writing out the
result. Writing out the updated index is an optimization that isn't
strictly necessary (`status` computes the values for itself, but writing
them out is just to save subsequent programs from repeating our
computation). When `status` is run in the background, the lock held
during the write may conflict with other simultaneous processes, causing
them to fail. Scripts running `status` in the background should consider
using `git --no-optional-locks status` (see linkgit:git[1] for details).

UNTRACKED FILES AND PERFORMANCE
-------------------------------

`git status` can be very slow in large worktrees if/when it
needs to search for untracked files and directories. There are
many configuration options available to speed this up by either
avoiding the work or making use of cached results from previous
Git commands. There is no single optimum set of settings right
for everyone. We'll list a summary of the relevant options to help
you, but before going into the list, you may want to run `git status`
again, because your configuration may already be caching `git status`
results, so it could be faster on subsequent runs.

* The `--untracked-files=no` flag or the
	`status.showUntrackedFiles=no` config (see above for both):
	indicate that `git status` should not report untracked
	files. This is the fastest option. `git status` will not list
	the untracked files, so you need to be careful to remember if
	you create any new files and manually `git add` them.

* `advice.statusUoption=false` (see linkgit:git-config[1]):
	setting this variable to `false` disables the warning message
	given when enumerating untracked files takes more than 2
	seconds.  In a large project, it may take longer and the user
	may have already accepted the trade off (e.g. using "-uno" may
	not be an acceptable option for the user), in which case, there
	is no point issuing the warning message, and in such a case,
	disabling the warning may be the best.

* `core.untrackedCache=true` (see linkgit:git-update-index[1]):
	enable the untracked cache feature and only search directories
	that have been modified since the previous `git status` command.
	Git remembers the set of untracked files within each directory
	and assumes that if a directory has not been modified, then
	the set of untracked files within has not changed.  This is much
	faster than enumerating the contents of every directory, but still
	not without cost, because Git still has to search for the set of
	modified directories. The untracked cache is stored in the
	`.git/index` file. The reduced cost of searching for untracked
	files is offset slightly by the increased size of the index and
	the cost of keeping it up-to-date. That reduced search time is
	usually worth the additional size.

* `core.untrackedCache=true` and `core.fsmonitor=true` or
	`core.fsmonitor=<hook-command-pathname>` (see
	linkgit:git-update-index[1]): enable both the untracked cache
	and FSMonitor features and only search directories that have
	been modified since the previous `git status` command.  This
	is faster than using just the untracked cache alone because
	Git can also avoid searching for modified directories.  Git
	only has to enumerate the exact set of directories that have
	changed recently. While the FSMonitor feature can be enabled
	without the untracked cache, the benefits are greatly reduced
	in that case.

Note that after you turn on the untracked cache and/or FSMonitor
features it may take a few `git status` commands for the various
caches to warm up before you see improved command times.  This is
normal.

SEE ALSO
--------
linkgit:gitignore[5]

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite