Where Does GNU Stow Store Its Config?
GNU Stow reads default flags from .stowrc in the current dir plus ~/.stowrc at home, prepended like extra argv.
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Stow's resource files are just preset argv. .stowrc in the current directory and ~/.stowrc at home each contribute default flags (--dir, --target, --ignore), parsed in that order and combined when both exist.
That makes ~/.stowrc the home for your global ignores (editor backups, VCS droppings) and per-directory files the home for package quirks. Comments and blank lines are allowed, so document why each ignore exists.
Where GNU Stow stores this, by platform
~/.stowrc
Same pair. Tilde and $VAR expand in path options. The manual's dotfiles guidance (--dotfiles, dot- prefix) pairs well with ignores kept here.
~/.stowrc
Same files. A package-local .stowrc scopes odd flags (perl-extras style --override sets) to runs from that directory only.
Frequently asked questions
Different stow packages need different flags. How do I scope them?
Put per-package flags in that package's .stowrc (--target, --override, --ignore). It applies when you invoke stow from that directory, keeping shared packages clean.
Do .stowrc options override my command line flags?
Prepended, so command line flags win on conflicts for single-value options, while repeatable flags like --ignore accumulate from both sources.
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