diff --git a/libs/git/config.go b/libs/git/config.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e83c75b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/git/config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+package git
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+
+	"gopkg.in/ini.v1"
+)
+
+// Config holds the entries of a gitconfig file.
+//
+// As map key we join the section name, optionally the subsection name,
+// and the variable name with dots. The result is ~equivalent to the
+// output of `git config --global --list`.
+//
+// While this doesn't capture the full richness of gitconfig it's good
+// enough for the basic properties we care about (e.g. under `core`).
+//
+// Also see: https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config.
+type config struct {
+	home      string
+	variables map[string]string
+}
+
+func newConfig() (*config, error) {
+	home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &config{
+		home:      home,
+		variables: make(map[string]string),
+	}, nil
+}
+
+var regexpSection = regexp.MustCompile(`^([\w\-\.]+)(\s+"(.*)")?$`)
+
+func (c config) walkSection(prefix []string, section *ini.Section) {
+	// Detect and split section name that includes subsection name.
+	if match := regexpSection.FindStringSubmatch(section.Name()); match != nil {
+		prefix = append(prefix, match[1])
+		if match[3] != "" {
+			prefix = append(prefix, match[3])
+		}
+	} else {
+		prefix = append(prefix, section.Name())
+	}
+
+	// Add variables in this section.
+	for key, value := range section.KeysHash() {
+		key = strings.ToLower(key)
+		if value == "" {
+			value = "true"
+		}
+
+		// Expand ~/ to home directory.
+		if strings.HasPrefix(value, "~/") {
+			value = filepath.Join(c.home, value[2:])
+		}
+
+		c.variables[strings.Join(append(prefix, key), ".")] = value
+	}
+
+	// Recurse into child sections.
+	c.walkSections(prefix, section.ChildSections())
+}
+
+func (c config) walkSections(prefix []string, sections []*ini.Section) {
+	for _, section := range sections {
+		c.walkSection(prefix, section)
+	}
+}
+
+func (c config) load(r io.Reader) error {
+	iniFile, err := ini.InsensitiveLoad(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Collapse sections, subsections, and keys, into a flat namespace.
+	c.walkSections([]string{}, iniFile.Sections())
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c config) loadFile(path string) error {
+	f, err := os.Open(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		// If the file doesn't exist it is ignored.
+		// This is the case for both global and repository specific config files.
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return err
+	}
+
+	defer f.Close()
+
+	err = c.load(f)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to load %s: %w", path, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c config) defaultCoreExcludesFile() string {
+	// Defaults to $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/ignore.
+	xdgConfigHome := os.Getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME")
+	if xdgConfigHome == "" {
+		// If $XDG_CONFIG_HOME is either not set or empty,
+		// $HOME/.config/git/ignore is used instead.
+		xdgConfigHome = filepath.Join(c.home, ".config")
+	}
+
+	return filepath.Join(xdgConfigHome, "git/ignore")
+}
+
+func (c config) coreExcludesFile() (string, error) {
+	path := c.variables["core.excludesfile"]
+	if path == "" {
+		path = c.defaultCoreExcludesFile()
+	}
+
+	// Only return if this file is stat-able or doesn't exist (yet).
+	// If there are other problems accessing this file we would
+	// run into them at a later point anyway.
+	_, err := os.Stat(path)
+	if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	return path, nil
+}
+
+func globalGitConfig() (*config, error) {
+	config, err := newConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	xdgConfigHome := os.Getenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME")
+	if xdgConfigHome == "" {
+		xdgConfigHome = filepath.Join(config.home, ".config")
+	}
+
+	// From https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#FILES:
+	//
+	// > If the global or the system-wide configuration files
+	// > are missing or unreadable they will be ignored.
+	//
+	// We therefore ignore the error return value for the calls below.
+	config.loadFile(filepath.Join(xdgConfigHome, "git/config"))
+	config.loadFile(filepath.Join(config.home, ".gitconfig"))
+
+	return config, nil
+}
diff --git a/libs/git/config_test.go b/libs/git/config_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3e6edf76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/git/config_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,191 @@
+package git
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	// Taken from https://git-scm.com/docs/git-config#_example.
+	raw := `
+# Core variables
+[core]
+	; Don't trust file modes
+	filemode = false
+
+# Our diff algorithm
+[diff]
+	external = /usr/local/bin/diff-wrapper
+	renames = true
+
+[branch "devel"]
+	remote = origin
+	merge = refs/heads/devel
+
+# Proxy settings
+[core]
+	gitProxy="ssh" for "kernel.org"
+	gitProxy=default-proxy ; for the rest
+
+[include]
+	path = /path/to/foo.inc ; include by absolute path
+	path = foo.inc ; find "foo.inc" relative to the current file
+	path = ~/foo.inc ; find "foo.inc" in your $HOME directory
+
+; include if $GIT_DIR is /path/to/foo/.git
+[includeIf "gitdir:/path/to/foo/.git"]
+	path = /path/to/foo.inc
+
+; include for all repositories inside /path/to/group
+[includeIf "gitdir:/path/to/group/"]
+	path = /path/to/foo.inc
+
+; include for all repositories inside $HOME/to/group
+[includeIf "gitdir:~/to/group/"]
+	path = /path/to/foo.inc
+
+; relative paths are always relative to the including
+; file (if the condition is true); their location is not
+; affected by the condition
+[includeIf "gitdir:/path/to/group/"]
+	path = foo.inc
+
+; include only if we are in a worktree where foo-branch is
+; currently checked out
+[includeIf "onbranch:foo-branch"]
+	path = foo.inc
+
+; include only if a remote with the given URL exists (note
+; that such a URL may be provided later in a file or in a
+; file read after this file is read, as seen in this example)
+[includeIf "hasconfig:remote.*.url:https://example.com/**"]
+	path = foo.inc
+[remote "origin"]
+	url = https://example.com/git
+`
+
+	c, err := newConfig()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = c.load(bytes.NewBufferString(raw))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "false", c.variables["core.filemode"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "origin", c.variables["branch.devel.remote"])
+
+	// Verify that ~/ expands to the user's home directory.
