diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index c89ecb7..179afe5 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,24 @@
-*.pyc
+# User content belongs under recipe/.
+# Feedstock configuration goes in `conda-forge.yml`
+# Everything else is managed by the conda-smithy rerender process.
+# Please do not modify
+
+# Ignore all files and folders in root
+*
+!/conda-forge.yml
+
+# Don't ignore any files/folders if the parent folder is 'un-ignored'
+# This also avoids warnings when adding an already-checked file with an ignored parent.
+!/**/
+# Don't ignore any files/folders recursively in the following folders
+!/recipe/**
+!/.ci_support/**
 
-build_artifacts
+# Since we ignore files/folders recursively, any folders inside
+# build_artifacts gets ignored which trips some build systems.
+# To avoid that we 'un-ignore' all files/folders recursively
+# and only ignore the root build_artifacts folder.
+!/build_artifacts/**
+/build_artifacts
+
+*.pyc
diff --git a/.scripts/build_steps.sh b/.scripts/build_steps.sh
index eba1dfd..beda247 100755
--- a/.scripts/build_steps.sh
+++ b/.scripts/build_steps.sh
@@ -57,12 +57,6 @@ if [[ -f "${FEEDSTOCK_ROOT}/LICENSE.txt" ]]; then
   cp "${FEEDSTOCK_ROOT}/LICENSE.txt" "${RECIPE_ROOT}/recipe-scripts-license.txt"
 fi
 
-if [[ "${sha:-}" == "" ]]; then
-  pushd ${FEEDSTOCK_ROOT}
-  sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
-  popd
-fi
-
 if [[ "${BUILD_WITH_CONDA_DEBUG:-0}" == 1 ]]; then
     if [[ "x${BUILD_OUTPUT_ID:-}" != "x" ]]; then
         EXTRA_CB_OPTIONS="${EXTRA_CB_OPTIONS:-} --output-id ${BUILD_OUTPUT_ID}"
diff --git a/.scripts/run_docker_build.sh b/.scripts/run_docker_build.sh
index b70ef01..00f377a 100755
--- a/.scripts/run_docker_build.sh
+++ b/.scripts/run_docker_build.sh
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ if [ -z ${FEEDSTOCK_NAME} ]; then
     export FEEDSTOCK_NAME=$(basename ${FEEDSTOCK_ROOT})
 fi
 
+if [[ "${sha:-}" == "" ]]; then
+  pushd "${FEEDSTOCK_ROOT}"
+  sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
+  popd
+fi
+
 docker info
 
 # In order for the conda-build process in the container to write to the mounted