diff --git a/Documentation/gitignore.txt b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
index 08373f52bb7e5537049b12abff3e07c02769e7b6..e847b3ba63f3fae3d5497d6ede1ea0ee416a74de 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitignore.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitignore.txt
@@ -57,6 +57,13 @@ Patterns have the following format:
    included again.  If a negated pattern matches, this will
    override lower precedence patterns sources.
 
+ - If the pattern ends with a slash, it is removed for the
+   purpose of the following description, but it would only find
+   a match with a directory.  In other words, `foo/` will match a
+   directory `foo` and paths underneath it, but will not match a
+   regular file or a symbolic link `foo` (this is consistent
+   with the way how pathspec works in general in git).
+
  - If the pattern does not contain a slash '/', git treats it as
    a shell glob pattern and checks for a match against the
    pathname without leading directories.
diff --git a/builtin-ls-files.c b/builtin-ls-files.c
index d56e33e251036274dbe48e300fcebd8289624cbe..dc7eab89b34fed32dbb198a9aa9a7503fc162216 100644
--- a/builtin-ls-files.c
+++ b/builtin-ls-files.c
@@ -238,7 +238,8 @@ static void show_files(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *prefix)
 	if (show_cached | show_stage) {
 		for (i = 0; i < active_nr; i++) {
 			struct cache_entry *ce = active_cache[i];
-			if (excluded(dir, ce->name) != dir->show_ignored)
+			int dtype = ce_to_dtype(ce);
+			if (excluded(dir, ce->name, &dtype) != dir->show_ignored)
 				continue;
 			if (show_unmerged && !ce_stage(ce))
 				continue;
@@ -252,7 +253,8 @@ static void show_files(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *prefix)
 			struct cache_entry *ce = active_cache[i];
 			struct stat st;
 			int err;
-			if (excluded(dir, ce->name) != dir->show_ignored)
+			int dtype = ce_to_dtype(ce);
+			if (excluded(dir, ce->name, &dtype) != dir->show_ignored)
 				continue;
 			err = lstat(ce->name, &st);
 			if (show_deleted && err)
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index efd31d8569c27ca18f2f7a7e599c115c8be9251a..18fe8447f3bdff2a772716c9293e44e357178a4c 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -178,6 +178,18 @@ static inline unsigned int ce_mode_from_stat(struct cache_entry *ce, unsigned in
 	}
 	return create_ce_mode(mode);
 }
+static inline int ce_to_dtype(const struct cache_entry *ce)
+{
+	unsigned ce_mode = ntohl(ce->ce_mode);
+	if (S_ISREG(ce_mode))
+		return DT_REG;
+	else if (S_ISDIR(ce_mode) || S_ISGITLINK(ce_mode))
+		return DT_DIR;
+	else if (S_ISLNK(ce_mode))
+		return DT_LNK;
+	else
+		return DT_UNKNOWN;
+}
 #define canon_mode(mode) \
 	(S_ISREG(mode) ? (S_IFREG | ce_permissions(mode)) : \
 	S_ISLNK(mode) ? S_IFLNK : S_ISDIR(mode) ? S_IFDIR : S_IFGITLINK)
diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index 6543105b9622212430a9e5ed131a81074e019d9a..1f507daff2c278a70da768e3754a68891b946973 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ struct path_simplify {
 static int read_directory_recursive(struct dir_struct *dir,
 	const char *path, const char *base, int baselen,
 	int check_only, const struct path_simplify *simplify);
+static int get_dtype(struct dirent *de, const char *path);
 
 int common_prefix(const char **pathspec)
 {
@@ -126,18 +127,34 @@ static int no_wildcard(const char *string)
 void add_exclude(const char *string, const char *base,
 		 int baselen, struct exclude_list *which)
 {
-	struct exclude *x = xmalloc(sizeof (*x));
+	struct exclude *x;
+	size_t len;
+	int to_exclude = 1;
+	int flags = 0;
 
-	x->to_exclude = 1;
 	if (*string == '!') {
-		x->to_exclude = 0;
+		to_exclude = 0;
 		string++;
 	}
-	x->pattern = string;
+	len = strlen(string);
+	if (len && string[len - 1] == '/') {
+		char *s;
+		x = xmalloc(sizeof(*x) + len);
+		s = (char*)(x+1);
+		memcpy(s, string, len - 1);
+		s[len - 1] = '\0';
+		string = s;
+		x->pattern = s;
+		flags = EXC_FLAG_MUSTBEDIR;
+	} else {
+		x = xmalloc(sizeof(*x));
+		x->pattern = string;
+	}
+	x->to_exclude = to_exclude;
 	x->patternlen = strlen(string);
 	x->base = base;
 	x->baselen = baselen;
-	x->flags = 0;
+	x->flags = flags;
 	if (!strchr(string, '/'))
 		x->flags |= EXC_FLAG_NODIR;
 	if (no_wildcard(string))
@@ -261,7 +278,7 @@ static void prep_exclude(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *base, int baselen)
  * Return 1 for exclude, 0 for include and -1 for undecided.
  */
 static int excluded_1(const char *pathname,
-		      int pathlen, const char *basename,
+		      int pathlen, const char *basename, int *dtype,
 		      struct exclude_list *el)
 {
 	int i;
@@ -272,6 +289,13 @@ static int excluded_1(const char *pathname,
 			const char *exclude = x->pattern;
 			int to_exclude = x->to_exclude;
 
