diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index b2cabadf25..a4e59eb351 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -1467,9 +1467,11 @@ static enum path_treatment treat_directory(struct dir_struct *dir,
 			return path_none;
 		}
 		if (!(dir->flags & DIR_NO_GITLINKS)) {
-			struct object_id oid;
-			if (resolve_gitlink_ref(dirname, "HEAD", &oid) == 0)
+			struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
+			strbuf_addstr(&sb, dirname);
+			if (is_nonbare_repository_dir(&sb))
 				return exclude ? path_excluded : path_untracked;
+			strbuf_release(&sb);
 		}
 		return path_recurse;
 	}
diff --git a/t/t3009-ls-files-others-nonsubmodule.sh b/t/t3009-ls-files-others-nonsubmodule.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..963f3462b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t3009-ls-files-others-nonsubmodule.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='test git ls-files --others with non-submodule repositories
+
+This test runs git ls-files --others with the following working tree:
+
+    nonrepo-no-files/
+      plain directory with no files
+    nonrepo-untracked-file/
+      plain directory with an untracked file
+    repo-no-commit-no-files/
+      git repository without a commit or a file
+    repo-no-commit-untracked-file/
+      git repository without a commit but with an untracked file
+    repo-with-commit-no-files/
+      git repository with a commit and no untracked files
+    repo-with-commit-untracked-file/
+      git repository with a commit and an untracked file
+'
+
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+test_expect_success 'setup: directories' '
+	mkdir nonrepo-no-files/ &&
+	mkdir nonrepo-untracked-file &&
+	: >nonrepo-untracked-file/untracked &&
+	git init repo-no-commit-no-files &&
+	git init repo-no-commit-untracked-file &&
+	: >repo-no-commit-untracked-file/untracked &&
+	git init repo-with-commit-no-files &&
+	git -C repo-with-commit-no-files commit --allow-empty -mmsg &&
+	git init repo-with-commit-untracked-file &&
+	test_commit -C repo-with-commit-untracked-file msg &&
+	: >repo-with-commit-untracked-file/untracked
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'ls-files --others handles untracked git repositories' '
+	git ls-files -o >output &&
+	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+	nonrepo-untracked-file/untracked
+	output
+	repo-no-commit-no-files/
+	repo-no-commit-untracked-file/
+	repo-with-commit-no-files/
+	repo-with-commit-untracked-file/
+	EOF
+	test_cmp expect output
+'
+
+test_done
diff --git a/t/t3700-add.sh b/t/t3700-add.sh
index be582a513b..5a8425962b 100755
--- a/t/t3700-add.sh
+++ b/t/t3700-add.sh
@@ -396,6 +396,7 @@ test_expect_success 'no file status change if no pathspec is given in subdir' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'all statuses changed in folder if . is given' '
+	rm -fr empty &&
 	git add --chmod=+x . &&
 	test $(git ls-files --stage | grep ^100644 | wc -l) -eq 0 &&
 	git add --chmod=-x . &&