diff --git a/load_tooltips.sh b/load_tooltips.sh
index 79881a8..a7ec461 100755
--- a/load_tooltips.sh
+++ b/load_tooltips.sh
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@ grep -qxF "data/tooltips.json" .gitignore || echo "data/tooltips.json" >> .gitig
 echo "[7] Staging .gitignore only..."
 git add .gitignore
 
-if git diff --cached --quiet; then
+if git diff --cached --quiet -- .gitignore; then
     echo "[8] No changes to commit; skipping git commit/push."
 else
     echo "[8] Committing..."
-    git commit -m "GCZ: ensure tooltips.json exists, ignore it, and run load_tooltips.sh"
+    git commit -m "GCZ: ensure tooltips.json exists, ignore it, and run load_tooltips.sh" -- .gitignore
 
     echo "[9] Pushing to origin main..."
     git push origin main