diff --git a/pkg/client/build.go b/pkg/client/build.go
index 2b5540b688..8b7ef47ded 100644
--- a/pkg/client/build.go
+++ b/pkg/client/build.go
@@ -420,13 +420,36 @@ func getFileFilter(descriptor projectTypes.Descriptor) (func(string) bool, error
 		}, nil
 	}
 	if len(descriptor.Build.Include) > 0 {
-		includes := ignore.CompileIgnoreLines(descriptor.Build.Include...)
+		includeEntries := []string{}
+		for _, entry := range descriptor.Build.Include {
+			parentFolders, err := getParentDirs(entry)
+			for _, folder := range parentFolders {
+				includeEntries = append(includeEntries, "!"+folder+"/*")
+				includeEntries = append(includeEntries, folder)
+			}
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+		}
+		includePatterns := append(includeEntries, descriptor.Build.Include...)
+		includes := ignore.CompileIgnoreLines(includePatterns...)
 		return includes.MatchesPath, nil
 	}
-
 	return nil, nil
 }
 
+func getParentDirs(file string) ([]string, error) {
+	parent := filepath.Dir(file)
+	if parent == filepath.VolumeName(file)+`\` || parent == "/" || parent == "." {
+		return []string{}, nil
+	}
+	parentDirs, err := getParentDirs(parent)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return append(parentDirs, parent), nil
+}
+
 func lifecycleImageSupported(builderOS string, lifecycleVersion *builder.Version) bool {
 	return lifecycleVersion.Equal(builder.VersionMustParse(prevLifecycleVersionSupportingImage)) ||
 		!lifecycleVersion.LessThan(semver.MustParse(minLifecycleVersionSupportingImage))
diff --git a/pkg/client/build_test.go b/pkg/client/build_test.go
index f590984322..eaf4c27619 100644
--- a/pkg/client/build_test.go
+++ b/pkg/client/build_test.go
@@ -2508,6 +2508,167 @@ func testBuild(t *testing.T, when spec.G, it spec.S) {
 			})
 		})
 	})
+
+	when("#getFileFilter", func() {
+		it("project descriptor with include directive", func() {
+			toCheck := []fileFilterCompare{
+				{
+					inputType:      "unnested files",
+					directiveInput: []string{"file1.txt", "file2.txt"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"parent":           false,
+						"file1.txt":        true,
+						"file2.txt":        true,
+						"parent/file1.txt": true,
+						"parent/file2.txt": true,
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					inputType:      "unnested directories",
+					directiveInput: []string{"dir1", "dir2"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"dir1":                  true,
+						"dir2":                  true,
+						"file1.txt":             false,
+						"dir1/dir2":             true,
+						"dir1/dir2/folder3":     true,
+						"folder/dir1":           true,
+						"dir1/file1.txt":        true,
+						"folder/folder2/dir2":   true,
+						"dir2/folder/file2.txt": true,
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					inputType:      "single level nested files",
+					directiveInput: []string{"parent/file1.txt", "parent/file2.txt"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"parent":           true,
+						"file1.txt":        false,
+						"file2.txt":        false,
+						"parent/file1.txt": true,
+						"parent/file2.txt": true,
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					inputType:      "double level nested files",
+					directiveInput: []string{"parent1/file1.txt", "parent1/parent2/file2.txt"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"parent1":                   true,
+						"parent2":                   false,
+						"file1.txt":                 false,
+						"file2.txt":                 false,
+						"parent1/parent2":           true,
+						"parent1/file1.txt":         true,
+						"parent2/file2.txt":         false,
+						"parent1/parent2/file2.txt": true,
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					inputType:      "multi level nested files with same dir names",
+					directiveInput: []string{"parent/samename/diffname/samename/file1.txt"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"parent":                            true,
+						"samename":                          false,
+						"diffname":                          false,
+						"file1.txt":                         false,
+						"parent/samename":                   true,
+						"samename/diffname":                 false,
+						"diffname/samename":                 false,
+						"samename/file1.txt":                false,
+						"parent/samename/diffname":          true,
+						"samename/diffname/samename":        false,
+						"diffname/samename/file1.txt":       false,
+						"parent/samename/diffname/samename": true,
+						"parent/samename/diffname/samename/file1.txt": true,
+					},
+				},
+			}
+
+			for _, checkEntry := range toCheck {
+				t.Logf("checking directive input type: %s", checkEntry.inputType)
+				fileFilter, err := getFileFilter(projectTypes.Descriptor{
+					Build: projectTypes.Build{
+						Include: checkEntry.directiveInput,
+					},
+				})
+				for pattern, expectedOutput := range checkEntry.patternOutputMap {
+					t.Logf("checking pattern %s", pattern)
+					h.AssertEq(t, fileFilter(pattern), expectedOutput)
+				}
+				h.AssertNil(t, err)
+			}
+		})
+
+		it("project descriptor with exclude directive", func() {
+			toCheck := []fileFilterCompare{
+				{
+					inputType:      "unnested files",
+					directiveInput: []string{"file1.txt", "file2.txt"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"parent":           true,
+						"file1.txt":        false,
+						"file2.txt":        false,
+						"parent/file1.txt": false,
+						"parent/file2.txt": false,
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					inputType:      "unnested directories",
+					directiveInput: []string{"dir1", "dir2"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"dir1":                  false,
+						"dir2":                  false,
+						"file1.txt":             true,
+						"dir1/dir2":             false,
+						"dir1/dir2/folder3":     false,
+						"folder/dir1":           false,
+						"dir1/file1.txt":        false,
+						"folder/folder2/dir2":   false,
+						"dir2/folder/file2.txt": false,
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					inputType:      "single level nested files",
+					directiveInput: []string{"parent/file1.txt", "parent/file2.txt"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"parent":           true,
+						"file1.txt":        true,
+						"file2.txt":        true,
+						"parent/file1.txt": false,
+						"parent/file2.txt": false,
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					inputType:      "double level nested files",
+					directiveInput: []string{"parent1/file1.txt", "parent1/parent2/file2.txt"},
+					patternOutputMap: map[string]bool{
+						"parent1":                   true,
+						"parent2":                   true,
+						"file1.txt":                 true,
+						"file2.txt":                 true,
+						"parent1/parent2":           true,
+						"parent1/file1.txt":         false,
+						"parent2/file2.txt":         true,
+						"parent1/parent2/file2.txt": false,
+					},
+				},
+			}
+
+			for _, checkEntry := range toCheck {
+				t.Logf("checking directive input type: %s", checkEntry.inputType)
+				fileFilter, err := getFileFilter(projectTypes.Descriptor{
+					Build: projectTypes.Build{
+						Exclude: checkEntry.directiveInput,
+					},
+				})
+				for pattern, expectedOutput := range checkEntry.patternOutputMap {
+					t.Logf("checking pattern: %s", pattern)
+					h.AssertEq(t, fileFilter(pattern), expectedOutput)
+				}
+				h.AssertNil(t, err)
+			}
+		})
+	})
 }
 
 func diffIDForFile(t *testing.T, path string) string {
@@ -2623,3 +2784,9 @@ func (f *executeFailsLifecycle) Execute(_ context.Context, opts build.LifecycleO
 	f.Opts = opts
 	return errors.New("")
 }
+
+type fileFilterCompare struct {
+	inputType        string
+	directiveInput   []string
+	patternOutputMap map[string]bool
+}