What is a .gitattributes file?

A plain-text file placed in a Git repository that tells Git how to handle specific paths: line-ending normalization, whether a file is binary, which diff driver to use, and metadata like linguist hints for GitHub.

Where do I put the generated file?

Save it as .gitattributes in your repository root. Git reads it automatically for any file under that directory. It can also be placed in a subdirectory to apply only to paths inside it.

What does text=auto do?

It tells Git to detect whether a file is text and, if so, normalize its line endings to LF in the repository while still checking it out using the line ending appropriate for the local operating system, unless a specific eol setting overrides that.

Why mark files as binary instead of leaving them alone?

Without a binary rule, Git may try to run line-ending conversion or generate a text diff on files like images or archives, which can corrupt them or produce useless diff noise. Marking a pattern as binary disables both.

Does adding rules here change files already committed?

No. .gitattributes only affects how Git treats files going forward, such as on the next checkout or diff. To renormalize already-committed line endings you still need to run a separate git command like git add --renormalize.

Does this tool send my selections anywhere?

No. Everything runs in your browser; the file is generated and downloaded locally with no server involved.

Gitattributes Generator

Name: Gitattributes Generator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Pick language presets, line-ending rules, and binary file handling to generate a ready-to-use .gitattributes file.

Line-ending normalization

Auto-detect (recommended) Force LF Force CRLF None

Language / framework presets

Binary file handling

Diff / merge settings

Custom lines (optional)

.gitattributes

Summary

Pick language presets, line-ending rules, and binary file handling to generate a ready-to-use .gitattributes file.

How it works

Choose a line-ending mode: auto-detect (recommended), force LF, force CRLF, or none.
Check the language and framework presets your project uses.
Check the binary file categories you want Git to stop treating as text.
Check any diff and merge settings you want, such as a Markdown diff driver or marking vendor folders as generated.
Optionally add custom lines in the text box for anything not covered by a preset.
Copy the generated text or download it as .gitattributes and place it in your repository root.

Use cases

Stop "every line changed" diffs caused by mixed LF/CRLF line endings on a team with Windows and Mac contributors.
Prevent Git from corrupting binary assets like images or fonts by treating them as text.
Mark lockfiles and minified bundles as generated so they collapse in GitHub pull request diffs.
Use a language-aware diff driver so changed function names show up correctly in diff hunks.
Exclude test and doc folders from git archive exports with export-ignore.
Bootstrap a new repository with sane defaults instead of copying rules from memory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-07-23 · Reviewed by Nham Vu