diff --git a/server/Watcher.js b/server/Watcher.js
index c5f64917b..8931ae0c2 100644
--- a/server/Watcher.js
+++ b/server/Watcher.js
@@ -67,7 +67,8 @@ class FolderWatcher extends EventEmitter {
       renameTimeout: 2000,
       recursive: true,
       ignoreInitial: true,
-      persistent: true
+      persistent: true,
+      followSymlinks: true
     })
     watcher
       .on('add', (path) => {
diff --git a/server/libs/watcher/utils.js b/server/libs/watcher/utils.js
index 75a2bdb22..d38e2293d 100644
--- a/server/libs/watcher/utils.js
+++ b/server/libs/watcher/utils.js
@@ -71,13 +71,13 @@ const Utils = {
         poll: (targetPath, timeout = constants_1.POLLING_TIMEOUT) => {
             return ripstat_1.default(targetPath, timeout).catch(Utils.lang.noop);
         },
-        readdir: async (rootPath, ignore, depth = Infinity, signal, readdirMap) => {
+        readdir: async (rootPath, ignore, depth = Infinity, signal, readdirMap, followSymlinks = false) => {
             if (readdirMap && depth === 1 && rootPath in readdirMap) { // Reusing cached data
                 const result = readdirMap[rootPath];
                 return [result.directories, result.files];
             }
             else { // Retrieving fresh data
-                const result = await tiny_readdir_1.default(rootPath, { depth, ignore, signal });
+                const result = await tiny_readdir_1.default(rootPath, { depth, ignore, signal, followSymlinks });
                 return [result.directories, result.files];
             }
         }
diff --git a/server/libs/watcher/watcher_handler.js b/server/libs/watcher/watcher_handler.js
index 411e65b0d..f52b973ca 100644
--- a/server/libs/watcher/watcher_handler.js
+++ b/server/libs/watcher/watcher_handler.js
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ class WatcherHandler {
         var _a, _b;
         if (isInitial)
             return events;
-        const depth = this.options.recursive ? (_a = this.options.depth) !== null && _a !== void 0 ? _a : constants_1.DEPTH : Math.min(1, (_b = this.options.depth) !== null && _b !== void 0 ? _b : constants_1.DEPTH), [directories, files] = await utils_1.default.fs.readdir(targetPath, this.options.ignore, depth, this.watcher._closeSignal), targetSubPaths = [...directories, ...files];
+        const depth = this.options.recursive ? (_a = this.options.depth) !== null && _a !== void 0 ? _a : constants_1.DEPTH : Math.min(1, (_b = this.options.depth) !== null && _b !== void 0 ? _b : constants_1.DEPTH), [directories, files] = await utils_1.default.fs.readdir(targetPath, this.options.ignore, depth, this.watcher._closeSignal, undefined, this.options.followSymlinks), targetSubPaths = [...directories, ...files];
         await Promise.all(targetSubPaths.map(targetSubPath => {
             if (this.watcher.isIgnored(targetSubPath, this.options.ignore))
                 return;
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ class WatcherHandler {
             await this.onWatcherEvent("change" /* CHANGE */, this.filePath, isInitial);
         }
         else { // Multiple initial paths
-            const depth = this.options.recursive && (constants_1.HAS_NATIVE_RECURSION && this.options.native !== false) ? (_a = this.options.depth) !== null && _a !== void 0 ? _a : constants_1.DEPTH : Math.min(1, (_b = this.options.depth) !== null && _b !== void 0 ? _b : constants_1.DEPTH), [directories, files] = await utils_1.default.fs.readdir(this.folderPath, this.options.ignore, depth, this.watcher._closeSignal, this.options.readdirMap), targetPaths = [this.folderPath, ...directories, ...files];
+            const depth = this.options.recursive && (constants_1.HAS_NATIVE_RECURSION && this.options.native !== false) ? (_a = this.options.depth) !== null && _a !== void 0 ? _a : constants_1.DEPTH : Math.min(1, (_b = this.options.depth) !== null && _b !== void 0 ? _b : constants_1.DEPTH), [directories, files] = await utils_1.default.fs.readdir(this.folderPath, this.options.ignore, depth, this.watcher._closeSignal, this.options.readdirMap, this.options.followSymlinks), targetPaths = [this.folderPath, ...directories, ...files];
             await Promise.all(targetPaths.map(targetPath => {
                 if (this.watcher._poller.stats.has(targetPath))
                     return; // Already polled
diff --git a/server/utils/fileUtils.js b/server/utils/fileUtils.js
index 9a349bd54..97d7e5d9c 100644
--- a/server/utils/fileUtils.js
+++ b/server/utils/fileUtils.js
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ module.exports.recurseFiles = async (path, relPathToReplace = null) => {
     ignoreFolders: true,
     extensions: true,
     deep: true,
-    realPath: true,
+    realPath: false,
     normalizePath: false
   }
   let list = await rra.list(path, options)
@@ -517,7 +517,15 @@ module.exports.getDirectoriesInPath = async (dirPath, level) => {
           Logger.debug(`Failed to lstat "${fullPath}"`, error)
           return null
         })
-        if (!lstat?.isDirectory()) return null
+        if (!lstat) return null
+
+        let isDir = lstat.isDirectory()
+        if (!isDir && lstat.isSymbolicLink()) {
+          // Follow symlink to check if target is a directory
+          const targetStat = await fs.stat(fullPath).catch(() => null)
+          isDir = targetStat?.isDirectory() ?? false
+        }
+        if (!isDir) return null
 
         return {
           path: this.filePathToPOSIX(fullPath),
diff --git a/test/server/utils/fileUtils.test.js b/test/server/utils/fileUtils.test.js
index b57a6fb86..0760af652 100644
--- a/test/server/utils/fileUtils.test.js
+++ b/test/server/utils/fileUtils.test.js
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ describe('fileUtils', () => {
       // Stub fs.readdir
       readdirStub = sinon.stub(fs, 'readdir')
       readdirStub.callsFake((path, callback) => {
-        const contents = mockDirContents.get(path)
+        const normalizedPath = path.replace(/\/+$/, '')
+        const contents = mockDirContents.get(normalizedPath)
         if (contents) {
           callback(null, contents)
         } else {