diff --git a/lib/get-files.js b/lib/get-files.js
index 446aed5..05916e1 100644
--- a/lib/get-files.js
+++ b/lib/get-files.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import minimatch from 'minimatch';
 import IGNORED from './ignored';
 import { resolve } from 'path';
 import { stat, readdir, readFile } from 'fs-promise';
+import parser from 'gitignore-parser';
 
 /**
  * Returns a list of files in the given
@@ -18,91 +19,58 @@ import { stat, readdir, readFile } from 'fs-promise';
  * @return {Array} comprehensive list of paths to sync
  */
 
-export default async function getFiles (path, pkg, {
-  deploymentType = 'npm',
+export async function npm (path, pkg, {
   limit = null,
   debug = false
 }) {
-  if (!pkg && 'npm' === deploymentType) {
-    const pkgPath = resolve(path, 'package.json');
-    const pkgData = await readFile(pkgPath, 'utf8');
-    pkg = JSON.parse(pkgData);
-  }
+  // the package.json `files` whitelist still
+  // honors ignores: https://docs.npmjs.com/files/package.json#files
+  let search = (whitelist || ['.']).push('package.json');
 
-  let search = (pkg ? pkg.files || ['.'] : []).concat(
-    'npm' === deploymentType
-      ? 'package.json'
-      : 'Dockerfile'
-  );
+  // always include the "main" file
+  if (pkg.main) {
+    search.push(pkg.main);
+  }
 
-  if ('npm' === deploymentType && pkg.main) {
-    search = search.concat(pkg.main);
+  // always include binary files
+  if (pkg.bin) {
+    for (const script in pkg.bin) {
+      search.push(pkg.bin[script]);
+    }
   }
 
+  // convert all filenames into absolute paths
   search = search.map((file) => asAbsolute(file, path));
 
+  // locate files
+  if (debug) console.time('> [debug] locating files');
+  const files = await explode(search, { limit, debug });
+  if (debug) console.timeEnd('> [debug] locating files');
+
   // compile list of ignored patterns and files
-  let ignored;
-  if ('npm' === deploymentType) {
-    const npmIgnore = await maybeRead(resolve(path, '.npmignore'));
-    const gitIgnore = npmIgnore
-      ? ''
-      : (await maybeRead(resolve(path, '.gitignore')));
-    ignored = unique(IGNORED
-    .concat(gitIgnore.split('\n').filter(invalidFilter))
-    .concat(npmIgnore.split('\n').filter(invalidFilter)));
-  } else {
-    const dockerIgnore = await maybeRead(resolve(path, '.dockerignore'));
-    ignored = unique(IGNORED
-    .concat(dockerIgnore.split('\n').filter(invalidFilter)));
-  }
+  const npmIgnore = await maybeRead(resolve(path, '.npmignore'));
+  const ignored = parser.compile(
+    IGNORED +
+    '\n' +
+    npmIgnore
+      ? npmIgnore
+      : await maybeRead(resolve(path, '.gitignore'))
+  );
 
-  ignored = ignored.map((file) => resolve(path, file));
+  // if debugging is turned on, describe which files
+  // are being ignored
+  const accepts = debug ? function (file) {
+    const accepted = ignored.accepts(file);
+    if (!accepted) {
+      console.log('> [debug] ignoring "%s"', file);
+    }
+    return accepted;
+  } : ignored.accepts;
 
   // get files
-  return unique((await explode(search, ignored, { limit, debug })));
+  return unique(files.filter(accepts));
 }
 
-/**
- * Returns a filter function that
- * excludes ignored files in the path.
- *
- * @param {String} path
- * @return {Function} filter fn
- */
-
-// TODO: revisit this to support the entire
-// .dockerignore format like the `!` prefix
-const isIgnored = (file, ignored) => {
-  return ignored.some((test) => {
-    // test that the target file is not under
-    // an ignored directory
-    const dir = test + '/';
-    if (file.substr(0, dir.length) === dir) return true;
-
-    // if not match wildcards
-    return minimatch(file, test);
-  });
-};
-
-/**
- * Returns a filter function that
- * excludes invalid rules for .*ignore files
- *
- * @param {String} path
- * @return {Function} filter fn
- */
-
-const invalidFilter = (path) => {
-  return !(
-    /* commments */
-    '#' === path[0] ||
-
-    /* empty lines or newlines */
-    !path.trim().length
-  );
-};
-
 /**
  * Transform relative paths into absolutes,
  * and maintains absolutes as such.
@@ -130,7 +98,7 @@ const asAbsolute = function (path, parent) {
  * @return {Array} of {String}s of full paths
  */
 
