diff --git a/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js b/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
index b3d1b30b12e5..387a38724f6c 100644
--- a/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
+++ b/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
 const {
+  ArrayFrom,
   ArrayIsArray,
   ArrayPrototypeFilter,
   ArrayPrototypeFind,
@@ -17,7 +18,6 @@ const {
   ObjectAssign,
   PromisePrototypeThen,
   PromiseWithResolvers,
-  RegExpPrototypeSymbolReplace,
   SafeMap,
   SafePromiseAll,
   SafePromiseAllReturnVoid,
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ const {
 const { spawn } = require('child_process');
 const { statSync } = require('fs');
 const { finished } = require('internal/streams/end-of-stream');
-const { resolve, sep, isAbsolute } = require('path');
+const { resolve, sep, isAbsolute, relative } = require('path');
 const { DefaultDeserializer, DefaultSerializer } = require('v8');
 const { getOptionValue, getOptionsAsFlagsFromBinding } = require('internal/options');
 const { Interface } = require('internal/readline/interface');
@@ -155,24 +155,22 @@ class WorkerIdPool {
 
 function createTestFileList(patterns, cwd) {
   const hasUserSuppliedPattern = patterns != null;
+  const directories = new SafeMap();
   if (!patterns || patterns.length === 0) {
     patterns = [kDefaultPattern];
   } else {
-    patterns = ArrayPrototypeMap(patterns, (pattern) => {
-      // A directory argument is expanded to search for the default test files
-      // within it, matching the behavior from before glob patterns were
-      // supported. Glob patterns always use forward slashes, so a trailing
-      // path separator (of either kind) is stripped before appending.
+    patterns = ArrayPrototypeFilter(patterns, (pattern) => {
       const resolved = isAbsolute(pattern) ? pattern : resolve(cwd, pattern);
       try {
         if (statSync(resolved).isDirectory()) {
-          return `${RegExpPrototypeSymbolReplace(/[\\/]+$/, pattern, '')}/${kDefaultPattern}`;
+          directories.set(pattern, resolved);
+          return false;
         }
       } catch {
         // Not a directory or not accessible; leave the pattern as-is so the
         // existing "Could not find" handling still applies.
       }
-      return pattern;
+      return true;
     });
   }
   const glob = new Glob(patterns, {
@@ -180,14 +178,31 @@ function createTestFileList(patterns, cwd) {
     cwd,
     exclude: (name) => name === 'node_modules',
   });
-  const results = glob.globSync();
+  // De-duplicate by absolute path while preserving the paths used in reports.
+  const results = new SafeMap(ArrayPrototypeMap(glob.globSync(), (file) => [resolve(cwd, file), file]));
+  for (const { 0: pattern, 1: directory } of directories) {
+    // Preserve the exclusion of node_modules in the directory argument itself.
+    if (!isAbsolute(pattern) && relative(cwd, directory) === 'node_modules') continue;
+    // Search from the directory so its name is never interpreted as a glob.
+    const directoryGlob = new Glob(kDefaultPattern, {
+      __proto__: null,
+      cwd: directory,
+      exclude: (name) => name === 'node_modules',
+    });
+    for (const file of directoryGlob.globSync()) {
+      const absolutePath = resolve(directory, file);
+      if (!results.has(absolutePath)) {
+        results.set(absolutePath, isAbsolute(pattern) ? absolutePath : relative(cwd, absolutePath));
+      }
+    }
+  }
 
-  if (hasUserSuppliedPattern && results.length === 0 && !glob.hasMagic) {
+  if (hasUserSuppliedPattern && results.size === 0 && directories.size === 0 && !glob.hasMagic) {
     console.error(`Could not find '${ArrayPrototypeJoin(patterns, ', ')}'`);
     process.exit(kGenericUserError);
   }
 
-  return ArrayPrototypeSort(results);
+  return ArrayPrototypeSort(ArrayFrom(results.values()));
 }
 
 function filterExecArgv(arg, i, arr) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-runner-cli.js b/test/parallel/test-runner-cli.js
index 28ad56a0a937..bae0a7787ef9 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-runner-cli.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-runner-cli.js
@@ -3,11 +3,21 @@
 require('../common');
 const assert = require('assert');
 const { spawnSync } = require('child_process');
+const { cpSync } = require('fs');
 const { spawnSyncAndAssert } = require('../common/child_process');
 const { join } = require('path');
 const fixtures = require('../common/fixtures');
+const tmpdir = require('../common/tmpdir');
 const testFixtures = fixtures.path('test-runner');
 
+tmpdir.refresh();
+const literalDirs = ['matching-patterns[1]', 'matching-patterns{1,2}'].map((dir) => join(tmpdir.path, dir));
+for (const dir of literalDirs) {
+  cpSync(join(testFixtures, 'matching-patterns'), dir, { recursive: true });
+}
+// This sibling must not be selected by treating the directory as a glob.
+cpSync(join(testFixtures, 'default-behavior'), join(tmpdir.path, 'matching-patterns1'), { recursive: true });
+
 for (const isolation of ['none', 'process']) {
   {
     // File not found.
@@ -67,7 +77,8 @@ for (const isolation of ['none', 'process']) {
     // A directory argument is searched for the default test files within it,
     // both bare and with a trailing separator.
     // Refs: https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/64555
-    for (const dir of ['matching-patterns', 'matching-patterns/']) {
+    for (const dir of ['matching-patterns', 'matching-patterns/',
+                       ...literalDirs, ...literalDirs.map((dir) => `${dir}/`)]) {
       const args = ['--test', '--test-reporter=tap',
                     '--no-experimental-strip-types',
                     `--test-isolation=${isolation}`, dir];