diff --git a/src/dwarfs/builtin_script.cpp b/src/dwarfs/builtin_script.cpp
index f0e00fd8..08017be1 100644
--- a/src/dwarfs/builtin_script.cpp
+++ b/src/dwarfs/builtin_script.cpp
@@ -190,6 +190,10 @@ void builtin_script_<LoggerPolicy>::set_root_path(
     std::filesystem::path const& path) {
   // TODO: this whole thing needs to be windowsized
   root_path_ = u8string_to_string(path.u8string());
+
+  if (root_path_ == "/") {
+    root_path_.clear();
+  }
 }
 
 template <typename LoggerPolicy>
@@ -252,7 +256,8 @@ bool builtin_script_<LoggerPolicy>::filter(entry_interface const& ei) {
 
   for (const auto& r : filter_) {
     if (std::regex_match(r.floating ? path : relpath, r.re)) {
-      LOG_TRACE << path << " matched rule '" << r.rule << "'";
+      LOG_TRACE << "[" << path << "] / [" << relpath << "] matched rule '"
+                << r.rule << "'";
       switch (r.type) {
       case filter_rule::rule_type::include:
         return true;
@@ -263,7 +268,7 @@ bool builtin_script_<LoggerPolicy>::filter(entry_interface const& ei) {
     }
   }
 
-  LOG_TRACE << path << " matched no rule";
+  LOG_TRACE << "[" << path << "] / [" << relpath << "] matched no rule";
 
   return true;
 }
diff --git a/test/tool_main_test.cpp b/test/tool_main_test.cpp
index c264723a..4e5d8dd4 100644
--- a/test/tool_main_test.cpp
+++ b/test/tool_main_test.cpp
@@ -1591,6 +1591,19 @@ TEST(mkdwarfs_test, filter_recursion) {
                            "recursion detected while opening file: filt1.txt"));
 }
 
+TEST(mkdwarfs_test, filter_root_dir) {
+  auto t = mkdwarfs_tester::create_empty();
+  t.add_test_file_tree();
+  EXPECT_EQ(0, t.run({"-i", "/", "-o", "-", "-F", "- /var/", "-F", "- /usr/"}))
+      << t.err();
+  auto fs = t.fs_from_stdout();
+  EXPECT_TRUE(fs.find("/"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(fs.find("/var"));
+  EXPECT_FALSE(fs.find("/usr"));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(fs.find("/dev"));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(fs.find("/etc"));
+}
+
 namespace {
 
 constexpr std::array<std::string_view, 9> const pack_mode_names = {