diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6fca72b5cf4..820a94cf6cd 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -72,6 +72,11 @@ to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
   contains pack files.
   [#8661](https://github.com/jj-vcs/jj/issues/8661)
 
+* `.gitignore` files are now respected even if they aren't materialized in the
+  working copy because they are excluded by the sparse patterns. Previously,
+  ignored files could become tracked in a sparse working copy.
+  [#2289](https://github.com/jj-vcs/jj/issues/2289)
+
 ## [0.45.1] - 2026-09-03
 
 This release fixes an error that prevented the new jj-core crate from being
diff --git a/lib/src/local_working_copy.rs b/lib/src/local_working_copy.rs
index 33950f00560..597f76f344c 100644
--- a/lib/src/local_working_copy.rs
+++ b/lib/src/local_working_copy.rs
@@ -1342,6 +1342,7 @@ impl TreeState {
                 tree_state: self,
                 current_tree: &self.tree,
                 matcher: &matcher,
+                sparse_matcher: sparse_matcher.as_ref(),
                 start_tracking_matcher,
                 force_tracking_matcher,
                 // Move tx sides so they'll be dropped at the end of the scope.
@@ -1531,6 +1532,7 @@ struct FileSnapshotter<'a> {
     tree_state: &'a TreeState,
     current_tree: &'a MergedTree,
     matcher: &'a dyn Matcher,
+    sparse_matcher: &'a dyn Matcher,
     start_tracking_matcher: &'a dyn Matcher,
     force_tracking_matcher: &'a dyn Matcher,
     tree_entries_tx: Sender<(RepoPathBuf, MergedTreeValue)>,
@@ -1581,7 +1583,9 @@ impl FileSnapshotter<'_> {
             file_states,
         } = directory_to_visit;
 
-        let git_ignore = git_ignore.chain_with_file(&dir, disk_dir.join(".gitignore"))?;
+        let git_ignore = self
+            .chain_gitignore(&dir, &disk_dir, &git_ignore)
+            .block_on()?;
         let dir_entries: Vec<_> = disk_dir
             .read_dir()
             .and_then(|entries| entries.try_collect())
@@ -1610,6 +1614,53 @@ impl FileSnapshotter<'_> {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    /// Loads the `.gitignore` file of `dir` and chains it to the ignore rules
+    /// inherited from the parent directories.
+    ///
+    /// If the file isn't materialized on disk because it is excluded by the
+    /// sparse patterns, it is read from the current tree instead. Otherwise, a
+    /// sparse working copy would start tracking files that the user has
+    /// explicitly ignored.
+    async fn chain_gitignore(
+        &self,
+        dir: &RepoPath,
+        disk_dir: &Path,
+        git_ignore: &Arc<GitIgnoreFile>,
+    ) -> Result<Arc<GitIgnoreFile>, SnapshotError> {
+        let ignore_disk_path = disk_dir.join(".gitignore");
+        if ignore_disk_path.is_file() {
+            return Ok(git_ignore.chain_with_file(dir, ignore_disk_path)?);
+        }
+        let repo_ignore_path = dir.join(RepoPathComponent::new(".gitignore").unwrap());
+        if self.sparse_matcher.matches(&repo_ignore_path) {
+            // The file should have been materialized, so its absence means it
+            // was deleted from the working copy.
+            return Ok(git_ignore.clone());
+        }
+        let tree_values = self.current_tree.path_value(&repo_ignore_path).await?;
+        let file_id = match tree_values.as_normal() {
+            Some(TreeValue::File { id, .. }) => id,
+            None
+            | Some(TreeValue::Symlink(_) | TreeValue::GitSubmodule(_) | TreeValue::Tree(_)) => {
+                // Conflicted .gitignore files are ignored as we won't be able to read them normally.
+                // Git does not follow symlinks when reading .gitignore files, so we ignore them too.
+                // Submodules and directories are ignored as they can't be .gitignore files either.
+                return Ok(git_ignore.clone());
+            }
+        };
+        let mut buf = vec![];
+        let mut reader = self.store().read_file(&repo_ignore_path, file_id).await?;
+        reader
+            .read_to_end(&mut buf)
+            .await
+            .map_err(|err| BackendError::ReadFile {
+                path: repo_ignore_path.clone(),
+                id: file_id.clone(),
+                source: err.into(),
+            })?;
+        Ok(git_ignore.chain(dir, &ignore_disk_path, &buf)?)
+    }
+
     async fn process_dir_entry<'scope>(
         &'scope self,
         dir: &RepoPath,
diff --git a/lib/tests/test_local_working_copy_sparse.rs b/lib/tests/test_local_working_copy_sparse.rs
index da07c675e1b..78af21b8058 100644
--- a/lib/tests/test_local_working_copy_sparse.rs
+++ b/lib/tests/test_local_working_copy_sparse.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ use testutils::TestResult;
 use testutils::TestWorkspace;
 use testutils::commit_with_tree;
 use testutils::create_tree;
+use testutils::create_tree_with;
 use testutils::repo_path;
 
