 0.6+.

Recipe

git config --global user.name "Ada Lovelace"
git config --global user.email "ada@acme.com"
git config --global pull.rebase true
git config --global fetch.prune true
git config --global alias.lg "log --oneline --graph -20"

When to reach for this:

New laptop setup for developers
Standardizing team git behavior via docs + template config
Adding pre-commit hooks matching GitHub Actions
Enabling commit signing or GPG/SSH signatures

Working Example

# ~/.gitconfig (excerpt)
[user]
    name = Ada Lovelace
    email = ada@acme.com
[pull]
    rebase = true
[fetch]
    prune = true
[init]
    defaultBranch = main
[alias]
    st = status -sb
    sync = "!git fetch origin && git rebase origin/main"
    cleanup = "!git branch --merged main | grep -v main | xargs git branch -d"

# .pre-commit-config.yaml (repo)
repos:
  - repo: https://github.com/astral-sh/ruff-pre-commit
    rev: v0.9.0
    hooks:
      - id: ruff
      - id: ruff-format
  - repo: local
    hooks:
      - id: pytest-quick
        name: pytest quick
        entry: uv run pytest -q tests/unit
        language: system
        pass_filenames: false

What this demonstrates:

Global identity and rebase-on-pull defaults
Short aliases for daily sync
pre-commit mirrors CI lint and fast unit tests
defaultBranch = main for new repos

Deep Dive

How It Works

Config levels - system < global < local < worktree; local overrides global per repo.
Hooks - Scripts in .git/hooks/ or managed by pre-commit framework.
Attributes - .gitattributes for nbstripout, LFS, linguist-generated.
Signing - SSH commit signing (gpg.format ssh) on modern Git.

Recommended Settings

Setting	Value	Why
`pull.rebase`	`true`	Linear feature integration
`fetch.prune`	`true`	Remove stale remote branches
`rebase.autoStash`	`true`	Rebase with dirty tree (careful)
`core.autocrlf`	`input` on mac/linux	Avoid CRLF noise in Python
`init.defaultBranch`	`main`	Consistent primary branch name

Python Notes

# Repo-local identity for work laptop
git config user.email "ada@acme.com"
 
# Ensure hooks run
uv run pre-commit install
uv run pre-commit run --all-files

Gotchas

Global hooks blocking WIP commits - Full pytest on every commit slows flow. Fix: quick unit subset locally; full suite in CI.
autoStash surprise - Hidden stash entries after rebase. Fix: git stash list hygiene.
Wrong email on commits - Breaks CLA and audit. Fix: git config user.email per repo for contractors.
Skipping hooks with --no-verify - Bypasses ruff on emergency commit. Fix: allow only break-glass; fix before merge.
Windows line endings - Mixed CRLF fails ruff. Fix: .gitattributes * text=auto eol=lf.
Commit signing misconfigured - Rejected pushes. Fix: test git commit -S -m "test" on one branch first.

Alternatives

Alternative	Use When	Don't Use When
Husky (Node teams)	Monorepo with JS + Python	Pure Python - pre-commit is native fit
CI-only gates	Hooks politically blocked	Developers push failing ruff often
`git config --global includeIf`	Work vs personal repos on one laptop	Single employer machine
Manual checklist	Tiny team	Scale beyond ~5 developers

FAQs

Global or repo pre-commit?

Repo .pre-commit-config.yaml committed - everyone shares hooks; pre-commit install per clone.

SSH commit signing setup?

git config gpg.format ssh and user.signingkey to public key path - GitHub verifies SSH signatures.

Alias for current branch PR?

gh pr view --web or alias pr = "!gh pr view --web" after push.

Credential helper on macOS?

Osxkeychain stores HTTPS tokens; prefer SSH for git operations.

Template gitconfig for onboarding?

Link from Environment Setup Checklist with copy-paste block.

core.excludesfile global ignore?

~/.gitignore_global for .DS_Store, IDE files - supplements repo .gitignore.

Blame ignore revs?

.git-blame-ignore-revs for mass format commits - cleaner archaeology.

Submodule config?

Rare in Python services - if used, submodule.recurse for clone/pull behavior.

Large repo performance?

feature.manyFiles true and partial clone git clone --filter=blob:none for huge monorepos.

Disable rebase pull for one repo?

git config pull.rebase false local override when merging release branches frequently.

Essential Git Commands - commands aliases wrap
Git for Data/Notebooks - nbstripout attributes
Linting & Formatting - ruff in hooks
Environment Setup Checklist - new dev setup

Stack versions: This page was written for Python 3.14.0 (stable 3.14, maintenance 3.13), FastAPI 0.115+, Django 5.2, Flask 3.1, Pydantic 2, PyTorch 2.6+, pandas 2.2+, Polars 1.x, ruff 0.9+, and uv 0.6+.

Git Configuration

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Git Configuration