diff --git a/Documentation/gitattributes.txt b/Documentation/gitattributes.txt
index 80120ea14f..b7c0e6577e 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitattributes.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitattributes.txt
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ When more than one pattern matches the path, a later line
 overrides an earlier line.  This overriding is done per
 attribute.  The rules how the pattern matches paths are the
 same as in `.gitignore` files; see linkgit:gitignore[5].
+Unlike `.gitignore`, negative patterns are forbidden.
 
 When deciding what attributes are assigned to a path, git
 consults `$GIT_DIR/info/attributes` file (which has the highest
diff --git a/attr.c b/attr.c
index e7caee4ddd..2fc6353628 100644
--- a/attr.c
+++ b/attr.c
@@ -115,6 +115,13 @@ struct attr_state {
 	const char *setto;
 };
 
+struct pattern {
+	const char *pattern;
+	int patternlen;
+	int nowildcardlen;
+	int flags;		/* EXC_FLAG_* */
+};
+
 /*
  * One rule, as from a .gitattributes file.
  *
@@ -131,7 +138,7 @@ struct attr_state {
  */
 struct match_attr {
 	union {
-		char *pattern;
+		struct pattern pat;
 		struct git_attr *attr;
 	} u;
 	char is_macro;
@@ -241,9 +248,16 @@ static struct match_attr *parse_attr_line(const char *line, const char *src,
 	if (is_macro)
 		res->u.attr = git_attr_internal(name, namelen);
 	else {
-		res->u.pattern = (char *)&(res->state[num_attr]);
-		memcpy(res->u.pattern, name, namelen);
-		res->u.pattern[namelen] = 0;
+		char *p = (char *)&(res->state[num_attr]);
+		memcpy(p, name, namelen);
+		res->u.pat.pattern = p;
+		parse_exclude_pattern(&res->u.pat.pattern,
+				      &res->u.pat.patternlen,
+				      &res->u.pat.flags,
+				      &res->u.pat.nowildcardlen);
+		if (res->u.pat.flags & EXC_FLAG_NEGATIVE)
+			die(_("Negative patterns are forbidden in git attributes\n"
+			      "Use '\\!' for literal leading exclamation."));
 	}
 	res->is_macro = is_macro;
 	res->num_attr = num_attr;
@@ -640,25 +654,21 @@ static void prepare_attr_stack(const char *path)
 
 static int path_matches(const char *pathname, int pathlen,
 			const char *basename,
-			const char *pattern,
+			const struct pattern *pat,
 			const char *base, int baselen)
 {
-	if (!strchr(pattern, '/')) {
-		return (fnmatch_icase(pattern, basename, 0) == 0);
+	const char *pattern = pat->pattern;
+	int prefix = pat->nowildcardlen;
+
+	if (pat->flags & EXC_FLAG_NODIR) {
+		return match_basename(basename,
+				      pathlen - (basename - pathname),
+				      pattern, prefix,
+				      pat->patternlen, pat->flags);
 	}
-	/*
-	 * match with FNM_PATHNAME; the pattern has base implicitly
-	 * in front of it.
-	 */
-	if (*pattern == '/')
-		pattern++;
-	if (pathlen < baselen ||
-	    (baselen && pathname[baselen] != '/') ||
-	    strncmp(pathname, base, baselen))
-		return 0;
-	if (baselen != 0)
-		baselen++;
-	return fnmatch_icase(pattern, pathname + baselen, FNM_PATHNAME) == 0;
+	return match_pathname(pathname, pathlen,
+			      base, baselen,
+			      pattern, prefix, pat->patternlen, pat->flags);
 }
 
 static int macroexpand_one(int attr_nr, int rem);
@@ -696,7 +706,7 @@ static int fill(const char *path, int pathlen, const char *basename,
 		if (a->is_macro)
 			continue;
 		if (path_matches(path, pathlen, basename,
-				 a->u.pattern, base, stk->originlen))
+				 &a->u.pat, base, stk->originlen))
 			rem = fill_one("fill", a, rem);
 	}
 	return rem;
diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index c4e64a5bc9..ee8e7115a8 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -308,10 +308,10 @@ static int no_wildcard(const char *string)
 	return string[simple_length(string)] == '\0';
 }
 
-static void parse_exclude_pattern(const char **pattern,
-				  int *patternlen,
-				  int *flags,
-				  int *nowildcardlen)
+void parse_exclude_pattern(const char **pattern,
+			   int *patternlen,
+			   int *flags,
+			   int *nowildcardlen)
 {
 	const char *p = *pattern;
 	size_t i, len;
@@ -530,9 +530,9 @@ static void prep_exclude(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *base, int baselen)
 	dir->basebuf[baselen] = '\0';
 }
 
-static int match_basename(const char *basename, int basenamelen,
-			  const char *pattern, int prefix, int patternlen,
-			  int flags)
+int match_basename(const char *basename, int basenamelen,
+		   const char *pattern, int prefix, int patternlen,
+		   int flags)
 {
 	if (prefix == patternlen) {
 		if (!strcmp_icase(pattern, basename))
@@ -549,10 +549,10 @@ static int match_basename(const char *basename, int basenamelen,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int match_pathname(const char *pathname, int pathlen,
-			  const char *base, int baselen,
-			  const char *pattern, int prefix, int patternlen,
-			  int flags)
+int match_pathname(const char *pathname, int pathlen,
+		   const char *base, int baselen,
+		   const char *pattern, int prefix, int patternlen,
+		   int flags)
 {
 	const char *name;
 	int namelen;
diff --git a/dir.h b/dir.h
index 41ea32d957..f5c89e3b80 100644
--- a/dir.h
+++ b/dir.h
@@ -80,6 +80,16 @@ extern int excluded_from_list(const char *pathname, int pathlen, const char *bas
 			      int *dtype, struct exclude_list *el);
 struct dir_entry *dir_add_ignored(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *pathname, int len);
 
+/*
+ * these implement the matching logic for dir.c:excluded_from_list and
+ * attr.c:path_matches()
+ */
+extern int match_basename(const char *, int,
+			  const char *, int, int, int);
+extern int match_pathname(const char *, int,
+			  const char *, int,
+			  const char *, int, int, int);
+
 /*
  * The excluded() API is meant for callers that check each level of leading
  * directory hierarchies with excluded() to avoid recursing into excluded
@@ -97,6 +107,7 @@ extern int path_excluded(struct path_exclude_check *, const char *, int namelen,
 extern int add_excludes_from_file_to_list(const char *fname, const char *base, int baselen,
 					  char **buf_p, struct exclude_list *which, int check_index);
 extern void add_excludes_from_file(struct dir_struct *, const char *fname);
+extern void parse_exclude_pattern(const char **string, int *patternlen, int *flags, int *nowildcardlen);
 extern void add_exclude(const char *string, const char *base,
 			int baselen, struct exclude_list *which);
 extern void free_excludes(struct exclude_list *el);
diff --git a/t/t0003-attributes.sh b/t/t0003-attributes.sh
index 51f3045ba4..f6c21ea4ea 100755
--- a/t/t0003-attributes.sh
+++ b/t/t0003-attributes.sh
@@ -206,6 +206,16 @@ test_expect_success 'root subdir attribute test' '
 	attr_check subdir/a/i unspecified
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'negative patterns' '
+	echo "!f test=bar" >.gitattributes &&
+	test_must_fail git check-attr test -- f
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'patterns starting with exclamation' '
+	echo "\!f test=foo" >.gitattributes &&
+	attr_check "!f" foo
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'setup bare' '
 	git clone --bare . bare.git &&
 	cd bare.git