diff --git a/Library/Homebrew/formula.rb b/Library/Homebrew/formula.rb
index 33f1b34082..0f087c7a48 100644
--- a/Library/Homebrew/formula.rb
+++ b/Library/Homebrew/formula.rb
@@ -3123,6 +3123,8 @@ class Formula
       end
 
       setup_home env_home
+      # Don't dirty the git tree for git clones.
+      (env_home/".gitignore").write "*"
 
       ENV.clear_sensitive_environment!
 
diff --git a/Library/Homebrew/language/node.rb b/Library/Homebrew/language/node.rb
index 8c4df5a233..840df0d36e 100644
--- a/Library/Homebrew/language/node.rb
+++ b/Library/Homebrew/language/node.rb
@@ -55,9 +55,6 @@ module Language
     sig { params(libexec: Pathname).returns(T::Array[String]) }
     def self.std_npm_install_args(libexec)
       setup_npm_environment
-      # tell npm to not install .brew_home by adding it to the .npmignore file
-      # (or creating a new one if no .npmignore file already exists)
-      open(".npmignore", "a") { |f| f.write("\n.brew_home\n") }
 
       pack = pack_for_installation