diff --git a/packages/python/e2e-attestations/bot-1475-prefix-speed-1016.json b/packages/python/e2e-attestations/bot-1475-prefix-speed-1016.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7f3dab9c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/python/e2e-attestations/bot-1475-prefix-speed-1016.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "command": "uv run python -m pytest tests/e2e/glob_speed_depth_bound_test.py tests/e2e/glob_speed_dotfiles_test.py tests/e2e/glob_speed_gitignore_test.py tests/e2e/glob_speed_matchers_test.py tests/e2e/glob_speed_node_modules_test.py tests/e2e/glob_speed_one_level_test.py tests/e2e/glob_speed_recursive_test.py tests/e2e/glob_speed_symlink_test.py tests/e2e/stat_speed_test.py tests/e2e/frontmatter_parse_speed_test.py tests/e2e/jsonl_parse_speed_test.py tests/e2e/query_contract_test.py tests/e2e/fanout_test.py tests/e2e/repl_interactive_test.py tests/e2e/server_speed_test.py -q",
+  "ran_at": 1793727994,
+  "exit_code": 0,
+  "commit": "1404c15d5c3baf22a495ea5a700fe036f74c300d",
+  "branch": "bot/1475-prefix-speed-1016"
+}
diff --git a/packages/rust/changelog.d/2026-10-16-prefix-glob-speed.md b/packages/rust/changelog.d/2026-10-16-prefix-glob-speed.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b34bfbda1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/rust/changelog.d/2026-10-16-prefix-glob-speed.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+**Changed**
+
+- **One-shot queries over a glob under a prefix, such as `./a/b/**/*.md`, run faster.** `dirsql query` no longer starts an async worker per core, and the walk starts its workers as a tree rather than all from one thread. Query results are unchanged.
diff --git a/packages/rust/migrations.d/2026-10-16-prefix-glob-speed.md b/packages/rust/migrations.d/2026-10-16-prefix-glob-speed.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..87692fb83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/rust/migrations.d/2026-10-16-prefix-glob-speed.md
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+### Prefix glob speed
+
+#### Summary
+
+One-shot CLI queries start fewer threads, and the walk starts its workers as a tree. No API changes.
+
+#### Required changes
+
+_None._
+
+#### Deprecations removed
+
+_None._
+
+#### Behavior changes without code changes
+
+_None._
+
+#### Verification
+
+```bash
+dirsql query "SELECT path FROM './a/b/**/*.md'"
+```
+
+Prints the same rows as before, sooner.
diff --git a/packages/rust/src/cli/run.rs b/packages/rust/src/cli/run.rs
index e4b700b31..46a07b504 100644
--- a/packages/rust/src/cli/run.rs
+++ b/packages/rust/src/cli/run.rs
@@ -329,7 +329,13 @@ pub fn run_cli(argv: Vec<String>) -> i32 {
         }
     };
 
-    let runtime = match tokio::runtime::Runtime::new() {
+    let runtime = match if serves(&cli) {
+        tokio::runtime::Runtime::new()
+    } else {
+        tokio::runtime::Builder::new_current_thread()
+            .enable_all()
+            .build()
+    } {
         Ok(runtime) => runtime,
         Err(err) => {
             eprintln!("dirsql: failed to start the async runtime: {err}");
@@ -352,6 +358,13 @@ pub fn run_cli(argv: Vec<String>) -> i32 {
     i32::from(code)
 }
 
