How To Manage Course Assets with Git LFS in 5 Simple Steps
Managing course assets with Git LFS isn’t hard, but it’s also not “set it and forget it” the way people sometimes make it sound. In my experience, the pain usually starts when you’ve got a repo that’s suddenly full of MP4s, PSDs, WAVs, and those “just one more” high-res screenshots. Clone times get ugly. Pulls get slow. And one accidental commit of a 2GB file can wreck your day.
Git LFS fixes that by keeping your Git history lean and moving the heavy stuff somewhere else. So instead of storing the full binary in your repo, Git stores small pointer files, and Git LFS handles the real content.
In this post, I’m going to walk you through a practical setup for course assets: install Git LFS, create a solid .gitattributes for your file types, make it work smoothly on GitLab, and avoid the common pitfalls (like “why did my CI fail to download LFS files?” or “why are locks not behaving how I expected?”). If you’ve already got assets committed to the repo, I’ll also cover how to migrate them without turning your history into a mess.
Key Takeaways
- Set up Git LFS early and be specific with your tracking rules. For course work, that’s usually
*.mp4,*.mov,*.wav,*.mp3,*.png(if they’re huge),*.psd, and sometimes*.zipor*.glb. - Don’t just “track later.” Create and commit
.gitattributesbefore adding large binaries, then verify withgit lfs ls-filesthat the right paths are actually under LFS. - On GitLab, you’ll need to enable LFS for the project (and make sure CI has the LFS client available). Otherwise, your pipeline may run but still fail when it can’t fetch LFS content.
- Storage limits vary by provider and plan—so treat LFS like a budget. I recommend checking your LFS quota before you migrate a whole course bundle.
- If the assets are sensitive, Git LFS doesn’t automatically make them “secure.” You still need access controls and (if required) encrypt the files before committing them to LFS.
- Locks can help with video/script assets that multiple people touch, but you need to understand the workflow: lock before editing, unlock after, and decide what happens when someone forgets.
- If you hit issues, start with a checklist: LFS version (
git lfs version), quota/storage, authentication, and whether the files are actually tracked (not just sitting in your working tree). - Automate the boring parts: use a pre-commit hook (or CI check) to prevent accidental large-file commits, and schedule
git lfs pruneto clean local cache safely.
Set Up Git LFS for Managing Course Assets
Here’s what I do on a fresh machine when I’m starting a new course repo.
1) Install Git LFS
Download it from the official Git LFS site, then run:
git lfs install
This sets up the hooks so LFS kicks in during git add/git commit/git push.
2) Add tracking rules immediately
If you already know your course asset formats, define them right away. I like to include a mix of common media and “editor-friendly” formats. For example, in the repo root:
git lfs track "*.mp4"
git lfs track "*.mov"
git lfs track "*.wav"
git lfs track "*.mp3"
git lfs track "*.png"
git lfs track "*.psd"
That generates (or updates) a .gitattributes file. Commit it right away:
git add .gitattributes
git commit -m "Configure Git LFS for course assets"
3) Verify what’s actually tracked
Before you push a bunch of content, check:
git lfs ls-files
What I look for is simple: the output should list the files you expect. If it’s empty, it usually means your tracking patterns didn’t match your filenames/paths (or you added assets before tracking rules were in place).
Important reality check: Git LFS tracking rules only apply to files added after the rules are committed. If you already committed large assets earlier, you’ll need a migration step (I cover that later in the troubleshooting section).
Track Large Files in Your Project
This is where most people either get it perfect… or accidentally track way more than they should.
What I noticed when managing course content: videos and source project files (like PSD/AI/Blend) are the usual “repo bloat” culprits. But not every PNG needs LFS. If you’re storing lots of small images (like icons), LFS can add overhead you don’t need.
A simple approach: track by extension for obvious media, and optionally add path-based rules for folders you know contain large binaries.
Example .gitattributes rules I’ve used for course repos:
*.mp4 filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text
*.mov filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text
*.wav filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text
*.psd filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text
assets/videos/** filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text
assets/source/** filter=lfs diff=lfs merge=lfs -text
You don’t have to type that manually—git lfs track will generate it for you. But it’s helpful to understand what’s happening.
4) Add and push like normal
Once .gitattributes is committed and your patterns match, you can add assets normally:
git add assets/
git commit -m "Add course media"
git push
Git LFS replaces the large files with pointer files in the Git history. So your repo stays fast.
