diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 7b283fb3..0ccd217e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
-.first-build-message
-Makefile.config
-sh.config
-version.stamp
+/.first-build-message
+/Makefile.config
+/sh.config
+/version.stamp
 TAGS
 tags
 *cscope*
-.deps
+/.deps
 /notmuch
-notmuch-shared
-libnotmuch.so*
-libnotmuch*.dylib
+/notmuch-shared
+/lib/libnotmuch.so*
+/lib/libnotmuch*.dylib
 *.[ao]
 *~
 .*.swp
-releases
+/releases
diff --git a/bindings/python/.gitignore b/bindings/python/.gitignore
index da0732e9..601acdd7 100644
--- a/bindings/python/.gitignore
+++ b/bindings/python/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 *.py[co]
 /docs/build
 /docs/html
-build/
+/build/
diff --git a/bindings/ruby/.gitignore b/bindings/ruby/.gitignore
index d682798a..c57ae63f 100644
--- a/bindings/ruby/.gitignore
+++ b/bindings/ruby/.gitignore
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # .gitignore for bindings/ruby
 
 # Generated files
-Makefile
-mkmf.log
-notmuch.so
+/Makefile
+/mkmf.log
+/notmuch.so
 *.o
diff --git a/compat/.gitignore b/compat/.gitignore
index 107ba17a..7ede45e9 100644
--- a/compat/.gitignore
+++ b/compat/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1 @@
-zlib.pc
+/zlib.pc
diff --git a/contrib/go/.gitignore b/contrib/go/.gitignore
index c394479f..223504b1 100644
--- a/contrib/go/.gitignore
+++ b/contrib/go/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-src/github.com/
-pkg/
-bin/
+/src/github.com/
+/pkg/
+/bin/
diff --git a/contrib/notmuch-mutt/.gitignore b/contrib/notmuch-mutt/.gitignore
index 682a5779..116bb715 100644
--- a/contrib/notmuch-mutt/.gitignore
+++ b/contrib/notmuch-mutt/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
-notmuch-mutt.1
-README.html
+/notmuch-mutt.1
+/README.html
diff --git a/debian/.gitignore b/debian/.gitignore
index e8c2e82a..ab384182 100644
--- a/debian/.gitignore
+++ b/debian/.gitignore
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
-tmp/
-libnotmuch-dev/
-libnotmuch*/
-notmuch-emacs/
-notmuch/
-notmuch-dbg/
-notmuch-mutt/
-notmuch-vim/
-ruby-notmuch/
-python*-notmuch/
-*.debhelper
-*.debhelper.log
-*.substvars
-files
+/tmp/
+/libnotmuch-dev/
+/libnotmuch*/
+/notmuch-emacs/
+/notmuch/
+/notmuch-dbg/
+/notmuch-mutt/
+/notmuch-vim/
+/ruby-notmuch/
+/python*-notmuch/
+/*.debhelper
+/*.debhelper.log
+/*.substvars
+/files
diff --git a/devel/nmbug/doc/.gitignore b/devel/nmbug/doc/.gitignore
index 4930881a..f25d695c 100644
--- a/devel/nmbug/doc/.gitignore
+++ b/devel/nmbug/doc/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 *.pyc
-_build
+/_build
diff --git a/doc/.gitignore b/doc/.gitignore
index 9fa35d08..bbb749fa 100644
--- a/doc/.gitignore
+++ b/doc/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 *.pyc
-_build
-config.dox
+/_build
+/config.dox
diff --git a/emacs/.gitignore b/emacs/.gitignore
index 8e15eed7..fbf8dde6 100644
--- a/emacs/.gitignore
+++ b/emacs/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.eldeps*
-*.elc
-notmuch-version.el
-notmuch-pkg.el
+/.eldeps*
+/*.elc
+/notmuch-version.el
+/notmuch-pkg.el
diff --git a/performance-test/.gitignore b/performance-test/.gitignore
index f3f9be41..8a5dabf5 100644
--- a/performance-test/.gitignore
+++ b/performance-test/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-tmp.*/
-log.*/
-corpus/
-notmuch.cache.*/
+/tmp.*/
+/log.*/
+/corpus/
+/notmuch.cache.*/
diff --git a/performance-test/download/.gitignore b/performance-test/download/.gitignore
index 7b092346..5c356204 100644
--- a/performance-test/download/.gitignore
+++ b/performance-test/download/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
-*.tar.gz
-*.tar.xz
+/*.tar.gz
+/*.tar.xz
diff --git a/test/.gitignore b/test/.gitignore
index 226019ed..73fe7e24 100644
--- a/test/.gitignore
+++ b/test/.gitignore
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
-arg-test
-corpora.mail
-hex-xcode
-parse-time
-random-corpus
-smtp-dummy
-symbol-test
-make-db-version
-test-results
-ghost-report
-tmp.*
+/arg-test
+/corpora.mail
+/hex-xcode
+/parse-time
+/random-corpus
+/smtp-dummy
+/symbol-test
+/make-db-version
+/test-results
+/ghost-report
+/tmp.*
diff --git a/test/test-databases/.gitignore b/test/test-databases/.gitignore
index b5624b74..9452199f 100644
--- a/test/test-databases/.gitignore
+++ b/test/test-databases/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1 @@
-*.tar.xz
+/*.tar.xz