diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index c82c1ef45d0..4dc241d1671 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1248,7 +1248,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "gitoxide-core"
-version = "0.39.0"
+version = "0.39.1"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "async-io 2.2.2",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 38ee898d9d4..4dc1037437a 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ gitoxide-core-async-client = ["gitoxide-core/async-client", "futures-lite"]
 [dependencies]
 anyhow = "1.0.42"
 
-gitoxide-core = { version = "^0.39.0", path = "gitoxide-core" }
+gitoxide-core = { version = "^0.39.1", path = "gitoxide-core" }
 gix-features = { version = "^0.38.2", path = "gix-features" }
 gix = { version = "^0.64.0", path = "gix", default-features = false }
 time = "0.3.23"
diff --git a/gitoxide-core/Cargo.toml b/gitoxide-core/Cargo.toml
index 65dab5c037a..7f947de992f 100644
--- a/gitoxide-core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/gitoxide-core/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 name = "gitoxide-core"
 description = "The library implementing all capabilities of the gitoxide CLI"
 repository = "https://github.com/Byron/gitoxide"
-version = "0.39.0"
+version = "0.39.1"
 authors = ["Sebastian Thiel <sebastian.thiel@icloud.com>"]
 license = "MIT OR Apache-2.0"
 edition = "2021"
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 a83e902100e..e5146933644 100755
--- a/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/many.sh
+++ b/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/many.sh
@@ -443,4 +443,12 @@ git clone dir-with-tracked-file in-repo-worktree
 (cd in-repo-worktree
   git worktree add worktree
   git worktree add -b other-worktree dir/worktree
-)
\ No newline at end of file
+)
+
+git clone dir-with-tracked-file in-repo-hidden-worktree
+(cd in-repo-hidden-worktree
+  echo '/hidden/' > .gitignore
+  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 cb5412977f2..057271e0968 100644
--- a/gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs
+++ b/gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs
@@ -4550,3 +4550,100 @@ fn in_repo_worktree() -> crate::Result {
     );
     Ok(())
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn in_repo_hidden_worktree() -> crate::Result {
+    let root = fixture("in-repo-hidden-worktree");
+    let ((out, _root), entries) = collect(&root, None, |keep, ctx| walk(&root, ctx, options_emit_all(), keep));
+    assert_eq!(
+        out,
+        walk::Outcome {
+            read_dir_calls: 2,
+            returned_entries: entries.len(),
+            seen_entries: 4,
+        }
+    );
+    assert_eq!(
+        entries,
+        &[
+            entry_nokind(".git", Pruned).with_property(DotGit).with_match(Always),
+            entry(".gitignore", Untracked, File),
+            entry("dir/file", Tracked, File),
+            entry("hidden", Ignored(Expendable), Directory),
+        ],
+        "if worktree information isn't provided, they would not be discovered in hidden directories"
+    );
+
+    let ((out, _root), entries) = collect(&root, None, |keep, ctx| {
+        walk(
+            &root,
+            ctx,
+            walk::Options {
+                for_deletion: None,
+                worktree_relative_worktree_dirs: Some(&BTreeSet::from(["hidden/subdir/worktree".into()])),
+                ..options_emit_all()
+            },
+            keep,
+        )
+    });
+    assert_eq!(
+        out,
+        walk::Outcome {
+            read_dir_calls: 2,
+            returned_entries: entries.len(),
+            seen_entries: 4,
+        }
+    );
+    assert_eq!(
+        entries,
+        &[
+            entry_nokind(".git", Pruned).with_property(DotGit).with_match(Always),
+            entry(".gitignore", Untracked, File),
+            entry("dir/file", Tracked, File),
+            entry("hidden", Ignored(Expendable), Directory),
+        ],
+        "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(())
+}