diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 39151ec..e0b9aa3 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -11,3 +11,5 @@ subprojects
 *.csv
 *.exe
 *.dll
+*~
+[0-9]*
diff --git a/watchgit.cpp b/watchgit.cpp
index 0404716..5141869 100644
--- a/watchgit.cpp
+++ b/watchgit.cpp
@@ -14,9 +14,11 @@
 #include <efsw/efsw.hpp>
 #include <regex>
 #include <set>
+#include <filesystem>
 
 using namespace std;
 using namespace fmt;
+namespace fs = std::filesystem;
 
 #define BUF_MAX 1024
 
@@ -45,69 +47,6 @@ class GameEngine {
 };
 
 
-/*
- * No idea what the semantics of this are.  Will need
- * to research git's dumb terminology to figure out why
- * they have 4 different versions of the path for status.
- */
-const char *unfuck_path(const git_status_entry *entry) {
-  if(entry->head_to_index != nullptr) {
-    if(entry->head_to_index->new_file.path) {
-      return entry->head_to_index->new_file.path;
-    } else {
-      return entry->head_to_index->old_file.path;
-    }
-  }
-
-  if(entry->index_to_workdir != nullptr) {
-    if(entry->index_to_workdir->new_file.path) {
-      return entry->index_to_workdir->new_file.path;
-    } else {
-      return entry->index_to_workdir->old_file.path;
-    }
-  }
-
-  return nullptr;
-}
-
-void add_status(const git_status_entry *entry, unsigned int status_flags, set<string> &updates) {
-  const char *path = unfuck_path(entry);
-
-  if(status_flags & GIT_STATUS_WT_NEW
-      || status_flags & GIT_STATUS_INDEX_NEW)
-  {
-    updates.insert(string{path});
-  }
-
-  if(status_flags & GIT_STATUS_WT_MODIFIED
-      || status_flags & GIT_STATUS_INDEX_MODIFIED)
-  {
-    updates.insert(string{path});
-  }
-
-  // need to confirm this gets the new name
-  if(status_flags & GIT_STATUS_WT_RENAMED
-      || status_flags & GIT_STATUS_INDEX_RENAMED)
-  {
-    updates.insert(string{path});
-  }
-}
-
-void list_git_changes(set <string> &updates, git_repository* repo) {
-  git_status_options opts = GIT_STATUS_OPTIONS_INIT;
-  git_status_list *statuses = nullptr;
-
-  //TODO: does this leak?
-  int err = git_status_list_new(&statuses, repo, &opts);
-  dbc::check(err == 0, git_error_last()->message);
-  size_t count = git_status_list_entrycount(statuses);
-
-  for(size_t i=0; i < count; i++) {
-    const git_status_entry *entry = git_status_byindex(statuses, i);
-    add_status(entry, entry->status, updates);
-  }
-}
-
 
 class UpdateListener : public efsw::FileWatchListener {
   public:
@@ -122,11 +61,25 @@ class UpdateListener : public efsw::FileWatchListener {
         efsw::Action action,
         std::string oldFilename) override
     {
-      set<string> updates;
-      list_git_changes(updates, repo);
-      bool in_git = updates.contains(filename);
-      // this makes it so we only get it set one time when somethign is in git
-      changes = changes || in_git;
+
+      // this is some gnarly BS here, probably tons
+      // of memory leaks for now but it's working
+      int ignored = 1;
+      auto the_path = fs::path(dir) / fs::path(filename);
+      string full_path = the_path.lexically_normal().string();
+
+      std::replace(full_path.begin(),
+          full_path.end(), '\\', '/');
+
+      int rc = git_ignore_path_is_ignored(&ignored, repo, full_path.c_str());
+
+      dbc::check(rc == 0, "git ignored failed.");
+
+      if(!ignored) {
+        println("filename={}, ignored={}", full_path.c_str(), ignored);
+
+        changes = changes || !ignored;
+      }
     }
 
     void reset_state() {