Quick “did I mess up?” check
Before pushing, I like to scan for large files that shouldn’t be in Git history. One quick method is to run:
git lfs ls-files
If a file you just added doesn’t show up there, it likely wasn’t matched by your tracking rules. Don’t guess—fix the pattern and re-add/migrate if needed.
Work with Git LFS in GitLab Projects
GitLab makes LFS pretty painless, but there are a couple of “gotchas” I ran into during a course migration.
1) Enable LFS for the project
In your GitLab project settings, look for LFS (often under “General” or “Repository” settings depending on your GitLab version) and make sure it’s enabled.
2) Ensure your team uses LFS locally
Everyone should run:
git lfs install
before cloning or working with the repo. If someone doesn’t, they can end up with pointer files instead of the real content on their machine.
3) Fetch/pull only what you need
For collaboration, I prefer a workflow like:
git lfs fetchto download LFS objects without checking them outgit lfs pullto actually populate the working tree
This saves time when you’re only touching parts of the course.
4) CI/CD: make sure LFS is available
This is the one that surprises people. Your CI job might clone successfully, but your build/test step fails because LFS objects weren’t downloaded.
In practice, I make sure the job either installs Git LFS or enables it in the runner environment, then runs something like:
git lfs pull
If you’re using GitLab CI, also confirm your job has permission to access the repo and LFS storage (private projects can be a little stricter).
5) Access controls matter
If your course includes proprietary assets, don’t rely on “it’s in LFS so it’s safe.” Use GitLab permissions properly (who can read, who can push, protected branches, etc.).
Understanding Git LFS Storage Limits and Cost Implications
Let’s be honest: LFS is great, but it’s not magic. It moves storage out of your Git repo, and that storage still has limits.
Because provider plans change over time, I don’t want to throw out random numbers that might be outdated. What I can tell you is how to handle this safely:
- Check your GitLab/Git provider’s LFS quota before migrating a lot of assets. Then estimate based on your worst-case course release.
- Use a “track only what’s big” strategy. If you track every PNG, you might create a storage bill you didn’t expect.
- Decide what gets versioned. Source files (like PSD) are often huge and change less frequently than final exports.
What I do for course repos: I track final exports (MP4, WAV, rendered images) in LFS, and I keep source project files in LFS only if the team truly needs them in version control. Otherwise, source edits live in a separate storage bucket or a design tool workflow.
If you want a quick sanity check locally, run:
git lfs status
and keep an eye on what LFS thinks is pending or cached.
And yes—if you need more capacity, upgrading your plan or using external storage can be the right move. Just don’t do it blindly after you’ve already migrated everything.
Best Practices for Managing and Securing Sensitive Assets with Git LFS
Git LFS handles big files, but security is on you. Here’s the approach I recommend for course teams with sensitive or proprietary media.
1) Use encrypted transport (SSH/HTTPS)
This prevents casual interception during transfers. If your Git remote is set up with SSH, stick with SSH keys. If it’s HTTPS, use proper authentication (and don’t disable verification just to “make it work”).
2) Use GitLab permissions like you mean it
Lock down who can read and push. For sensitive course content, I typically:
- protect the main branch
- restrict who can push LFS changes
- use smaller roles for contractors (read-only where possible)
3) Encrypt the files before adding them to LFS (if required)
If you truly need confidentiality beyond “access control,” encrypt the binary before it ever goes into LFS. In my own workflow, I’ve used:
- age (simple, modern, great for file encryption)
- GPG (common in many teams)
Tradeoff: encrypted blobs are no longer directly previewable or diffable. But that’s often the point.
Key management tip: don’t scatter private keys across developer laptops. Store keys in a secure place (team-managed secret storage, CI variables with tight access, or a dedicated secrets manager). Rotate keys when someone leaves the project.
4) Don’t “hide” secrets in Git history
If you accidentally commit API keys or credentials into a repo that then gets migrated into LFS, you still have a problem. Rotate the secrets and remove them from history. GitHub/GitLab won’t magically un-leak old commits.
Workflow Tips for Collaborating with Git LFS on Large Course Assets
If you’ve got multiple people touching course media, you need a workflow that prevents “pointer-file chaos” and reduces merge headaches.
