I'm still evaluating git-annex I thought git-annex would be a good solution but I can't seem to get it to stop locking files I'm working on without using its '

I'm still evaluating git-annex I thought git-annex would be a good solution but I can't seem to get it to stop locking files I'm working on without using its 'unsafe' mode. I can't seem to figure out the workflow it was designed to support.