diff --git a/craft_application/commands/init.py b/craft_application/commands/init.py
index fa97a6bbd..81ba17d2f 100644
--- a/craft_application/commands/init.py
+++ b/craft_application/commands/init.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Copyright 2024 Canonical Ltd.
+# Copyright 2026 Canonical Ltd.
 #
 # This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it
 # under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3, as
@@ -90,7 +90,13 @@ def fill_parser(self, parser: argparse.ArgumentParser) -> None:
                 f"choices are {humanize_list(self.profiles, 'and')})"
             ),
         )
-
+        parser.add_argument(
+            "--vcs",
+            type=str,
+            choices=["git", "none"],
+            default="git",
+            help="Initialize a version control system.",
+        )
         parser.add_argument(
             "--base",
             type=str,
@@ -122,6 +128,11 @@ def profiles(self) -> list[str]:
         ]
         return sorted([template.name for template in template_dirs])
 
+    @property
+    def vcs_ignore_globs(self) -> list[str]:
+        """A list of globs that should be ignored when creating a .gitignore file."""
+        return []
+
     def run(self, parsed_args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
         """Run the command."""
         # If the user provided a "name" and it's not valid, the command fails.
@@ -149,8 +160,59 @@ def run(self, parsed_args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
             project_name=project_name,
             template_dir=template_dir,
         )
+
+        self.initialize_vcs(parsed_args.vcs, project_dir)
+
         craft_cli.emit.message("Successfully initialised project.")
 
+    def initialize_vcs(
+        self,
+        vcs: str,
+        project_dir: pathlib.Path,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Initialize VCS features for a project.
+
+        Currently only supports Git.
+
+        If the Git repository already exists, it will be reused.
+
+        If a `.gitignore` file is already present, Craft-specific content will be
+        appended.
+        """
+        if vcs == "none":
+            return
+
+        craft_cli.emit.debug(f"Setting up VCS in {str(project_dir)!r}.")
+
+        from craft_application.git import GitRepo  # noqa: PLC0415
+
+        _ = GitRepo(project_dir)
+
+        self._create_git_ignore(project_dir)
+
+    def _create_git_ignore(self, project_dir: pathlib.Path) -> None:
+        ignore_lines = [
+            f"# Added by {self._app.name.capitalize()}",
+            *self.vcs_ignore_globs,
+        ]
+
+        # Nothing to ignore
+        if len(ignore_lines) == 1:
+            return
+
+        ignore_content = "\n".join(ignore_lines)
+
+        ignore = project_dir / ".gitignore"
+        ignore_existed = ignore.exists()
+
+        with ignore.open("at") as ignore_f:
+            # Assuming the user leaves a trailing newline on their files, this will give a cleanly
+            # separated "Added by Craft" section
+            if ignore_existed:
+                ignore_f.write("\n")
+
+            ignore_f.write(ignore_content)
+
     def _get_template_dir(self, parsed_args: argparse.Namespace) -> pathlib.Path:
         """Get the template directory for the selected profile and base."""
         base = getattr(parsed_args, "base", None)
diff --git a/craft_application/git/_git_repo.py b/craft_application/git/_git_repo.py
index 6b8da5460..b3040ff8c 100644
--- a/craft_application/git/_git_repo.py
+++ b/craft_application/git/_git_repo.py
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ def __init__(self, path: Path) -> None:
             )
 
         if not is_repo(path):
-            self._init_repo()
+            self.init_repo()
 
         self._repo = pygit2.Repository(path.as_posix())
 
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ def is_clean(self) -> bool:
                 f"Could not check if the git repository in {str(self.path)!r} is clean."
             ) from error
 
-    def _init_repo(self) -> None:
+    def init_repo(self) -> None:
         """Initialize a git repo.
 
         :raises GitError: if the repo cannot be initialized
diff --git a/testcraft/cli.py b/testcraft/cli.py
index e95f0fda0..ce767217f 100644
--- a/testcraft/cli.py
+++ b/testcraft/cli.py
@@ -25,14 +25,14 @@
 from craft_providers.actions.snap_installer import Snap
 
 from testcraft.application import TESTCRAFT
-from testcraft.commands import LintCommand, StateCommand
+from testcraft.commands import InitCommand, LintCommand, StateCommand
 from testcraft.services import register_services
 
 
 def register_commands(app: craft_application.Application) -> None:
     """Register extra commands for testcraft."""
     app.add_command_group("Lifecycle", [TestCommand], ordered=True)
-    app.add_command_group("Other", [LintCommand])
+    app.add_command_group("Other", [InitCommand, LintCommand])
     app.add_command_group("State", [StateCommand])
 
 
diff --git a/testcraft/commands/__init__.py b/testcraft/commands/__init__.py
index 19578dbf6..39c254828 100644
--- a/testcraft/commands/__init__.py
+++ b/testcraft/commands/__init__.py
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@
 # with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 """Testcraft CLI commands."""
 