1) Standardize the setup
In your onboarding doc (or CONTRIBUTING.md), write this plainly:
git lfs install
Then tell them to clone and immediately run:
git lfs pull
2) Use a clear file ownership policy
For example:
- video editor owns
assets/videos/** - designer owns
assets/source/** - engineer owns
assets/exports/**
This reduces conflicts and keeps LFS usage predictable.
3) Consider LFS locks for files that shouldn’t be edited by multiple people
For large binary assets, merge conflicts aren’t fun (and sometimes impossible to resolve cleanly). LFS locks can help you enforce “one editor at a time.”
Typical commands look like:
git lfs lock path/to/filegit lfs unlock path/to/filegit lfs locks(to see current locks)
4) Branch strategy helps—especially for big uploads
I like feature branches for new lesson drops. That way, you’re not constantly rewriting the main branch with huge binary updates. When the branch is ready, merge it once.
Handling Common Issues with Git LFS in Your Projects
Let’s do a quick decision tree. When something goes wrong with LFS, it’s usually one of a few things.
Step 1: Are the files actually tracked by LFS?
Run:
git lfs ls-files
If your file doesn’t show up, your .gitattributes patterns didn’t match (or the file was added before the rules existed). Fix the pattern and then migrate if the file is already in history.
Step 2: Are you authenticated and allowed to download?
If pulls fail, the error is often authentication-related. Re-check your Git remote credentials and ensure the user/token has LFS download permissions.
Step 3: Is your LFS client up to date?
Check:
git lfs version
If you’re on an old client, you can get weird behavior—especially with newer server configurations.
Step 4: Is your storage quota exceeded?
If uploads fail, check your hosting platform’s LFS quota/storage dashboard. This is also where “it worked yesterday” problems come from.
Step 5: Do you need to clean up local cache?
If disk space is tight, run:
git lfs prune
Just be careful: pruning removes cached objects you may still need. I typically prune after I’m confident the branch/workspace is done.
Migration note (the “we already committed big files” case):
If you added large assets before using LFS, you’ll want to migrate them so the repo history no longer contains the big binaries. The general idea is to use git lfs migrate (for example, migrating by path or by size threshold). After migration, you’ll need a force push and your team will need to re-clone or reset their branches.
If you’re doing this, set a rule for yourself: only migrate once you know your tracking patterns and you’ve communicated the history rewrite to the team.
Automation and Scripts for Managing Large Files Efficiently
Once you’ve got the basics working, automation is what keeps course repos from slowly turning into a mess.
1) Pre-commit guardrails
Instead of hoping nobody accidentally commits a 500MB file, add a check. One approach is a pre-commit hook that rejects files above a size threshold unless they match your LFS rules.
I’ve used a “hard stop” rule like: if a file is over 100MB and it’s not tracked by LFS, block the commit and tell the contributor to add/track it correctly.
2) CI checks
In GitLab CI, you can add a step that runs:
git lfs pull --verify-remote
(or git lfs pull with verification depending on your runner). This catches “CI can’t fetch LFS objects” problems early.
3) Automate tracking updates
If your course pipeline creates new asset types (like *.webm exports), automate the tracking rule update so .gitattributes stays consistent. Even a small script that updates .gitattributes and opens a PR can save a lot of manual churn.
4) Scheduled cleanup
Run git lfs prune on developer machines (or in build environments) on a schedule. This keeps disk usage from ballooning, especially when you’ve got lots of lessons.
Automation doesn’t just save time—it prevents the “oops” commits that are hardest to undo later.
FAQs
Install Git LFS, run git lfs install, then create tracking rules for your course file types (for example *.mp4, *.wav, *.psd). Commit the generated .gitattributes, then add your assets and push. After that, confirm with git lfs ls-files that the expected files are under LFS.
Use git lfs track "*.ext" (or path-based patterns) to define what goes into LFS, then commit .gitattributes. After you add assets, check git lfs ls-files. If a large file doesn’t show up, it wasn’t matched by your rules (and you may need to re-add or migrate it).
If the large files are already in your Git history, tracking rules alone won’t fix it. You’ll need to migrate history (commonly with git lfs migrate by file path or size), then force-push and coordinate with your team since the commit history changes. Before doing it, double-check your .gitattributes patterns so you don’t migrate the wrong files.
Use a pre-commit hook (or CI check) that blocks files above a size threshold unless they match LFS tracking rules. For example, reject anything over 100MB that isn’t already tracked by LFS. It’s the quickest way to stop “oops, I committed a giant MP4” from becoming a recurring problem.