-const explode = async function (paths, ignored, { limit, debug }) {
+const explode = async function (paths, { limit, debug }) {
   const many = async (all) => {
     return await Promise.all(all.map(async (file) => {
       return await list(file);
@@ -155,11 +123,6 @@ const explode = async function (paths, ignored, { limit, debug }) {
       }
     }
 
-    if (isIgnored(file, ignored)) {
-      if (debug) console.log(`> [debug] Ignoring "${file}"`);
-      return null;
-    }
-
     if (s.isDirectory()) {
       const all = await readdir(file);
       return many(all.map(subdir => asAbsolute(subdir, file)));
diff --git a/lib/ignored.js b/lib/ignored.js
index d99276b..6a3b810 100644
--- a/lib/ignored.js
+++ b/lib/ignored.js
@@ -1,17 +1,17 @@
-export default [
-  '.hg',
-  '.git',
-  '.gitmodules',
-  '.svn',
-  '.npmignore',
-  '.dockerignore',
-  '.gitignore',
-  '.*.swp',
-  '.DS_Store',
-  '.wafpickle-*',
-  '.lock-wscript',
-  'npm-debug.log',
-  'config.gypi',
-  'node_modules',
-  'CVS'
-];
+// base `.gitignore` to which we add entries
+// supplied by the user
+export default `.hg
+.git
+.gitmodules
+.svn
+.npmignore
+.dockerignore
+.gitignore
+.*.swp
+.DS_Store
+.wafpicke-*
+.lock-wscript
+npm-debug.log
+config.gypi
+node_modules
+CVS`;
diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index b769b7d..7057692 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import bytes from 'bytes';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
-import getFiles from './get-files';
+import {
+  npm as getNpmFiles,
+  docker as getDockerFiles
+} from './get-npm-files';
 import ua from './ua';
 import hash from './hash';
 import retry from 'async-retry';
@@ -41,7 +44,7 @@ export default class Now extends EventEmitter {
     this._path = path;
 
     let pkg = {};
-    let name, description;
+    let name, description, files;
 
     if ('npm' === deploymentType) {
       try {
@@ -68,6 +71,10 @@ export default class Now extends EventEmitter {
       }
 
       description = pkg.description;
+
+      if (this._debug) console.time('> [debug] Getting files');
+      files = await getNpmFiles(path, pkg, { debug: this._debug });
+      if (this._debug) console.timeEnd('> [debug] Getting files');
     } else if ('docker' === deploymentType) {
       let docker;
       try {
@@ -123,6 +130,10 @@ export default class Now extends EventEmitter {
       }
 
       description = labels.description;
+
+      if (this._debug) console.time('> [debug] Getting files');
+      files = await getDockerFiles(path, { debug: this._debug });
+      if (this._debug) console.timeEnd('> [debug] Getting files');
     }
 
     const nowProperties = pkg ? pkg.now || {} : {};
@@ -152,13 +163,6 @@ export default class Now extends EventEmitter {
       }
     }
 
-    if (this._debug) console.time('> [debug] Getting files');
-    const files = await getFiles(path, pkg, {
-      deploymentType,
-      debug: this._debug
-    });
-    if (this._debug) console.timeEnd('> [debug] Getting files');
-
     if (this._debug) console.time('> [debug] Computing hashes');
     const hashes = await hash(files);
     if (this._debug) console.timeEnd('> [debug] Computing hashes');
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 1dd13cf..b8ca0ed 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@
     "email-prompt": "0.1.8",
     "email-validator": "1.0.4",
     "fs-promise": "0.5.0",
+    "gitignore-parser": "0.0.2",
     "graceful-fs": "4.1.4",
     "ini": "1.3.4",
     "minimatch": "3.0.0",