diff --git a/packages/host-watcher/src/workspace-status-watcher.ts b/packages/host-watcher/src/workspace-status-watcher.ts
index df266c0db..3d5f549b6 100644
--- a/packages/host-watcher/src/workspace-status-watcher.ts
+++ b/packages/host-watcher/src/workspace-status-watcher.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,15 @@ const WORKSPACE_STATUS_WATCH_MAX_RETRY_DELAY_MS = 30_000;
 // (resetting the count) when the watch set changes.
 const WORKSPACE_STATUS_WATCH_MAX_SETUP_RETRY_ATTEMPTS = 10;
 const WORKSPACE_ROOT_ALWAYS_IGNORED_PATHS = [".git"];
+// Recursive globs: picomatch against the path relative to the watch root and
+// FTS_SKIP'd during parcel's initial crawl, so nested checkouts' heavy trees
+// never get an inotify watch (get-bb/bb#1779). Independent of git discovery.
+const WORKSPACE_ROOT_ALWAYS_IGNORED_GLOBS = [
+  "**/.git",
+  "**/node_modules",
+  "**/.cache",
+  "**/__pycache__",
+];
 const WORKSPACE_ROOT_IGNORE_STATUS_TIMEOUT_MS = 5_000;
 const WORKSPACE_ROOT_IGNORE_STATUS_MAX_BUFFER_BYTES = 10 * 1024 * 1024;
 
@@ -105,6 +114,7 @@ function mergeWorkspaceRootIgnores(gitIgnoredPaths: string[]): string[] {
   const ignoredPaths = new Set<string>();
   for (const ignoredPath of [
     ...WORKSPACE_ROOT_ALWAYS_IGNORED_PATHS,
+    ...WORKSPACE_ROOT_ALWAYS_IGNORED_GLOBS,
     ...gitIgnoredPaths,
   ]) {
     ignoredPaths.add(ignoredPath);
@@ -223,6 +233,14 @@ export class WorkspaceStatusWatcher {
       // root without excluding `.git` until that marker appears.
       this.startWatchSubscription({
         kind: "workspace-root",
+        // Keep `<root>/.git` visible so `git init` promotion still fires, but
+        // skip nested checkouts' `.git` and the heavy trees.
+        options: {
+          ignore: [
+            "*/**/.git",
+            ...WORKSPACE_ROOT_ALWAYS_IGNORED_GLOBS.filter((g) => g !== "**/.git"),
+          ],
+        },
         rootPath,
       });
       return;
@@ -271,7 +289,12 @@ export class WorkspaceStatusWatcher {
       // too slow or its metadata is temporarily unavailable.
       this.startWatchSubscription({
         kind: "workspace-root",
-        options: { ignore: [...WORKSPACE_ROOT_ALWAYS_IGNORED_PATHS] },
+        options: {
+          ignore: [
+            ...WORKSPACE_ROOT_ALWAYS_IGNORED_PATHS,
+            ...WORKSPACE_ROOT_ALWAYS_IGNORED_GLOBS,
+          ],
+        },
         rootPath,
       });
     }