diff --git a/src/Assets/Asset.php b/src/Assets/Asset.php
index a432150acbb..295b296dc27 100644
--- a/src/Assets/Asset.php
+++ b/src/Assets/Asset.php
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ public function metaPath()
 
     protected function metaExists()
     {
-        return $this->container()->metaFiles()->contains($this->metaPath());
+        return $this->disk()->exists($this->metaPath());
     }
 
     public function writeMeta($meta)
diff --git a/src/Assets/AssetContainerContents.php b/src/Assets/AssetContainerContents.php
index 9c32f2defba..9cea8fb0224 100644
--- a/src/Assets/AssetContainerContents.php
+++ b/src/Assets/AssetContainerContents.php
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ public function all()
         return $this->files = $this->cacheStore()->remember($this->key(), $this->ttl(), function () {
             return collect($this->getRawFlysystemDirectoryListing())
                 ->keyBy('path')
+                ->reject(fn ($file, $path) => $this->isMetaPath($path))
                 ->map(fn ($file) => $this->normalizeFlysystemAttributes($file))
                 ->pipe(fn ($files) => $this->ensureMissingDirectoriesExist($files))
                 ->sortKeys();
@@ -182,26 +183,14 @@ public function metaFilesIn($folder, $recursive)
             return $this->metaFiles[$key];
         }
 
-        $files = $this->files();
+        $path = $recursive ? $folder : trim($folder, '/').'/.meta';
 
-        $files = $files->filter(function ($file, $path) {
-            return Str::startsWith($path, '.meta/')
-                || Str::contains($path, '/.meta/');
-        });
-
-        // Filter by folder and recursiveness. But don't bother if we're
-        // requesting the root recursively as it's already that way.
-        if ($folder === '/' && $recursive) {
-            //
-        } else {
-            $files = $files->filter(function ($file) use ($folder, $recursive) {
-                $dir = $file['dirname'];
-                $dir = substr($dir, 0, -6); // remove .meta/ from the end
-                $dir = $dir ?: '/';
-
-                return $recursive ? Str::startsWith($dir, $folder) : $dir == $folder;
-            });
-        }
+        $files = collect($this->filesystem()->listContents($path, $recursive))
+            ->filter(fn ($attributes) => $attributes->isFile())
+            ->keyBy('path')
+            ->map(fn ($file) => $this->normalizeFlysystemAttributes($file))
+            ->filter(fn ($file, $path) => $this->isMetaPath($path))
+            ->sortKeys();
 
         return $this->metaFiles[$key] = $files;
     }
@@ -268,6 +257,11 @@ private function filesystem()
         return $this->container->disk()->filesystem()->getDriver();
     }
 
+    private function isMetaPath($path): bool
+    {
+        return (bool) preg_match('#(^|/)\.meta(/|$)#', $path);
+    }
+
     public function save()
     {
         $this->cacheStore()->put($this->key(), $this->all(), $this->ttl());
diff --git a/tests/Assets/AssetContainerTest.php b/tests/Assets/AssetContainerTest.php
index 21256960450..de56d0d4ac6 100644
--- a/tests/Assets/AssetContainerTest.php
+++ b/tests/Assets/AssetContainerTest.php
@@ -380,6 +380,11 @@ public function it_gets_all_files_by_default()
     #[Test]
     public function it_gets_all_meta_files_by_default()
     {
+        // The cached listing doesn't include meta files, so they must come from the filesystem.
+        Cache::put('asset-list-contents-test', collect([
+            'a.txt' => ['type' => 'file', 'path' => 'a.txt', 'dirname' => ''],
+        ]));
+
         $this->assertEquals([
             '.meta/a.txt.yaml',
             '.meta/b.txt.yaml',
@@ -757,12 +762,8 @@ public function it_still_only_gets_the_folders_from_the_cache_and_blink_once_per
     #[Test]
     public function it_does_not_leak_stale_contents_state_across_calls_when_running_in_a_queue_worker()
     {
-        $cacheKey = 'asset-list-contents-test';
-
-        Cache::put($cacheKey, collect([
-            'a.txt' => ['type' => 'file', 'path' => 'a.txt', 'dirname' => ''],
-            '.meta/a.txt.yaml' => ['type' => 'file', 'path' => '.meta/a.txt.yaml', 'dirname' => '.meta'],
-        ]));
+        Storage::fake('test');
+        Storage::disk('test')->put('.meta/a.txt.yaml', '');
 
