diff --git a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Bitbucket.php b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Bitbucket.php
index 9082c36e..26386086 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Bitbucket.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Bitbucket.php
@@ -1505,7 +1505,8 @@ public function getRepositoryPresignedUrl(string $owner, string $repositoryName,
 
     public function generateCloneCommand(string $owner, string $repositoryName, string $version, string $versionType, string $directory, string $rootDirectory): string
     {
-        if (\in_array($rootDirectory, ['', '0', '/'], true)) {
+        $rootDirectory = $this->normalizeRepositoryPath($rootDirectory);
+        if ($rootDirectory === '') {
             $rootDirectory = '*';
         }
 
diff --git a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/GitHub.php b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/GitHub.php
index 70870186..88f56829 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/GitHub.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/GitHub.php
@@ -1189,7 +1189,8 @@ public function updateCheckRun(
      */
     public function generateCloneCommand(string $owner, string $repositoryName, string $version, string $versionType, string $directory, string $rootDirectory): string
     {
-        if ($rootDirectory === '' || $rootDirectory === '0') {
+        $rootDirectory = $this->normalizeRepositoryPath($rootDirectory);
+        if ($rootDirectory === '') {
             $rootDirectory = '*';
         }
 
diff --git a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/GitLab.php b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/GitLab.php
index 4eba6018..73f4c50d 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/GitLab.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/GitLab.php
@@ -978,7 +978,8 @@ public function updateCommitStatus(string $repositoryName, string $commitHash, s
 
     public function generateCloneCommand(string $owner, string $repositoryName, string $version, string $versionType, string $directory, string $rootDirectory): string
     {
-        if (\in_array($rootDirectory, ['', '0', '/'], true)) {
+        $rootDirectory = $this->normalizeRepositoryPath($rootDirectory);
+        if ($rootDirectory === '') {
             $rootDirectory = '*';
         }
 
diff --git a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Gitea.php b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Gitea.php
index 8a26b402..99fe2d57 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Gitea.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Gitea.php
@@ -1057,7 +1057,8 @@ public function updateCommitStatus(string $repositoryName, string $commitHash, s
          */
     public function generateCloneCommand(string $owner, string $repositoryName, string $version, string $versionType, string $directory, string $rootDirectory): string
     {
-        if ($rootDirectory === '' || $rootDirectory === '0') {
+        $rootDirectory = $this->normalizeRepositoryPath($rootDirectory);
+        if ($rootDirectory === '') {
             $rootDirectory = '*';
         }
         $cloneUrl = "{$this->giteaUrl}/{$owner}/{$repositoryName}";
diff --git a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Origin.php b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Origin.php
index 9dfba399..e5c1ed93 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Origin.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/src/VCS/Adapter/Git/Origin.php
@@ -891,7 +891,8 @@ public function updateComment(string $owner, string $repositoryName, string $com
      */
     public function generateCloneCommand(string $owner, string $repositoryName, string $version, string $versionType, string $directory, string $rootDirectory): string
     {
-        if ($rootDirectory === '' || $rootDirectory === '0') {
+        $rootDirectory = $this->normalizeRepositoryPath($rootDirectory);
+        if ($rootDirectory === '') {
             $rootDirectory = '*';
         }
 
diff --git a/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/Base.php b/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/Base.php
index bcf780f7..8fd6eb67 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/Base.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/Base.php
@@ -5,13 +5,15 @@
 namespace Utopia\Tests\Unit;
 
 use Exception;
+use PHPUnit\Framework\Attributes\DataProvider;
 use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
 use Utopia\VCS\Adapter\Git;
 
 /**
  * The half of the adapter contract that needs no provider: reading a webhook
- * delivery and verifying its signature. Every provider answers it from a
- * payload the subclass builds, so the suite runs on a bare host.
+ * delivery and verifying its signature, and building a clone command. Every
+ * provider answers it from a payload the subclass builds, so the suite runs on
+ * a bare host.
  */
 abstract class Base extends TestCase
 {
@@ -221,4 +223,31 @@ public function testGetEventUnsupportedEvent(): void
 
         $this->assertEmpty($result);
     }
+
+    #[DataProvider('rootDirectories')]
+    public function testGenerateCloneCommandSelectsTheRootDirectory(string $rootDirectory, string $pattern): void
+    {
+        $command = $this->vcsAdapter->generateCloneCommand('owner', 'repo', 'main', Git::CLONE_TYPE_BRANCH, '/tmp/clone', $rootDirectory);
+
+        $this->assertStringContainsString(escapeshellarg($pattern), $command);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Git matches a sparse-checkout pattern gitignore-style, so a './' prefix
+     * looks for a directory literally named '.' and checks out nothing.
+     */
+    public static function rootDirectories(): \Iterator
+    {
+        yield 'repository root' => ['', '*'];
+        yield 'dot' => ['.', '*'];
+        yield 'dot slash' => ['./', '*'];
+        yield 'slash' => ['/', '*'];
+        yield 'bare' => ['docs', 'docs'];
+        yield 'trailing slash' => ['docs/', 'docs'];
+        yield 'dot slash prefix' => ['./docs', 'docs'];
+        yield 'dot slash prefix and trailing slash' => ['./docs/', 'docs'];
+        yield 'nested' => ['./astro/starter', 'astro/starter'];
+        // A directory named '0' is a real path, not a root sentinel.
+        yield 'zero' => ['0', '0'];
+    }
 }
diff --git a/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/ForgejoTest.php b/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/ForgejoTest.php
index aec65a4f..5dfe2c9a 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/ForgejoTest.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/ForgejoTest.php
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ final class ForgejoTest extends GiteaBase
 
     protected function createAdapter(): Forgejo
     {
-        return new Forgejo(new Cache(new None()));
+        $adapter = new Forgejo(new Cache(new None()));
+        $adapter->setEndpoint('http://gitea:3000');
+
+        return $adapter;
     }
 }
diff --git a/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/GiteaTest.php b/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/GiteaTest.php
index 57d9e93e..ddf445b1 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/GiteaTest.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/GiteaTest.php
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ final class GiteaTest extends GiteaBase
 
     protected function createAdapter(): Gitea
     {
-        return new Gitea(new Cache(new None()));
+        $adapter = new Gitea(new Cache(new None()));
+        $adapter->setEndpoint('http://gitea:3000');
+
+        return $adapter;
     }
 }
diff --git a/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/GogsTest.php b/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/GogsTest.php
index 5d62f461..9384e784 100644
--- a/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/GogsTest.php
+++ b/packages/vcs/tests/Unit/GogsTest.php
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ final class GogsTest extends GiteaBase
 
     protected function createAdapter(): Gogs
     {
-        return new Gogs(new Cache(new None()));
+        $adapter = new Gogs(new Cache(new None()));
+        $adapter->setEndpoint('http://gitea:3000');
+
+        return $adapter;
     }
 }