diff --git a/gix-dir/src/walk/classify.rs b/gix-dir/src/walk/classify.rs
index a93e7c0b16a..b87c893e7c7 100644
--- a/gix-dir/src/walk/classify.rs
+++ b/gix-dir/src/walk/classify.rs
@@ -265,8 +265,17 @@ pub fn path(
                     ),
                 );
             }
-            if kind.map_or(false, |d| d.is_recursable_dir()) && out.pathspec_match.is_none() {
-                // we have patterns that didn't match at all, *yet*. We want to look inside.
+            if kind.map_or(false, |d| d.is_recursable_dir())
+                && (out.pathspec_match.is_none()
+                    || worktree_relative_worktree_dirs.map_or(false, |worktrees| {
+                        for_deletion.is_some()
+                            && worktrees
+                                .iter()
+                                .any(|dir| dir.starts_with_str(&*rela_path) && dir.get(rela_path.len()) == Some(&b'/'))
+                    }))
+            {
+                // We have patterns that didn't match at all, *yet*, or there are contained worktrees.
+                // We want to look inside.
                 out.pathspec_match = Some(PathspecMatch::Prefix);
             }
         }
diff --git a/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/many.sh b/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/many.sh
index 5f22234ec90..e5146933644 100755
--- a/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/many.sh
+++ b/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/many.sh
@@ -448,6 +448,7 @@ git clone dir-with-tracked-file in-repo-worktree
 git clone dir-with-tracked-file in-repo-hidden-worktree
 (cd in-repo-hidden-worktree
   echo '/hidden/' > .gitignore
-  mkdir -p hidden/sbudir
+  mkdir -p hidden/subdir
+  touch hidden/file
   git worktree add -b worktree-branch hidden/subdir/worktree
 )
diff --git a/gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs b/gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs
index 748c6baef2e..057271e0968 100644
--- a/gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs
+++ b/gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs
@@ -4579,6 +4579,7 @@ fn in_repo_hidden_worktree() -> crate::Result {
             &root,
             ctx,
             walk::Options {
+                for_deletion: None,
                 worktree_relative_worktree_dirs: Some(&BTreeSet::from(["hidden/subdir/worktree".into()])),
                 ..options_emit_all()
             },
@@ -4601,7 +4602,48 @@ fn in_repo_hidden_worktree() -> crate::Result {
             entry("dir/file", Tracked, File),
             entry("hidden", Ignored(Expendable), Directory),
         ],
-        "Currently, worktrees can't be found in ignored directories, even though hit should"
+        "Without the intend to delete, the worktree remains hidden, which is what we want to see in a `status` for example"
     );
+
+    for ignored_emission_mode in [Matching, CollapseDirectory] {
+        for deletion_mode in [
+            ForDeletionMode::IgnoredDirectoriesCanHideNestedRepositories,
+            ForDeletionMode::FindRepositoriesInIgnoredDirectories,
+            ForDeletionMode::FindNonBareRepositoriesInIgnoredDirectories,
+        ] {
+            let ((out, _root), entries) = collect(&root, None, |keep, ctx| {
+                walk(
+                    &root,
+                    ctx,
+                    walk::Options {
+                        emit_ignored: Some(ignored_emission_mode),
+                        for_deletion: Some(deletion_mode),
+                        worktree_relative_worktree_dirs: Some(&BTreeSet::from(["hidden/subdir/worktree".into()])),
+                        ..options_emit_all()
+                    },
+                    keep,
+                )
+            });
+            assert_eq!(
+                out,
+                walk::Outcome {
+                    read_dir_calls: 4,
+                    returned_entries: entries.len(),
+                    seen_entries: 5,
+                }
+            );
+            assert_eq!(
+                entries,
+                &[
+                    entry_nokind(".git", Pruned).with_property(DotGit).with_match(Always),
+                    entry(".gitignore", Untracked, File),
+                    entry("dir/file", Tracked, File),
+                    entry("hidden/file", Ignored(Expendable), File),
+                    entry("hidden/subdir/worktree", Tracked, Repository).no_index_kind(),
+                ],
+                "Worktrees within hidden directories are also detected and protected by counting them as tracked (like submodules)"
+            );
+        }
+    }
     Ok(())
 }