diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5170895..54852c8 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ If there are files or directories to be excluded from deployment, such as tests
 
 #### `.distignore`
 
-**Notes:** `.distignore` is for files to be ignored **only**; it does not currently allow negation like `.gitignore`. This comes from its current expected syntax in WP-CLI's [`wp dist-archive` command](https://github.com/wp-cli/dist-archive-command/). It is possible that this Action will allow for includes via something like a `.distinclude` file in the future, or that WP-CLI itself makes a change that this Action will reflect for consistency. It also will need to contain more than `.gitattributes` because that method **also** respects `.gitignore`.
+**Notes:** `.distignore` supports the full `.gitignore` syntax which allows negations such as `!important.txt`. This functionality comes from the WP-CLI's [`wp dist-archive` command](https://github.com/wp-cli/dist-archive-command/). 
 
 ```
 /.wordpress-org
diff --git a/deploy.sh b/deploy.sh
index 50af5f6..29280e8 100755
--- a/deploy.sh
+++ b/deploy.sh
@@ -94,8 +94,10 @@ if [[ "$BUILD_DIR" = false ]]; then
 	if [[ -e "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/.distignore" ]]; then
 		echo "ℹ︎ Using .distignore"
 		# Copy from current branch to /trunk, excluding dotorg assets
+		# The --filter flag will allow the full .gitignore syntax to be used in .distignore
 		# The --delete flag will delete anything in destination that no longer exists in source
-		rsync -rc --exclude-from="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/.distignore" "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/" trunk/ --delete --delete-excluded
+		# The --itemize-changes flag will show the changes made to each file
+		rsync -rcv --filter="merge,- $GITHUB_WORKSPACE/.distignore" "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/" trunk/ --delete --itemize-changes
 	else
 		echo "ℹ︎ Using .gitattributes"
 
@@ -114,7 +116,7 @@ if [[ "$BUILD_DIR" = false ]]; then
 		git config --global user.name "10upbot on GitHub"
 
 		# Ensure git archive will pick up any changed files in the directory try.
-		test $(git ls-files --deleted) && git rm $(git ls-files --deleted)
+		test "$(git ls-files --deleted)" && git rm "$(git ls-files --deleted)"
 		if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain --untracked-files=all)" ]; then
 			git add .
 			git commit -m "Include build step changes"