+from .init import InitCommand
 from .lint import LintCommand
 from .state import StateCommand
 
 __all__ = [
+    "InitCommand",
     "LintCommand",
     "StateCommand",
 ]
diff --git a/testcraft/commands/init.py b/testcraft/commands/init.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e8f646b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testcraft/commands/init.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# Copyright 2026 Canonical Ltd.
+#
+# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it
+# under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3, as
+# published by the Free Software Foundation.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
+# ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranties of MERCHANTABILITY,
+# SATISFACTORY QUALITY, or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+# See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along
+# with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+"""Command to initialize a project."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from craft_application.commands import InitCommand as BaseInitCommand
+from typing_extensions import override
+
+
+class InitCommand(BaseInitCommand):
+    """Init command override for Testcraft."""
+
+    @override
+    @property
+    def vcs_ignore_globs(self) -> list[str]:
+        return [*super().vcs_ignore_globs, "/*.test"]
diff --git a/tests/spread/testcraft/init-vcs/task.yaml b/tests/spread/testcraft/init-vcs/task.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5dc0573bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/spread/testcraft/init-vcs/task.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+summary: test testcraft init with VCS features
+
+environment:
+  VCS_STYLE/blank: ""
+  VCS_STYLE/git:   "git"
+  VCS_STYLE/none:  "none"
+
+execute: |
+  mkdir init-test
+  cd init-test
+
+  [ -n "$VCS_STYLE" ] && vcs_flag="--vcs $VCS_STYLE" || vcs_flag=""
+  testcraft init $vcs_flag
+
+  # Check that they do exist if using VCS, or that they _don't_ exist if VCS is "none"
+  test -d .git;       test $? -ne $([ "$VCS_STYLE" = "none" ]; echo $?)
+  test -f .gitignore; test $? -ne $([ "$VCS_STYLE" = "none" ]; echo $?)
+
+restore: |
+  rm -rf init-test
diff --git a/tests/unit/commands/test_init.py b/tests/unit/commands/test_init.py
index 2b81a17c9..d4b6f2dcd 100644
--- a/tests/unit/commands/test_init.py
+++ b/tests/unit/commands/test_init.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # This file is part of craft-application.
 #
-# Copyright 2024 Canonical Ltd.
+# Copyright 2026 Canonical Ltd.
 #
 # This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it
 # under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3, as
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ def test_init_in_cwd(init_command, name, new_dir, mock_services, emitter):
         project_dir=None,
         name=name,
         profile="test-profile",
+        vcs="none",
     )
     mock_services.init.validate_project_name.return_value = expected_name
 
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ def test_init_run_project_dir(init_command, name, mock_services, emitter):
         project_dir=project_dir,
         name=name,
         profile="test-profile",
+        vcs="none",
     )
     mock_services.init.validate_project_name.return_value = expected_name
 
@@ -116,6 +118,7 @@ def test_existing_files(init_command, tmp_path, mock_services):
         project_dir=tmp_path,
         name="test-project-name",
         profile="test-profile",
+        vcs="none",
     )
 
     with pytest.raises(InitError, match="test-error"):
@@ -128,6 +131,7 @@ def test_invalid_name(init_command, mock_services):
     mock_services.init.validate_project_name.side_effect = InitError("test-error")
     parsed_args = argparse.Namespace(
         name="invalid--name",
+        vcs="none",
     )
     with pytest.raises(InitError, match="test-error"):
         init_command.run(parsed_args)
@@ -146,6 +150,7 @@ def _validate_project_name(_name: str, *, use_default: bool = False):
         project_dir=project_dir,
         name=None,
         profile="simple",
+        vcs="none",
     )
 
     init_command.run(parsed_args)
@@ -165,6 +170,7 @@ def test_invalid_base_variant(init_command, tmp_path, mock_services):
         name="test-project-name",
         profile="simple",
         base="ubuntu@23.04",
+        vcs="none",
     )
 
     with pytest.raises(InitError, match="Base variant 'ubuntu@23.04'") as exc_info:
@@ -183,6 +189,7 @@ def test_base_not_available_for_profile(init_command, tmp_path, mock_services):
         name="test-project-name",
         profile="simple",
         base="ubuntu@22.04",
+        vcs="none",
     )
 
     with pytest.raises(
@@ -207,6 +214,7 @@ def test_valid_base_name(
         name="test-project-name",
         profile="simple",
         base=base,
+        vcs="none",
     )
     mock_services.init.validate_project_name.return_value = "test-project-name"
 
@@ -228,6 +236,7 @@ def test_invalid_base_name(init_command, tmp_path, mock_services, base):
         name="test-project-name",
         profile="simple",
         base=base,
+        vcs="none",
     )
 
     with pytest.raises(InitError, match="invalid base name"):
@@ -244,6 +253,7 @@ def test_valid_base_variant(init_command, fake_template_dirs, mock_services, emi
         name="test-project-name",
         profile="simple",
         base="ubuntu@22.04",
+        vcs="none",
     )
     mock_services.init.validate_project_name.return_value = "test-project-name"
 
