diff --git a/crates/fff-core/src/ignore.rs b/crates/fff-core/src/ignore.rs
index 4589285d2..7159621c8 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/src/ignore.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/src/ignore.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use std::path::Path;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 /// Directories excluded when walking a non-git root. Entries are `cfg`-gated
 /// so a single iteration covers standard + platform-specific overrides.
@@ -64,6 +64,41 @@ pub(crate) const IGNORED_DIRS: &[&str] = &[
     "AppData/Roaming",
 ];
 
+/// Resolves git's `core.excludesFile` through the repo's own config chain, so
+/// repo-local, global and system settings all win in git's precedence order.
+pub(crate) fn git_excludes_file(base_path: &Path) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    let config = git2::Repository::discover(base_path)
+        .and_then(|repo| repo.config())
+        .or_else(|_| git2::Config::open_default())
+        .ok()?;
+
+    // `get_path` expands a leading `~` for us; a configured-but-absent file is
+    // legal in git and simply matches nothing.
+    let path = config.get_path("core.excludesFile").ok()?;
+    path.is_file().then_some(path)
+}
+
+/// `core.excludesFile` contents as gitignore patterns, comments stripped.
+#[cfg(feature = "zlob")]
+pub(crate) fn git_excludes_patterns(base_path: &Path) -> Vec<String> {
+    let Some(path) = git_excludes_file(base_path) else {
+        return Vec::new();
+    };
+
+    match std::fs::read_to_string(&path) {
+        Ok(contents) => contents
+            .lines()
+            .map(str::trim)
+            .filter(|line| !line.is_empty() && !line.starts_with('#'))
+            .map(str::to_owned)
+            .collect(),
+        Err(e) => {
+            tracing::warn!(?e, ?path, "core.excludesFile unreadable; not applied");
+            Vec::new()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[cfg(all(not(feature = "zlob"), feature = "ripgrep"))]
 pub(crate) fn non_git_repo_overrides(base_path: &Path) -> Option<ignore::overrides::Override> {
     use ignore::overrides::OverrideBuilder;
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/src/walk/mod.rs b/crates/fff-core/src/walk/mod.rs
index e163d3a61..32790376b 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/src/walk/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/src/walk/mod.rs
@@ -145,4 +145,56 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(rules.is_ignored(Path::new("debug.log")));
         assert!(!rules.is_ignored(Path::new("Cargo.toml")));
     }
+
+    // Both backends must honor git's core.excludesFile, not just repo-local
+    // .gitignore/.ignore (#874).
+    #[test]
+    fn honors_git_excludes_file() {
+        use std::process::Command;
+
+        let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+        let root = dir.path();
+        fs::create_dir_all(root.join("src")).unwrap();
+        fs::create_dir_all(root.join(".worktrees/wt1")).unwrap();
+        fs::write(root.join("src/hit.ts"), "x").unwrap();
+        fs::write(root.join(".worktrees/wt1/hit.ts"), "x").unwrap();
+
+        let excludes = root.join("global_ignore");
+        fs::write(&excludes, "# comment\n\n.worktrees/\n").unwrap();
+        let git = |args: &[&std::ffi::OsStr]| {
+            assert!(
+                Command::new("git")
+                    .args(args)
+                    .current_dir(root)
+                    .status()
+                    .unwrap()
+                    .success()
+            );
+        };
+        git(&["init".as_ref(), "-q".as_ref()]);
+        git(&[
+            "config".as_ref(),
+            "core.excludesFile".as_ref(),
+            excludes.as_ref(),
+        ]);
+
+        let counter = Arc::new(AtomicUsize::new(0));
+        let out = walk_collect_files(root, true, false, 1, &counter).unwrap();
+        let names: Vec<String> = out.pairs.iter().map(|(_, rel)| rel.clone()).collect();
+
+        assert!(names.iter().any(|n| n.ends_with("src/hit.ts")), "{names:?}");
+        assert!(
+            !names.iter().any(|n| n.contains(".worktrees")),
+            "core.excludesFile not honored: {names:?}"
+        );
+
+        // The watcher reuses these rules, so excluded dirs must stay excluded
+        // on incremental updates too.
+        #[cfg(feature = "zlob")]
+        {
+            let rules = out.ignore_rules.expect("zlob surfaces ignore rules");
+            assert!(rules.is_ignored(std::path::Path::new(".worktrees/")));
+            assert!(!rules.is_ignored(std::path::Path::new("src/hit.ts")));
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/src/walk/ripgrep.rs b/crates/fff-core/src/walk/ripgrep.rs
index 3f3ca1bc5..043d411d2 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/src/walk/ripgrep.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/src/walk/ripgrep.rs
@@ -32,6 +32,17 @@ pub(crate) fn walk_collect_files(
         walk_builder.overrides(overrides);
     }
 
+    // `git_global` above only consults the user-level gitconfig; resolve
+    // core.excludesFile through the repo's config chain instead (#874).
+    if is_git_repo && let Some(excludes) = crate::ignore::git_excludes_file(base_path) {
+        // Roots the matcher at the walk root, which is where git anchors
+        // core.excludesFile patterns. Must precede `add_ignore`.
+        walk_builder.current_dir(base_path);
+        if let Some(e) = walk_builder.add_ignore(&excludes) {
+            tracing::warn!(?e, ?excludes, "core.excludesFile not fully applied");
+        }
+    }
+
     let walker = walk_builder.build_parallel();
 
     // Single lock for both collections: every entry is either a file or a
diff --git a/crates/fff-core/src/walk/zlob.rs b/crates/fff-core/src/walk/zlob.rs
index 98eddf1fc..d80a4b44e 100644
--- a/crates/fff-core/src/walk/zlob.rs
+++ b/crates/fff-core/src/walk/zlob.rs
@@ -36,9 +36,21 @@ pub(crate) fn walk_collect_files(
         // Bulk-fetch the only metadata FileItem needs; zlob never stats more.
         .metadata(WalkMetadata::SIZE | WalkMetadata::MTIME);
 
-    if !is_git_repo
-        && !IGNORED_DIRS.is_empty()
-        && let Err(e) = builder.extra_ignore(IGNORED_DIRS)
+    // zlob reads nested .gitignore/.ignore itself but never git's
+    // core.excludesFile, so layer that in as root-level extra rules (#874).
+    let global_excludes = if is_git_repo {
+        crate::ignore::git_excludes_patterns(base_path)
+    } else {
+        Vec::new()
+    };
+    let extra_ignore: Vec<&str> = if is_git_repo {
+        global_excludes.iter().map(String::as_str).collect()
+    } else {
+        IGNORED_DIRS.to_vec()
+    };
+
+    if !extra_ignore.is_empty()
+        && let Err(e) = builder.extra_ignore(&extra_ignore)
     {
         // Interior NUL in one of the extra_ignore patterns would fail
         // here — treat as if no extras were supplied rather than