GITmaxed Updates: Git includeIf Tutorial: Switch Identity by Folder

includeIf is a Git config feature that loads another config file only when the repository lives under a certain folder — the cleanest terminal-native way to have two identities on one machine. Organize repositories under folder trees (e.g. ~/code/work/ and ~/code/personal/, or Windows C:/Users/YOU/code/work/), write one small file per identity, and Git automatically applies the right user.name/user.email the moment you cd into a repository. No scripts, no per-repo git config — folder location decides identity, forever.

Answer: In ~/.gitconfig, add [includeIf "gitdir/i:C:/Users/YOU/code/work/"] → path = C:/Users/YOU/.gitconfig-work (repeat for personal). The trailing slash and the i (case-insensitive) matter on Windows. Each included file holds that identity's user.* block.

What includeIf is (in one paragraph)

Git reads your global config (~/.gitconfig) for every command. An includeIf section says: also load this other file — but only if the current repository's directory matches this pattern. Because the match is on the repository's path, repositories under different trees silently inherit different settings. It's a conditional #include at the config level.

Step 1 — sort your repositories into folders

C:/Users/YOU/code/work/        ← all work repositories
C:/Users/YOU/code/personal/    ← all personal repositories

Move existing repositories into these trees (Git doesn't care — history and remotes travel with the folder). Everything you clone from now on goes into the right tree by habit.

Step 2 — create the identity files

# C:/Users/YOU/.gitconfig-work
[user]
    name = Work Name
    email = me@company.com

# C:/Users/YOU/.gitconfig-personal
[user]
    name = Personal Name
    email = me@personal.com

Nothing else in these files — keep them single-purpose. Add pull.rebase true or similar only if you want it per tree.

Step 3 — wire the conditions into ~/.gitconfig

# C:/Users/YOU/.gitconfig
[includeIf "gitdir/i:C:/Users/YOU/code/work/"]
    path = C:/Users/YOU/.gitconfig-work

[includeIf "gitdir/i:C:/Users/YOU/code/personal/"]
    path = C:/Users/YOU/.gitconfig-personal

[user]
    name = Fallback Name
    email = fallback@example.com

Notes that break half of all first attempts:

Trailing slash is required — gitdir/ matches directories under the path; without / at the end you'll match nothing.
gitdir/i: vs gitdir: — the i makes the match case-insensitive; on Windows drive letters and user paths often differ in case, so keep the i.
Use forward slashes in the pattern even on Windows, or escape backslashes carefully.
Fallback block last — the global [user] applies wherever no include matched; set it to something harmless or keep your primary identity there.

Step 4 — verify

cd C:/Users/YOU/code/work/some-repo
git var GIT_AUTHOR_IDENT
# → Work Name <me@company.com> ...

cd C:/Users/YOU/code/personal/other-repo
git var GIT_AUTHOR_IDENT
# → Personal Name <me@personal.com> ...

# confirm which includes fired
git config --show-origin --get-regexp "^user\."

New commits in each tree now carry the right author automatically — GitHub attributes them to the matching account.

What includeIf does NOT fix

Layer	Handled?	Still needs
Commit author (identity)	Yes — that's the point	—
Push authentication (HTTPS)	No	Per-repo credentials: `useHttpPath` + one sign-in per repository (see Git Credentials Explained)
Push authentication (SSH)	No — but pairs well	One key per account + host aliases; identity applies regardless of which key pushes
gh CLI active account	No	`gh auth switch --user ...`

includeIf owns the author; the credential layer still needs its own per-repository logic — or a client that binds both.

Troubleshooting

Nothing changes after edits — re-run from the repository folder; config is read per command, but a wrong pattern silently matches nothing. Test the pattern with git config --show-origin --get user.email.
Works for one tree, not the other — almost always the trailing slash or drive-letter case; keep gitdir/i: + full path + /.
Repos live outside both trees — they get the fallback [user]; either widen the patterns or accept the default.
Submodules — submodule paths are matched too; keep them inside the same tree as their parent.

The zero-config version

includeIf is the right tool if you want terminal-native, transparent, versionable config. If you'd rather not think about folders, identity files, and credential entries at all: GITmaxed gives you the same outcome without any of it — every account stays signed in, each repository has an explicit account binding, and commits are authored as that account. Folder trees taught you the model; a multi-account client just enforces it.

Git includeIf Tutorial: Switch Identity by Folder