+/// Whether `cli` keeps serving, as the server and the REPL do, and so wants a
+/// runtime with a worker per core; a one-shot command waits on one thing at a
+/// time, and starting and stopping those workers is a cost it would only pay.
+fn serves(cli: &Cli) -> bool {
+    matches!(cli.command, Some(Command::Server(_))) || (cli.command.is_none() && cli.sql.is_none())
+}
+
 /// The default (no-subcommand) behavior. With SQL, run it as a one-shot query,
 /// exactly as `dirsql query "<sql>"` does. With no SQL, read statements until
 /// EOF instead: bare `dirsql` is a REPL over the current directory, prompted
@@ -679,6 +692,24 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(query_body("   "), r#"{"sql":"   "}"#);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn the_server_and_the_repl_serve() {
+        let serving =
+            [&["dirsql", "server"][..], &["dirsql"]].map(|argv| serves(&Cli::parse_from(argv)));
+        assert_eq!(serving, [true, true]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn one_shot_commands_do_not_serve() {
+        let serving = [
+            &["dirsql", "query", "SELECT 1"][..],
+            &["dirsql", "SELECT 1"],
+            &["dirsql", "context"],
+        ]
+        .map(|argv| serves(&Cli::parse_from(argv)));
+        assert_eq!(serving, [false, false, false]);
+    }
+
     fn query_args(argv: &[&str]) -> QueryArgs {
         match Cli::parse_from(argv).command {
             Some(Command::Query(args)) => args,
diff --git a/packages/rust/src/tree_walk.rs b/packages/rust/src/tree_walk.rs
index 23f631ae5..bc79c9f15 100644
--- a/packages/rust/src/tree_walk.rs
+++ b/packages/rust/src/tree_walk.rs
@@ -159,9 +159,7 @@ pub(crate) fn walk_in_order<D: Send, L: Send>(
                     if !spawned && shared.found.load(Ordering::Relaxed) >= PARALLEL_DIRS {
                         spawned = true;
                         let workers = thread::available_parallelism().map_or(1, usize::from);
-                        for _ in 1..workers {
-                            scope.spawn(|| shared.work());
-                        }
+                        spawn_workers(scope, &shared, (1..workers).collect());
                     }
                     stack.push(shared.obtain(&slot).into_iter());
                 }
@@ -179,6 +177,31 @@ fn lock<T>(mutex: &Mutex<T>) -> MutexGuard<'_, T> {
     mutex.lock().expect("exploring a directory does not panic")
 }
 
+/// Start a worker for each of `team` as a tree: each worker starts half of
+/// the rest before it explores, since spawning a thread takes tens of
+/// microseconds and the walk hands out nothing while it spawns. Every worker
+/// starts a strictly smaller team than it was handed, so the tree is finite.
+fn spawn_workers<'scope, D: Send, L: Send>(
+    scope: &'scope thread::Scope<'scope, '_>,
+    shared: &'scope Shared<'_, D, L>,
+    mut team: Vec<usize>,
+) {
+    if team.pop().is_none() {
+        return;
+    }
+    let (first, second) = halves(team);
+    scope.spawn(move || {
+        spawn_workers(scope, shared, first);
+        spawn_workers(scope, shared, second);
+        shared.work();
+    });
+}
+
+fn halves(mut team: Vec<usize>) -> (Vec<usize>, Vec<usize>) {
+    let second = team.split_off(team.len() / 2);
+    (team, second)
+}
+
 impl<D, L> Shared<'_, D, L> {
     fn open_lock(&self) -> MutexGuard<'_, Open<D, L>> {
         lock(&self.open)
@@ -457,6 +480,11 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(threads_exploring(4, 2) > 1);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn a_team_splits_into_halves_the_second_taking_any_odd_one() {
+        assert_eq!(halves(vec![1, 2, 3, 4, 5]), (vec![1, 2], vec![3, 4, 5]));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn a_walk_spawns_its_workers_once() {
         let cores = thread::available_parallelism().map_or(1, usize::from);
diff --git a/packages/ts/e2e-attestations/bot-1475-prefix-speed-1016.json b/packages/ts/e2e-attestations/bot-1475-prefix-speed-1016.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..55e41f480
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ts/e2e-attestations/bot-1475-prefix-speed-1016.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "command": "pnpm test:e2e",
+  "ran_at": 1793728044,
+  "exit_code": 0,
+  "commit": "26b351ed743d0a9352f95f176f6e3563fb862159",
+  "branch": "bot/1475-prefix-speed-1016"
+}