diff --git a/git.go b/git.go
index 6e05316..e712e4d 100644
--- a/git.go
+++ b/git.go
@@ -188,9 +188,29 @@ func (rs *RepoStatus) IsDirty() bool {
 	return true
 }
 
+// return the list of dirty files (but ignores go.mod & go.sum)
+func (rs *RepoStatus) DirtyList() []string {
+	var all []string
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(rs.dirtyList, "\n") {
+		line = strings.TrimSpace(line)
+		parts := strings.Split(line, " ")
+		if len(parts) != 2 {
+			continue
+		}
+		if parts[1] == "go.mod" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if parts[1] == "go.sum" {
+			continue
+		}
+		all = append(all, parts[1])
+	}
+	return all
+}
+
 func (rs *RepoStatus) CheckDirty() bool {
 	var start string = rs.dirtyLabel.String()
-	cmd := []string{"git", "status"}
+	cmd := []string{"git", "status", "--porcelain"}
 	err, out := rs.RunCmd(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Warn("CheckDirty() status cmd =", cmd)
@@ -204,9 +224,12 @@ func (rs *RepoStatus) CheckDirty() bool {
 		return true
 	}
 
-	last := out[strings.LastIndex(out, "\n")+1:]
+	rs.dirtyList = out
 
-	if last == "nothing to commit, working tree clean" {
+	// last := out[strings.LastIndex(out, "\n")+1:]
+	// if last == "nothing to commit, working tree clean" {
+
+	if len(rs.DirtyList()) == 0 {
 		log.Log(REPO, "CheckDirty() no", rs.realPath.String())
 		rs.dirtyLabel.SetValue("no")
 		if start == "" {
diff --git a/structs.go b/structs.go
index 5234e7e..7f02488 100644
--- a/structs.go
+++ b/structs.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ type RepoStatus struct {
 	Tags   *GitTagBox           // a box of all the git tags
 
 	dirtyLabel *gadgets.OneLiner
+	dirtyList  string		// the output from git status --porcelain
 	readOnly   *gadgets.OneLiner
 	gitState   *gadgets.OneLiner
 	primitive  *gadgets.OneLiner