gitkeep-init

Marks the initial structure of a repository by adding .gitkeep files in the directories that would be empty in git, understanding the .gitignore by itself (you don't need to tell it which directories to ignore).

Quick start

It depends on

• git (for git check-ignore)
• bash

Installation

bash <(wget -qO- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/aonisoft/gitkeep-init/main/install.sh")
source ~/.bashrc

The install.sh clones the repo to ~/.gitkeep-init, adds the line to your ~/.bashrc, and leaves the gitkp command available from any directory, with tab autocompletion.

Usage

gitkp run                       # creates the .gitkeep files
gitkp dry-run                   # shows what would be created, without touching anything
gitkp undo                      # removes the .gitkeep files that run created
gitkp run -c "init: add gitkeep"   # creates and commits with a custom message
gitkp help                      # general help
gitkp help run                  # help for a specific subcommand

Subcommands

Command	What it does
run	creates the .gitkeep files (default)
dry-run	shows what would be created, without modifying anything
undo	removes the .gitkeep files that run created
help	shows the help (of a subcommand if given)

Options

Option	What it does
-c, --commit [MESSAGE]	commits the created .gitkeep files. Message optional: default if none given
--force-root PATH	forces a .gitkeep in the root of PATH even if its interior is trackable (repeatable)

How it decides what to mark

The tool asks git (git check-ignore) instead of looking at the filesystem, so it replicates exactly what git would track:

• A directory is a leaf (gets a .gitkeep) if it has no subdirectories that git tracks.
• If a directory has subdirectories all ignored by the .gitignore, it would be empty in git → it is a leaf → it gets a .gitkeep in its root.
• If it has at least one trackable subdirectory → it is intermediate → its leaves are marked (recursively).
• --force-root PATH forces the .gitkeep in the root of PATH even if its interior is trackable.

Example: with var/* in the .gitignore and !var/.gitkeep, the tool marks var/.gitkeep only (it doesn't go down into the ignored interior) — without telling it anything.

License

MIT