Keerthana-64 · Oct 29, 2026
diff --git a/doc/source/changes.rst b/doc/source/changes.rst
@@ -172,6 +172,10 @@ API changes
   happy paths, Python glue failures and representative compatibility regressions.
   Historical timing-only tests are removed; the maintained backend benchmark
   checks result parity and CLI budgets.
+* ``IndexFile.remove()`` matches the paths of index entries, blobs, and submodules
+  literally, so an entry named ``*.txt`` no longer removes every ``.txt`` file.
+  Path strings keep their pathspec semantics. ``Submodule.move()`` and
+  ``Submodule.remove()`` remove the submodule's own index entry the same way.
 * Commit/tag metadata uses structured Gix decoders when the Gix backend supports
   the repository. The CLI backend retains raw decoding because Git has no faithful
   formatted query for all commit headers or arbitrary tag objects. ``gpgsig``

diff --git a/git/index/base.py b/git/index/base.py
@@ -1066,11 +1066,12 @@ def remove(
 
             - :class:`~git.objects.blob.Blob` object
 
-                Only the path portion is used in this case.
+                Only the path portion is used in this case. It is matched literally.
 
             - :class:`~git.index.typ.BaseIndexEntry` or compatible type
 
-                The only relevant information here is the path. The stage is ignored.
+                The only relevant information here is the path, which is matched
+                literally. The stage is ignored.
 
         :param working_tree:
             If ``True``, the entry will also be removed from the working tree,
@@ -1107,8 +1108,17 @@ def remove(
             args.append("--cached")
         args.append("--")
 
-        # Preprocess paths.
-        paths = list(map(os.fspath, self._items_to_rela_paths(items)))  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+        # Preprocess paths. Entries, blobs and submodules name exact paths, which Git
+        # must not expand as patterns. Path strings keep their pathspec semantics.
+        if isinstance(items, (str, os.PathLike)):
+            items = [items]
+        item_list = list(items)
+        paths = [
+            ":(literal)" + os.fspath(rela_path)
+            if isinstance(item, (BaseIndexEntry, Blob, Submodule))
+            else os.fspath(rela_path)
+            for item, rela_path in zip(item_list, self._items_to_rela_paths(item_list))
+        ]
         with self._materialized_index() as path:
             removed_paths = self.repo.git._call_process_safe(
                 "rm", args, paths, env={"GIT_INDEX_FILE": path}, **kwargs

diff --git a/git/objects/submodule/base.py b/git/objects/submodule/base.py
@@ -1361,7 +1361,7 @@ def move(self, module_path: PathLike, configuration: bool = True, module: bool =
             if configuration:
                 try:
                     entry = index.entry(self.path)
-                    index.remove(self.path, write=False, force=True)
+                    index.remove([entry], write=False, force=True)
                     nentry = git.IndexEntry(entry[:3] + (module_checkout_path,) + entry[4:])
                     index.add([nentry], write=False)
                 except KeyError as e:
@@ -1572,8 +1572,7 @@ def remove(
             # First the index-entry.
             parent_index = self.repo.index
             try:
-                parent_index.entry(self.path)
-                parent_index.remove(self.path, write=False, force=True)
+                parent_index.remove([parent_index.entry(self.path)], write=False, force=True)
             except KeyError:
                 pass
             # END delete entry

diff --git a/test/test_index.py b/test/test_index.py
@@ -1391,6 +1391,24 @@ def test_checkout_sends_each_path_as_one_record(self):
             # Neither "nested/first" nor "outside" was requested.
             assert (root / "outside").read_bytes() == b"local"
 
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(os.name == "nt", reason="'*' and ':' are not valid Windows filenames")
+    def test_remove_matches_entry_paths_literally(self):
+        with fixture_repo("index.sh", "remove-literal", write=True) as repo:
+            root = Path(repo.working_tree_dir)
+            index = repo.index
+            entries = [index.entry("*.txt"), index.entry(":(glob)**")]
+            assert index.remove(entries, write=False) == ["*.txt", ":(glob)**"]
+            assert {entry.path for entry in index.iter_entries()} == {"a.txt", "b.txt", "src/app.py"}
+
+            entry = entries[0]
+            blob = Blob(repo, entry.binsha, entry.mode, entry.path)
+            assert repo.index.remove([blob], working_tree=True) == ["*.txt"]
+            assert not (root / "*.txt").exists()
+            assert (root / "a.txt").exists() and (root / "b.txt").exists()
+
+            # Path strings keep their pathspec semantics.
+            assert repo.index.remove(["*.txt"], write=False) == ["a.txt", "b.txt"]
+
 
 class TestIndexUtils:
     @pytest.mark.parametrize("file_path_type", [str, Path])

diff --git a/test/test_submodule.py b/test/test_submodule.py
@@ -326,6 +326,21 @@ def test_submodule_cli_lifecycle(monkeypatch, object_format, ref_format):
             assert not parent.submodules
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif(os.name == "nt", reason="'*' is not a valid Windows filename")
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("operation", ["remove", "move"])
+def test_submodule_index_update_matches_its_path_literally(operation):
+    with fixture_repo("submodule-special.sh", "glob-path", write=True, subdir="parent") as repo:
+        submodule = repo.submodules[0]
+        assert submodule.path == "*"
+        if operation == "remove":
+            submodule.remove()
+            expected = {".gitmodules", "README"}
+        else:
+            submodule.move("moved", module=False)
+            expected = {".gitmodules", "README", "moved"}
+        assert {entry.path for entry in repo.index.iter_entries()} == expected
+
+
 @pytest.mark.skipif(sys.platform != "win32", reason="Windows locks files against directory renames")
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("use_short_path", [False, True])
 def test_submodule_reconnect_with_open_metadata_file(use_short_path):

diff --git a/tests/fixtures/index.sh b/tests/fixtures/index.sh
@@ -119,6 +119,12 @@ case "$scenario" in
         rm repo/nested/$'first\noutside' 'repo/"quoted"'
         printf local >repo/outside
         ;;
+    remove-literal)
+        mkdir repo/src
+        for name in a.txt b.txt '*.txt' ':(glob)**' src/app.py; do printf %s "$name" >"repo/$name"; done
+        git -C repo add -A
+        git -C repo commit -qm 'Add files'
+        ;;
     *) printf 'Unknown index fixture: %s\n' "$scenario" >&2; exit 1 ;;
 esac
 for hook in "$hooks/pre-commit" "$hooks/commit-msg"; do

diff --git a/tests/fixtures/submodule-special.sh b/tests/fixtures/submodule-special.sh
@@ -34,4 +34,14 @@ case "$1" in
         git init -q -b master --separate-git-dir="$PWD/metadata" checkout
         touch metadata/objects/held-open
         ;;
+    glob-path)
+        git init -q -b master parent
+        git -C parent commit --allow-empty -qm 'Initial commit'
+        printf content > parent/README
+        git -C parent config -f .gitmodules submodule.module.path '*'
+        git -C parent config -f .gitmodules submodule.module.url https://example.invalid/module.git
+        git -C parent add README .gitmodules
+        git -C parent update-index --add --cacheinfo "160000,$(git -C parent rev-parse HEAD),*"
+        git -C parent commit -qm 'Add submodule'
+        ;;
 esac