+			if (x->flags & EXC_FLAG_MUSTBEDIR) {
+				if (*dtype == DT_UNKNOWN)
+					*dtype = get_dtype(NULL, pathname);
+				if (*dtype != DT_DIR)
+					continue;
+			}
+
 			if (x->flags & EXC_FLAG_NODIR) {
 				/* match basename */
 				if (x->flags & EXC_FLAG_NOWILDCARD) {
@@ -314,7 +338,7 @@ static int excluded_1(const char *pathname,
 	return -1; /* undecided */
 }
 
-int excluded(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *pathname)
+int excluded(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *pathname, int *dtype_p)
 {
 	int pathlen = strlen(pathname);
 	int st;
@@ -323,7 +347,8 @@ int excluded(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *pathname)
 
 	prep_exclude(dir, pathname, basename-pathname);
 	for (st = EXC_CMDL; st <= EXC_FILE; st++) {
-		switch (excluded_1(pathname, pathlen, basename, &dir->exclude_list[st])) {
+		switch (excluded_1(pathname, pathlen, basename,
+				   dtype_p, &dir->exclude_list[st])) {
 		case 0:
 			return 0;
 		case 1:
@@ -508,7 +533,7 @@ static int in_pathspec(const char *path, int len, const struct path_simplify *si
 
 static int get_dtype(struct dirent *de, const char *path)
 {
-	int dtype = DTYPE(de);
+	int dtype = de ? DTYPE(de) : DT_UNKNOWN;
 	struct stat st;
 
 	if (dtype != DT_UNKNOWN)
@@ -560,7 +585,8 @@ static int read_directory_recursive(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *path, co
 			if (simplify_away(fullname, baselen + len, simplify))
 				continue;
 
-			exclude = excluded(dir, fullname);
+			dtype = DTYPE(de);
+			exclude = excluded(dir, fullname, &dtype);
 			if (exclude && dir->collect_ignored
 			    && in_pathspec(fullname, baselen + len, simplify))
 				dir_add_ignored(dir, fullname, baselen + len);
@@ -572,7 +598,8 @@ static int read_directory_recursive(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *path, co
 			if (exclude && !dir->show_ignored)
 				continue;
 
-			dtype = get_dtype(de, fullname);
+			if (dtype == DT_UNKNOWN)
+				dtype = get_dtype(de, fullname);
 
 			/*
 			 * Do we want to see just the ignored files?
diff --git a/dir.h b/dir.h
index d8814dccb2dd57af21d75c91a52026e09fdf1b95..2df15defb6720a742282f24721233c4816deceb6 100644
--- a/dir.h
+++ b/dir.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ struct dir_entry {
 #define EXC_FLAG_NODIR 1
 #define EXC_FLAG_NOWILDCARD 2
 #define EXC_FLAG_ENDSWITH 4
+#define EXC_FLAG_MUSTBEDIR 8
 
 struct exclude_list {
 	int nr;
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ extern int match_pathspec(const char **pathspec, const char *name, int namelen,
 
 extern int read_directory(struct dir_struct *, const char *path, const char *base, int baselen, const char **pathspec);
 
-extern int excluded(struct dir_struct *, const char *);
+extern int excluded(struct dir_struct *, const char *, int *);
 extern void add_excludes_from_file(struct dir_struct *, const char *fname);
 extern void add_exclude(const char *string, const char *base,
 			int baselen, struct exclude_list *which);
diff --git a/t/t3001-ls-files-others-exclude.sh b/t/t3001-ls-files-others-exclude.sh
index e25b25568337ae36a5ef1377a14df031d5dfaeb1..b4297bacf2bd3d6da0f7fd01fba65741cf568003 100755
--- a/t/t3001-ls-files-others-exclude.sh
+++ b/t/t3001-ls-files-others-exclude.sh
@@ -99,4 +99,45 @@ EOF
 test_expect_success 'git-status honours core.excludesfile' \
 	'diff -u expect output'
 
+test_expect_success 'trailing slash in exclude allows directory match(1)' '
+
+	git ls-files --others --exclude=one/ >output &&
+	if grep "^one/" output
+	then
+		echo Ooops
+		false
+	else
+		: happy
+	fi
+
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'trailing slash in exclude allows directory match (2)' '
+
+	git ls-files --others --exclude=one/two/ >output &&
+	if grep "^one/two/" output
+	then
+		echo Ooops
+		false
+	else
+		: happy
+	fi
+
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'trailing slash in exclude forces directory match (1)' '
+
+	>two
+	git ls-files --others --exclude=two/ >output &&
+	grep "^two" output
+
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'trailing slash in exclude forces directory match (2)' '
+
+	git ls-files --others --exclude=one/a.1/ >output &&
+	grep "^one/a.1" output
+
+'
+
 test_done
diff --git a/unpack-trees.c b/unpack-trees.c
index ff46fd62fdceeefc2ebd98ae1c9483964cb37bd5..ec558f9005fab372f9bf62d8c3df9ea34f5222bb 100644
--- a/unpack-trees.c
+++ b/unpack-trees.c
@@ -521,8 +521,9 @@ static void verify_absent(struct cache_entry *ce, const char *action,
 
 	if (!lstat(ce->name, &st)) {
 		int cnt;
+		int dtype = ce_to_dtype(ce);
 
-		if (o->dir && excluded(o->dir, ce->name))
+		if (o->dir && excluded(o->dir, ce->name, &dtype))
 			/*
 			 * ce->name is explicitly excluded, so it is Ok to
 			 * overwrite it.