diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 879186e..9c80911 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/andreaskoch/go-fswatch v1.0.0
 	github.com/containerd/containerd v1.3.3 // indirect
 	github.com/docker/distribution v2.7.1+incompatible // indirect
-	github.com/docker/docker v0.0.0-20200229013735-71373c6105e3	
+	github.com/docker/docker v0.0.0-20200229013735-71373c6105e3
 	github.com/docker/go-connections v0.4.0 // indirect
 	github.com/emirpasic/gods v1.12.0 // indirect
 	github.com/go-ini/ini v1.41.0
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/jtolds/gls v4.2.1+incompatible // indirect
 	github.com/mgutz/str v1.2.0 // indirect
 	github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir v1.1.0 // indirect
+	github.com/monochromegane/go-gitignore v0.0.0-20160105113617-38717d0a108c
 	github.com/morikuni/aec v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v1.0.0-rc1 // indirect
 	github.com/opencontainers/image-spec v1.0.1 // indirect
@@ -51,4 +52,5 @@ require (
 )
 
 replace github.com/docker/docker => github.com/docker/docker v0.0.0-20200229013735-71373c6105e3
+
 replace golang.org/x/sys => golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190813064441-fde4db37ae7a
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index a550733..36165e8 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir v1.0.0 h1:vKb8ShqSby24Yrqr/yDYkuFz8d0WUjys40rvnG
 github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir v1.0.0/go.mod h1:SfyaCUpYCn1Vlf4IUYiD9fPX4A5wJrkLzIz1N1q0pr0=
 github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir v1.1.0 h1:lukF9ziXFxDFPkA1vsr5zpc1XuPDn/wFntq5mG+4E0Y=
 github.com/mitchellh/go-homedir v1.1.0/go.mod h1:SfyaCUpYCn1Vlf4IUYiD9fPX4A5wJrkLzIz1N1q0pr0=
+github.com/monochromegane/go-gitignore v0.0.0-20160105113617-38717d0a108c h1:RRUev95N3Gq4Aog4avFzXJA2V8fgXmND+cvcH7KLMyk=
+github.com/monochromegane/go-gitignore v0.0.0-20160105113617-38717d0a108c/go.mod h1:Pm3mSP3c5uWn86xMLZ5Sa7JB9GsEZySvHYXCTK4E9q4=
 github.com/morikuni/aec v1.0.0 h1:nP9CBfwrvYnBRgY6qfDQkygYDmYwOilePFkwzv4dU8A=
 github.com/morikuni/aec v1.0.0/go.mod h1:BbKIizmSmc5MMPqRYbxO4ZU0S0+P200+tUnFx7PXmsc=
 github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v0.0.0-20180430190053-c9281466c8b2/go.mod h1:cMLVZDEM3+U2I4VmLI6N8jQYUd2OVphdqWwCJHrFt2s=
diff --git a/pkg/container/docker_run.go b/pkg/container/docker_run.go
index 9ba67b2..f3eb09e 100644
--- a/pkg/container/docker_run.go
+++ b/pkg/container/docker_run.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/mount"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/stdcopy"
+	gitignore "github.com/monochromegane/go-gitignore"
 	"github.com/nektos/act/pkg/common"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
@@ -305,6 +306,7 @@ func (cr *containerReference) exec(cmd []string, env map[string]string) common.E
 	}
 }
 
+// nolint: gocyclo
 func (cr *containerReference) copyDir(dstPath string, srcPath string) common.Executor {
 	return func(ctx context.Context) error {
 		logger := common.Logger(ctx)
@@ -323,6 +325,11 @@ func (cr *containerReference) copyDir(dstPath string, srcPath string) common.Exe
 		}
 		log.Debugf("Stripping prefix:%s src:%s", srcPrefix, srcPath)
 
+		gitignore, err := gitignore.NewGitIgnore(filepath.Join(srcPath, ".gitignore"))
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Debugf("Error loading .gitignore: %v", err)
+		}
+
 		err = filepath.Walk(srcPath, func(file string, fi os.FileInfo, err error) error {
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
@@ -333,6 +340,10 @@ func (cr *containerReference) copyDir(dstPath string, srcPath string) common.Exe
 				return nil
 			}
 
+			if gitignore != nil && gitignore.Match(file, fi.IsDir()) {
+				return nil
+			}
+
 			// create a new dir/file header
 			header, err := tar.FileInfoHeader(fi, fi.Name())
 			if err != nil {