diff --git a/lib/config/defaults.js b/lib/config/defaults.js
index 092da50e..6a225619 100644
--- a/lib/config/defaults.js
+++ b/lib/config/defaults.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ module.exports = {
     // compatible with linux, mac and windows, or make the default.js
     // dynamically append the `.cmd` for node based utilities
   },
-  ignoreRoot: ignoreRoot.map(_ => `**/${_}`),
+  ignoreRoot: ignoreRoot.map(_ => `**/${_}/**`),
   watch: ['*.*'],
   stdin: true,
   runOnChangeOnly: false,
diff --git a/lib/monitor/match.js b/lib/monitor/match.js
index 9ae1c820..7b6d7758 100644
--- a/lib/monitor/match.js
+++ b/lib/monitor/match.js
@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ function rulesToMonitor(watch, ignore, config) {
     if (rule.slice(-4) !== '**/*' &&
       rule.slice(-1) === '*' &&
       rule.indexOf('*.') === -1) {
-      rule += '*/*';
+
+      if (rule.slice(-2) !== '**') rule += '*/*';
     }
 
 
diff --git a/lib/monitor/watch.js b/lib/monitor/watch.js
index 7becd47c..1d9cccc0 100644
--- a/lib/monitor/watch.js
+++ b/lib/monitor/watch.js
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ function watch() {
       }
 
       var watchOptions = {
+        cwd: process.cwd(), // use cwd for relative path ignore
         ignored: ignored,
         persistent: true,
         usePolling: config.options.legacyWatch || false,
diff --git a/lib/nodemon.js b/lib/nodemon.js
index 1bd24786..ed12ed9b 100644
--- a/lib/nodemon.js
+++ b/lib/nodemon.js
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ var bus = utils.bus;
 var help = require('./help');
 var config = require('./config');
 var spawn = require('./spawn');
+const defaults = require('./config/defaults')
 var eventHandlers = {};
 
 // this is fairly dirty, but theoretically sound since it's part of the
@@ -65,6 +66,8 @@ function nodemon(settings) {
     }
   }
 
+  const cwd = process.cwd();
+
   config.load(settings, function (config) {
     if (!config.options.dump && !config.options.execOptions.script &&
       config.options.execOptions.exec === 'node') {
@@ -147,9 +150,26 @@ function nodemon(settings) {
         restartSignal + ' to ' + process.pid + ' to restart');
     }
 
-    utils.log.detail('ignoring: ' + config.options.monitor.map(function (rule) {
-      return rule.slice(0, 1) === '!' ? rule.slice(1) : false;
-    }).filter(Boolean).join(' '));
+    const ignoring = config.options.monitor.map(function (rule) {
+      if (rule.slice(0, 1) !== '!') {
+        return false;
+      }
+
+      rule = rule.slice(1);
+
+      // don't notify of default ignores
+      if (defaults.ignoreRoot.includes(rule)) {
+        return false;
+        return rule.slice(3).slice(0, -3);
+      }
+
+      if (rule.startsWith(cwd)) {
+        return rule.replace(cwd, '.');
+      }
+
+      return rule;
+    }).filter(Boolean).join(' ');
+    if (ignoring) utils.log.detail('ignoring: ' + ignoring);
 
     utils.log.info('watching: ' + config.options.monitor.map(function (rule) {
       return rule.slice(0, 1) !== '!' ? rule : false;
@@ -162,7 +182,7 @@ function nodemon(settings) {
       utils.log._log('log', 'node: ' + process.version);
       utils.log._log('log', 'nodemon: ' + version.pinned);
       utils.log._log('log', 'command: ' + process.argv.join(' '));
-      utils.log._log('log', 'cwd: ' + process.cwd());
+      utils.log._log('log', 'cwd: ' + cwd);
       utils.log._log('log', ['OS:', process.platform, process.arch].join(' '));
       utils.log._log('log', '--------------');
       utils.log._log('log', util.inspect(config, { depth: null }));