Keep file in git but remove locally

Question

I'd like to remove a file locally while keeping it in future commits for git. .gitignore can't do this, as it only ignores changes (not deletions).

An example would (generally) be as follows:

NB: This is not git rm --cached. What I want is the "opposite" of this.

Maybe a selective checkout (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/600079)? — david25272, Oct 31 '17 at 03:51
@david25272 I'm the maintainer of the repo. I just have an install file that I don't need, but still has to be in the repo. Hopefully that clears things up. (I'm not looking to clone anything) — jhpratt, Oct 31 '17 at 03:52

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 31 '17 at 05:40

2

A simple rm (not git rm) should be enough.

But then, instruct the index that the file was not(!) deleted, with git update-index --assume-unchanged:

git update-index --assume-unchanged -- a/file

answered Oct 31 '17 at 05:40

VonC

1 Answers1