diff --git a/Seek.hs b/Seek.hs
index 251db50b82..80f31dd969 100644
--- a/Seek.hs
+++ b/Seek.hs
@@ -46,9 +46,16 @@ withBackendFilesInGit a params = do
 
 withFilesNotInGit :: (BackendFile -> CommandStart) -> CommandSeek
 withFilesNotInGit a params = do
-	force <- Annex.getState Annex.force
-	newfiles <- seekHelper (LsFiles.notInRepo force) params
-	prepBackendPairs a newfiles
+	{- dotfiles are not acted on unless explicitly listed -}
+	files <- filter (not . dotfile) <$> seek ps
+	dotfiles <- if null dotps then return [] else seek dotps
+	prepBackendPairs a $ preserveOrder params (files++dotfiles)
+	where
+		(dotps, ps) = partition dotfile params
+		seek l = do
+			force <- Annex.getState Annex.force
+			g <- gitRepo
+			liftIO $ (\p -> LsFiles.notInRepo force p g) l
 
 withWords :: ([String] -> CommandStart) -> CommandSeek
 withWords a params = return [a params]
diff --git a/Utility/Path.hs b/Utility/Path.hs
index 38e7bd05ca..9f4fe29277 100644
--- a/Utility/Path.hs
+++ b/Utility/Path.hs
@@ -134,3 +134,14 @@ inPath :: String -> IO Bool
 inPath command = getSearchPath >>= anyM indir
 	where
 		indir d = doesFileExist $ d </> command
+
+{- Checks if a filename is a unix dotfile. All files inside dotdirs
+ - count as dotfiles. -}
+dotfile :: FilePath -> Bool
+dotfile file
+	| f == "." = False
+	| f == ".." = False
+	| f == "" = False
+	| otherwise = "." `isPrefixOf` f || dotfile (takeDirectory file)
+	where
+		f = takeFileName file
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 33cced98e5..c9619114ee 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ git-annex (3.20111232) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     used to provide parameters to whichever of wget or curl git-annex uses
     (depends on which is available, but most of their important options
     suitable for use here are the same).
+  * Dotfiles, and files inside dotdirs are not added by "git annex add"
+    unless the dotfile or directory is explicitly listed. So "git annex add ."
+    will add all untracked files in the current directory except for those in
+    dotdirs.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:19:19 -0400
 
diff --git a/doc/git-annex.mdwn b/doc/git-annex.mdwn
index f94a3d8089..9751560a96 100644
--- a/doc/git-annex.mdwn
+++ b/doc/git-annex.mdwn
@@ -64,7 +64,8 @@ subdirectories).
 
   Adds files in the path to the annex. Files that are already checked into
   git, or that git has been configured to ignore will be silently skipped.
-  (Use --force to add ignored files.)
+  (Use --force to add ignored files.) Dotfiles are skipped unless explicitly
+  listed.
 
 * get [path ...]