diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/index.test.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/index.test.ts
index 26594bc95d..edffdf4e4a 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/__tests__/index.test.ts
@@ -976,3 +976,35 @@ describe('site with custom sidebar items generator', () => {
     expect(version.sidebars).toMatchSnapshot();
   });
 });
+describe('nested directory exclusion (issue #11607)', () => {
+  it('excludes nested directories and their contents correctly', async () => {
+    const siteDir = path.join(
+      __dirname,
+      '__fixtures__/site-with-autogenerated-sidebar',
+    );
+
+    const context = await loadContext({siteDir});
+
+    const options = validateOptions({
+      validate: normalizePluginOptions as Validate<Options, PluginOptions>,
+      options: {
+        path: 'docs',
+        // We use the actual folder name '3-API' found in the fixture
+        exclude: ['3-API'],
+      },
+    });
+
+    const plugin = await pluginContentDocs(context, options);
+    const content = await plugin.loadContent!();
+    const currentVersion = content.loadedVersions[0]!;
+
+    // This ensures we actually loaded the other docs (Getting Started, etc.)
+    expect(currentVersion.docs.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+
+    // If the bug exists, this will find "API/api-overview"
+    // and the test will FAIL (because we expect it to be undefined)
+    const apiDoc = currentVersion.docs.find((doc) => doc.id.includes('API'));
+
+    expect(apiDoc).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/docs.ts b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/docs.ts
index b8f02ba5b0..0cfd2a93b7 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/docs.ts
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/docs.ts
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@ export async function readVersionDocs(
 ): Promise<DocFile[]> {
   const sources = await Globby(options.include, {
     cwd: versionMetadata.contentPath,
-    ignore: options.exclude,
+    // THE FIX: Transform simple folder names into recursive glob patterns
+    ignore: options.exclude.flatMap((pattern) => [pattern, `${pattern}/**`]),
   });
   return Promise.all(
     sources.map((source) => readDocFile(versionMetadata, source)),