@@ -255,3 +265,62 @@ def test_valid_base_variant(init_command, fake_template_dirs, mock_services, emi
         template_dir=init_command.parent_template_dir / "simple__ubuntu@22.04",
     )
     emitter.assert_message("Successfully initialised project.")
+
+
+def test_initialize_vcs(
+    init_command,
+    tmp_path: pathlib.Path,
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+    emitter,
+    mocker,
+) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    mocker.patch.object(InitCommand, "vcs_ignore_globs", ["*.test"])
+
+    init_command.initialize_vcs("git", tmp_path)
+
+    assert pathlib.Path(".git").is_dir()
+    emitter.assert_debug(f"Setting up VCS in {str(tmp_path)!r}.")
+    assert (tmp_path / ".gitignore").read_text() == "# Added by Testcraft\n*.test"
+
+
+def test_create_vcs_ignore_empty(
+    init_command,
+    tmp_path: pathlib.Path,
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+    mocker,
+) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    mocker.patch.object(InitCommand, "vcs_ignore_globs", [])
+
+    init_command._create_git_ignore(tmp_path)
+
+    assert not (tmp_path / ".gitignore").exists()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("existing_content", "expected_content"),
+    [
+        (None, "# Added by Testcraft\n*.test\n*.testcomp"),
+        (
+            "existing_content\n",
+            "existing_content\n\n# Added by Testcraft\n*.test\n*.testcomp",
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_create_vcs_ignore(
+    init_command,
+    tmp_path: pathlib.Path,
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+    existing_content: str | None,
+    expected_content: str,
+    mocker,
+) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    mocker.patch.object(InitCommand, "vcs_ignore_globs", ["*.test", "*.testcomp"])
+    if existing_content is not None:
+        (tmp_path / ".gitignore").write_text(existing_content)
+
+    init_command._create_git_ignore(tmp_path)
+
+    assert (tmp_path / ".gitignore").read_text() == expected_content
diff --git a/tests/unit/git/test_git.py b/tests/unit/git/test_git.py
index 4a4869323..6a94bb548 100644
--- a/tests/unit/git/test_git.py
+++ b/tests/unit/git/test_git.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Copyright 2023-2024 Canonical Ltd.
+# Copyright 2026 Canonical Ltd.
 #
 # This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 # it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3 as
@@ -699,7 +699,7 @@ def test_clone_repository_appends_correct_parameters_to_clone_command(
     """Test if GitRepo uses correct arguments in subprocess calls."""
     # it is not a repo before clone is triggered, but will be after fake pygit2.clone_repository is called
     mocker.patch("craft_application.git._git_repo.is_repo", side_effect=[False, True])
-    mocked_init = mocker.patch.object(GitRepo, "_init_repo")
+    mocked_init = mocker.patch.object(GitRepo, "init_repo")
     fake_repo_url = "fake-repository-url.localhost"
     from craft_application.git._git_repo import (  # noqa: PLC0415
         logger as git_repo_logger,
@@ -728,7 +728,7 @@ def test_clone_repository_returns_git_repo_on_succcess_clone(mocker, empty_repos
     """Test if GitRepo is return on clone success."""
     # it is not a repo before clone is triggered, but will be after fake pygit2.clone_repository is called
     mocker.patch("craft_application.git._git_repo.is_repo", side_effect=[False, True])
-    mocked_init = mocker.patch.object(GitRepo, "_init_repo")
+    mocked_init = mocker.patch.object(GitRepo, "init_repo")
     fake_repo_url = "fake-repository-url.localhost"
     fake_branch = "some-fake-branch"
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/services/test_remotebuild.py b/tests/unit/services/test_remotebuild.py
index 52ecb66b7..2838eecdd 100644
--- a/tests/unit/services/test_remotebuild.py
+++ b/tests/unit/services/test_remotebuild.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #  This file is part of craft-application.
 #
-#  Copyright 2024 Canonical Ltd.
+#  Copyright 2026 Canonical Ltd.
 #
 #  This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it
 #  under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License version 3, as
@@ -54,9 +54,9 @@ def mock_push_url_raises_git_error(monkeypatch):
 @pytest.fixture
 def mock_init_raises_git_error(monkeypatch):
     git_repo_init = get_mock_callable(
-        side_effect=git.GitError("Fake _init_repo error during tests")
+        side_effect=git.GitError("Fake init_repo error during tests")
     )
-    monkeypatch.setattr(git.GitRepo, "_init_repo", git_repo_init)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(git.GitRepo, "init_repo", git_repo_init)
     return git_repo_init
 
 
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ def test_ensure_repository_wraps_git_error_during_init(
     mock_lp_project,
 ):
     remote_build_service._lp_project = mock_lp_project
-    with pytest.raises(RemoteBuildGitError, match="Fake _init_repo error during tests"):
+    with pytest.raises(RemoteBuildGitError, match="Fake init_repo error during tests"):
         remote_build_service._ensure_repository(tmp_path)