+	assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(home, "foo.inc"), c.variables["include.path"])
+}
+
+func TestCoreExcludesFile(t *testing.T) {
+	config, err := globalGitConfig()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	path, err := config.coreExcludesFile()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	t.Log(path)
+}
+
+type testCoreExcludesHelper struct {
+	*testing.T
+
+	home          string
+	xdgConfigHome string
+}
+
+func (h *testCoreExcludesHelper) initialize(t *testing.T) {
+	h.T = t
+
+	// Create temporary $HOME directory.
+	h.home = t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("HOME", h.home)
+	t.Setenv("USERPROFILE", h.home)
+
+	// Create temporary $XDG_CONFIG_HOME directory.
+	h.xdgConfigHome = t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", h.xdgConfigHome)
+
+	xdgConfigHomeGit := filepath.Join(h.xdgConfigHome, "git")
+	err := os.MkdirAll(xdgConfigHomeGit, 0755)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func (h *testCoreExcludesHelper) coreExcludesFile() (string, error) {
+	config, err := globalGitConfig()
+	require.NoError(h.T, err)
+	return config.coreExcludesFile()
+}
+
+func (h *testCoreExcludesHelper) writeConfig(path, contents string) {
+	err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(contents), 0644)
+	require.NoError(h, err)
+}
+
+func TestCoreExcludesFileDefaultWithXdgConfigHome(t *testing.T) {
+	h := &testCoreExcludesHelper{}
+	h.initialize(t)
+
+	path, err := h.coreExcludesFile()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(h.xdgConfigHome, "git/ignore"), path)
+}
+
+func TestCoreExcludesFileDefaultWithoutXdgConfigHome(t *testing.T) {
+	h := &testCoreExcludesHelper{}
+	h.initialize(t)
+	h.Setenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", "")
+
+	path, err := h.coreExcludesFile()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(h.home, ".config/git/ignore"), path)
+}
+
+func TestCoreExcludesFileSetInXdgConfigHomeGitConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	h := &testCoreExcludesHelper{}
+	h.initialize(t)
+	h.writeConfig(filepath.Join(h.xdgConfigHome, "git/config"), `
+[core]
+excludesFile = ~/foo
+	`)
+
+	path, err := h.coreExcludesFile()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(h.home, "foo"), path)
+}
+
+func TestCoreExcludesFileSetInHomeGitConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	h := &testCoreExcludesHelper{}
+	h.initialize(t)
+	h.writeConfig(filepath.Join(h.home, ".gitconfig"), `
+[core]
+excludesFile = ~/foo
+	`)
+
+	path, err := h.coreExcludesFile()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(h.home, "foo"), path)
+}
+
+func TestCoreExcludesFileSetInBoth(t *testing.T) {
+	h := &testCoreExcludesHelper{}
+	h.initialize(t)
+	h.writeConfig(filepath.Join(h.xdgConfigHome, ".gitconfig"), `
+[core]
+excludesFile = ~/foo1
+	`)
+	h.writeConfig(filepath.Join(h.home, ".gitconfig"), `
+[core]
+excludesFile = ~/foo2
+	`)
+
+	path, err := h.coreExcludesFile()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(h.home, "foo2"), path)
+}
diff --git a/libs/git/repository.go b/libs/git/repository.go
index 48887c8c..ba788f9b 100644
--- a/libs/git/repository.go
+++ b/libs/git/repository.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package git
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -31,6 +32,19 @@ type Repository struct {
 	ignore map[string][]ignoreRules
 }
 
+// loadConfig loads and combines user specific and repository specific configuration files.
+func (r *Repository) loadConfig() (*config, error) {
+	config, err := globalGitConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to load user specific gitconfig: %w", err)
+	}
+	err = config.loadFile(filepath.Join(r.rootPath, ".git/config"))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to load repository specific gitconfig: %w", err)
+	}
+	return config, nil
+}
+
 // newIgnoreFile constructs a new [ignoreRules] implementation backed by
 // a file using the specified path relative to the repository root.
 func (r *Repository) newIgnoreFile(relativeIgnoreFilePath string) ignoreRules {
@@ -120,11 +134,24 @@ func NewRepository(path string) (*Repository, error) {
 		ignore:   make(map[string][]ignoreRules),
 	}
 
+	config, err := repo.loadConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		// Error doesn't need to be rewrapped.
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	coreExcludesPath, err := config.coreExcludesFile()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to access core excludes file: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	// Initialize root ignore rules.
 	// These are special and not lazily initialized because:
 	// 1) we include a hardcoded ignore pattern
 	// 2) we include a gitignore file at a non-standard path
 	repo.ignore["."] = []ignoreRules{
+		// Load global excludes on this machine.
+		newIgnoreFile(coreExcludesPath),
 		// Always ignore root .git directory.
 		newStringIgnoreRules([]string{
 			".git",