 fn to_owned_path_vec(paths: &[&RepoPath]) -> Vec<RepoPathBuf> {
@@ -327,3 +328,145 @@ fn test_sparse_commit_gitignore() -> TestResult {
     assert_eq!(entries[0].0.as_ref(), dir1_file2_path);
     Ok(())
 }
+
+/// Test that tracked .gitignore files are respected even if they aren't
+/// materialized in the working copy because of the sparse patterns.
+/// https://github.com/jj-vcs/jj/issues/2289
+#[test]
+fn test_sparse_commit_gitignore_sparsed_away() -> TestResult {
+    let mut test_workspace = TestWorkspace::init();
+    let repo = &test_workspace.repo;
+    let working_copy_path = test_workspace.workspace.workspace_root().to_owned();
+
+    let root_gitignore_path = repo_path(".gitignore");
+    let dir1_gitignore_path = repo_path("dir1/.gitignore");
+    let dir1_subdir1_path = repo_path("dir1/subdir1");
+    let dir1_subdir1_file1_path = repo_path("dir1/subdir1/file1");
+    let dir1_subdir1_file2_path = repo_path("dir1/subdir1/file2");
+    let dir1_subdir1_file3_path = repo_path("dir1/subdir1/file3");
+
+    let tree = create_tree(
+        repo,
+        &[
+            (root_gitignore_path, "file1\n"),
+            (dir1_gitignore_path, "file2\n"),
+        ],
+    );
+    let commit = commit_with_tree(repo.store(), tree);
+    test_workspace
+        .workspace
+        .check_out(repo.op_id().clone(), None, &commit)
+        .block_on()?;
+
+    // Set sparse patterns to only dir1/subdir1/, so that both .gitignore files
+    // are removed from disk.
+    let mut locked_ws = test_workspace
+        .workspace
+        .start_working_copy_mutation()
+        .block_on()?;
+    let sparse_patterns = to_owned_path_vec(&[dir1_subdir1_path]);
+    locked_ws
+        .locked_wc()
+        .set_sparse_patterns(sparse_patterns)
+        .block_on()?;
+    locked_ws.finish(repo.op_id().clone()).block_on()?;
+    assert!(
+        !root_gitignore_path
+            .to_fs_path_unchecked(&working_copy_path)
+            .exists()
+    );
+    assert!(
+        !dir1_gitignore_path
+            .to_fs_path_unchecked(&working_copy_path)
+            .exists()
+    );
+
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(dir1_subdir1_path.to_fs_path_unchecked(&working_copy_path))?;
+    for path in [
+        dir1_subdir1_file1_path,
+        dir1_subdir1_file2_path,
+        dir1_subdir1_file3_path,
+    ] {
+        std::fs::write(path.to_fs_path_unchecked(&working_copy_path), "contents")?;
+    }
+
+    // file1 is ignored by the root .gitignore and file2 by dir1/.gitignore, so
+    // only file3 should be tracked (in addition to the sparsed-away files.)
+    let modified_tree = test_workspace.snapshot()?;
+    let entries = modified_tree.entries().map(|(path, _)| path).collect_vec();
+    assert_eq!(
+        entries.iter().map(AsRef::as_ref).collect_vec(),
+        vec![
+            root_gitignore_path,
+            dir1_gitignore_path,
+            dir1_subdir1_file3_path,
+        ]
+    );
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// A symlinked `.gitignore` read from the tree must not contribute any
+/// patterns. Git doesn't follow such symlinks either, so that the rules
+/// don't depend on whether the file is read from the filesystem or from a
+/// tree. See the "NOTES" section of gitignore(5).
+#[test]
+fn test_sparse_commit_gitignore_symlink_not_followed() -> TestResult {
+    let mut test_workspace = TestWorkspace::init();
+    let repo = &test_workspace.repo;
+    let working_copy_path = test_workspace.workspace.workspace_root().to_owned();
+
+    let dir1_gitignore_path = repo_path("dir1/.gitignore");
+    let dir1_file1_path = repo_path("dir1/file1");
+    let dir1_subdir1_path = repo_path("dir1/subdir1");
+    let dir1_subdir1_file1_path = repo_path("dir1/subdir1/file1");
+
+    // `dir1/.gitignore` is a symlink pointing at `file1`. Both the symlink
+    // target itself and the contents of `dir1/file1` would ignore
+    // `dir1/subdir1/file1` if either were incorrectly used as patterns.
+    let tree = create_tree_with(repo, |builder| {
+        builder.file(dir1_file1_path, "file1\n");
+        builder.symlink(dir1_gitignore_path, "file1");
+    });
+    let commit = commit_with_tree(repo.store(), tree);
+    test_workspace
+        .workspace
+        .check_out(repo.op_id().clone(), None, &commit)
+        .block_on()?;
+
+    // Set sparse patterns to only dir1/subdir1/, so that the symlinked
+    // .gitignore has to be read from the tree.
+    let mut locked_ws = test_workspace
+        .workspace
+        .start_working_copy_mutation()
+        .block_on()?;
+    let sparse_patterns = to_owned_path_vec(&[dir1_subdir1_path]);
+    locked_ws
+        .locked_wc()
+        .set_sparse_patterns(sparse_patterns)
+        .block_on()?;
+    locked_ws.finish(repo.op_id().clone()).block_on()?;
+    assert!(
+        !dir1_gitignore_path
+            .to_fs_path_unchecked(&working_copy_path)
+            .exists()
+    );
+
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(dir1_subdir1_path.to_fs_path_unchecked(&working_copy_path))?;
+    std::fs::write(
+        dir1_subdir1_file1_path.to_fs_path_unchecked(&working_copy_path),
+        "contents",
+    )?;
+
+    // The symlink contributes no patterns, so the new file is tracked.
+    let modified_tree = test_workspace.snapshot()?;
+    let entries = modified_tree.entries().map(|(path, _)| path).collect_vec();
+    assert_eq!(
+        entries.iter().map(|path| path.as_ref()).collect_vec(),
+        vec![
+            dir1_gitignore_path,
+            dir1_file1_path,
+            dir1_subdir1_file1_path,
+        ]
+    );
+    Ok(())
+}