How to filter out .gitignore with python -m build --sdist

[jamesbraza]

I have a pyproject.toml like the below:

[tool.setuptools.packages.find]
where = ["src"]

[tool.setuptools_scm]
version_file = "src/package/version.py"

I noticed after running python -m build --sdist that the built .tar.gz contains version controlled files like .gitignore or folders like .github.

Reading the setuptools docs, it talks about setuptools_scm and including files: https://setuptools.pypa.io/en/stable/userguide/extension.html#adding-support-for-revision-control-systems

Is there some way to, within pyproject.toml, specify to setuptools_scm how to exclude files and folders? Or should one fall back onto MANIFEST.in for exclusions like that?

[RonnyPfannschmidt]

Manifest is good for such exclusions and way simpler than gut export ignores

[jamesbraza]

Just to be clear, so you're saying instead of MANIFEST.in, one could use something like a .gitattributes file to dictate what files Git will export?

More just trying to understand, I agree it sounds more hacky than MANIFEST.in

[RonnyPfannschmidt]

setuptools-scm asks git archive for the file list to correctly manage export ignores and export substitutions, that part is pretty hacky but does its job - the most painless way to better controll the archive content is the manifest when using setuptools, or the hatch pattersn when using hatch

[jamesbraza]

Thank you again, that makes sense. I added a docs contribution related to this to help future devs. Cheers!