         $container = (new AssetContainer)->handle('test')->disk('test');
 
@@ -778,12 +779,7 @@ public function it_does_not_leak_stale_contents_state_across_calls_when_running_
         );
 
         // Simulate the next job seeing a different state on disk.
-        Cache::put($cacheKey, collect([
-            'a.txt' => ['type' => 'file', 'path' => 'a.txt', 'dirname' => ''],
-            '.meta/a.txt.yaml' => ['type' => 'file', 'path' => '.meta/a.txt.yaml', 'dirname' => '.meta'],
-            'b.txt' => ['type' => 'file', 'path' => 'b.txt', 'dirname' => ''],
-            '.meta/b.txt.yaml' => ['type' => 'file', 'path' => '.meta/b.txt.yaml', 'dirname' => '.meta'],
-        ]));
+        Storage::disk('test')->put('.meta/b.txt.yaml', '');
 
         // Simulate the job boundary: Laravel clears resolved facade instances
         // before every job.
@@ -795,6 +791,33 @@ public function it_does_not_leak_stale_contents_state_across_calls_when_running_
         );
     }
 
+    #[Test]
+    public function it_does_not_cache_meta_files_or_directories_in_the_listing()
+    {
+        $disk = $this->mock(Filesystem::class);
+        $disk->shouldReceive('filesystem->getDriver->listContents')
+            ->with('/', true)
+            ->once()
+            ->andReturn(new DirectoryListing([
+                new DirectoryAttributes('.meta'),
+                new FileAttributes('.meta/one.jpg.yaml'),
+                new FileAttributes('one.jpg'),
+                new DirectoryAttributes('one/.meta'),
+                new FileAttributes('one/.meta/two.jpg.yaml'),
+                new FileAttributes('one/two.jpg'),
+            ]));
+
+        File::shouldReceive('disk')->with('test')->andReturn($disk);
+
+        $container = (new AssetContainer)->handle('test')->disk('test');
+
+        $this->assertEquals(['one.jpg', 'one/two.jpg'], $container->files()->all());
+        $this->assertEquals(
+            ['one', 'one.jpg', 'one/two.jpg'],
+            Cache::get('asset-list-contents-test')->keys()->all()
+        );
+    }
+
     #[Test]
     public function it_gets_an_asset()
     {
diff --git a/tests/Assets/AssetTest.php b/tests/Assets/AssetTest.php
index c5fde7bc263..8c9219f4ebb 100644
--- a/tests/Assets/AssetTest.php
+++ b/tests/Assets/AssetTest.php
@@ -2904,6 +2904,22 @@ public function it_resolves_pending_original_meta_values_when_hydrating()
         ], $asset->getRawOriginal());
     }
 
+    #[Test]
+    public function it_resolves_pending_original_meta_values_from_disk_when_the_listing_is_loaded()
+    {
+        Storage::disk('test')->put('path/to/test.txt', '');
+
+        // Warm the container listing before the meta file exists.
+        $this->container->files();
+
+        Storage::disk('test')->put('path/to/.meta/test.txt.yaml', "data:\n  alfa: bravo");
+
+        $asset = (new Asset)->container($this->container)->path('path/to/test.txt');
+        $asset->syncOriginal();
+
+        $this->assertEquals(['alfa' => 'bravo'], $asset->getOriginal('data'));
+    }
+
     #[Test]
     #[DataProvider('warmPresetProvider')]
     public function it_gets_which_presets_to_warm($extension, $orientation, $cpEnabled, $expectedWarm)