diff --git a/lib/src/working_copy.rs b/lib/src/working_copy.rs
index 0f157b6b1..dd4487875 100644
--- a/lib/src/working_copy.rs
+++ b/lib/src/working_copy.rs
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ use crate::settings::UserSettings;
 use crate::store::{CommitId, FileId, MillisSinceEpoch, StoreError, SymlinkId, TreeId, TreeValue};
 use crate::store_wrapper::StoreWrapper;
 use crate::trees::TreeValueDiff;
+use git2::{Repository, RepositoryInitOptions};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq, Clone)]
@@ -169,9 +170,11 @@ impl TreeState {
         state_path: PathBuf,
     ) -> TreeState {
         let tree_id = store.empty_tree_id().clone();
+        // Canonicalize the working copy path because "repo/." makes libgit2 think that
+        // everything should be ignored
         TreeState {
             store,
-            working_copy_path,
+            working_copy_path: working_copy_path.canonicalize().unwrap(),
             state_path,
             tree_id,
             file_states: BTreeMap::new(),
@@ -272,6 +275,14 @@ impl TreeState {
     // a new tree from it and return it, and also update the dirstate on disk.
     // TODO: respect ignores
     pub fn write_tree(&mut self) -> &TreeId {
+        // We create a temporary git repo with the working copy shared with ours only
+        // so we can use libgit2's .gitignore check.
+        // TODO: Do this more cleanly, perhaps by reading .gitignore files ourselves.
+        let git_repo_dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let mut git_repo_options = RepositoryInitOptions::new();
+        git_repo_options.workdir_path(&self.working_copy_path);
+        let git_repo = Repository::init_opts(git_repo_dir.path(), &git_repo_options).unwrap();
+
         let mut work = vec![(DirRepoPath::root(), self.working_copy_path.clone())];
         let mut tree_builder = self.store.tree_builder(self.tree_id.clone());
         let mut deleted_files: HashSet<&FileRepoPath> = self.file_states.keys().collect();
@@ -292,16 +303,22 @@ impl TreeState {
                     work.push((subdir, disk_subdir));
                 } else {
                     let file = dir.join(&FileRepoPathComponent::from(name));
+                    let disk_file = disk_dir.join(file_name);
                     deleted_files.remove(&file);
                     let new_file_state = self.file_state(&entry.path()).unwrap();
                     let clean = match self.file_states.get(&file) {
-                        None => false, // untracked
+                        None => {
+                            // untracked
+                            if git_repo.status_should_ignore(&disk_file).unwrap() {
+                                continue;
+                            }
+                            false
+                        }
                         Some(current_entry) => {
                             current_entry == &new_file_state && current_entry.mtime < self.read_time
                         }
                     };
                     if !clean {
-                        let disk_file = disk_dir.join(file_name);
                         let file_value = match new_file_state.file_type {
                             FileType::Normal | FileType::Executable => {
                                 let id = self.write_file_to_store(&file, &disk_file);
diff --git a/lib/tests/test_working_copy.rs b/lib/tests/test_working_copy.rs
index 3cbd35e4d..5575c68d1 100644
--- a/lib/tests/test_working_copy.rs
+++ b/lib/tests/test_working_copy.rs
@@ -265,3 +265,77 @@ fn test_commit_racy_timestamps(use_git: bool) {
         previous_tree_id = new_tree_id;
     }
 }
+
+#[test_case(false ; "local store")]
+#[test_case(true ; "git store")]
+fn test_gitignores(use_git: bool) {
+    // Tests that .gitignore files are respected.
+
+    let settings = testutils::user_settings();
+    let (_temp_dir, mut repo) = testutils::init_repo(&settings, use_git);
+
+    let gitignore_path = FileRepoPath::from(".gitignore");
+    let added_path = FileRepoPath::from("added");
+    let modified_path = FileRepoPath::from("modified");
+    let removed_path = FileRepoPath::from("removed");
+    let ignored_path = FileRepoPath::from("ignored");
+    let subdir_modified_path = FileRepoPath::from("dir/modified");
+    let subdir_ignored_path = FileRepoPath::from("dir/ignored");
+
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &gitignore_path, "ignored");
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &modified_path, "1");
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &removed_path, "1");
+    std::fs::create_dir(repo.working_copy_path().join("dir")).unwrap();
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &subdir_modified_path, "1");
+
+    let wc = repo.working_copy().clone();
+    let commit1 = wc
+        .lock()
+        .unwrap()
+        .commit(&settings, Arc::get_mut(&mut repo).unwrap());
+    let files1: Vec<_> = commit1
+        .tree()
+        .entries()
+        .map(|(name, _value)| name)
+        .collect();
+    assert_eq!(
+        files1,
+        vec![
+            gitignore_path.to_repo_path(),
+            subdir_modified_path.to_repo_path(),
+            modified_path.to_repo_path(),
+            removed_path.to_repo_path()
+        ]
+    );
+
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &added_path, "2");
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &modified_path, "2");
+    std::fs::remove_file(
+        repo.working_copy_path()
+            .join(removed_path.to_internal_string()),
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &ignored_path, "2");
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &subdir_modified_path, "2");
+    testutils::write_working_copy_file(&repo, &subdir_ignored_path, "2");
+
+    let wc = repo.working_copy().clone();
+    let commit2 = wc
+        .lock()
+        .unwrap()
+        .commit(&settings, Arc::get_mut(&mut repo).unwrap());
+    let files2: Vec<_> = commit2
+        .tree()
+        .entries()
+        .map(|(name, _value)| name)
+        .collect();
+    assert_eq!(
+        files2,
+        vec![
+            gitignore_path.to_repo_path(),
+            added_path.to_repo_path(),
+            subdir_modified_path.to_repo_path(),
+            modified_path.to_repo_path()
+        ]
+    );
+}