diff --git a/packages/python/tests/e2e/glob_speed_depth_bound_test.py b/packages/python/tests/e2e/glob_speed_depth_bound_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..83ba13c06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/python/tests/e2e/glob_speed_depth_bound_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+"""Glob speed: `'./*/*.md'` stops where the pattern cannot match deeper.
+
+Few directories at the top, each holding markdown files mixed with other
+files, dotfiles, and a deep chain of directories as large again as the
+files the glob can match. A walk that descended past depth two would read
+the chain for nothing. Native is `find` bounded at depth two. No mocks:
+real console script, real process, real filesystem.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import shutil
+
+import pytest
+
+from .speed_of_light import (
+    assert_speed_of_light,
+    best_of,
+    cli,
+    dirsql_rows,
+    dirsql_timeout,
+    grow_until_native_takes_a_second,
+    hopeless_seconds,
+    startup_seconds,
+    timed,
+)
+
+GLOB = "./*/*.md"
+NATIVE = (
+    "find . -mindepth 2 -maxdepth 2 -type f -name '*.md' ! -path '*/.*' -printf '%P\\n'"
+)
+TOPS = 32
+FANOUT = 8
+
+
+def top(i):
+    """Item `i`'s top-level directory; every seventeenth is dot-named."""
+    name = f"t{i % TOPS}"
+    return f".{name}" if i % TOPS == 17 else name
+
+
+def build_tree(root, lo, hi):
+    """Items `lo` through `hi - 1`, each a file directly under its top-level
+    directory and another five directories below it. Every ninth file is a
+    `.txt` and every fiftieth a dotfile."""
+    for i in range(lo, hi):
+        shallow = root / top(i)
+        j = i // TOPS
+        deep = (
+            shallow
+            / f"d{j % FANOUT}"
+            / f"e{j // FANOUT % FANOUT}"
+            / f"f{j // FANOUT**2 % FANOUT}"
+            / "g"
+            / "h"
+        )
+        deep.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        if i % 9 == 0:
+            name = f"n{i}.txt"
+        elif i % 50 == 0:
+            name = f".h{i}.md"
+        else:
+            name = f"n{i}.md"
+        (shallow / name).touch()
+        (deep / name).touch()
+
+
+def matched(n):
+    return sum(1 for i in range(n) if i % TOPS != 17 and i % 9 and i % 50)
+
+
+def native(root):
+    proc, seconds = timed(["bash", "-c", NATIVE], root, timeout=600)
+    assert proc.returncode == 0, proc.stderr
+    return sorted(proc.stdout.splitlines()), seconds
+
+
+def describe_depth_bound_glob_speed_of_light():
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def root(tmp_path):
+        tree = tmp_path / "depth-bound"
+        tree.mkdir()
+        try:
+            yield tree
+        finally:
+            shutil.rmtree(tree, ignore_errors=True)
+
+    def it_matches_native_files_within_the_bar(root):
+        startup = startup_seconds()
+        n = grow_until_native_takes_a_second(
+            lambda lo, hi: build_tree(root, lo, hi),
+            lambda: native(root),
+            start=100_000,
+            ceiling=2**22,
+        )
+        expected, native_seconds = best_of(lambda: native(root), "native")
+        assert len(expected) == matched(n)
+
+        def dirsql():
+            proc, seconds = timed(
+                [cli(), "query", f"SELECT path FROM '{GLOB}'"],
+                root,
+                timeout=dirsql_timeout(native_seconds),
+            )
+            return sorted(row for (row,) in dirsql_rows(proc, ("path",))), seconds
+
+        actual, dirsql_seconds = best_of(
+            dirsql, "dirsql", hopeless_seconds(native_seconds, startup)
+        )
+
+        assert actual == expected
+        assert_speed_of_light(GLOB, native_seconds, dirsql_seconds, startup)