diff --git a/CHANGES.rst b/CHANGES.rst
index 671e0a6..2bcd208 100644
--- a/CHANGES.rst
+++ b/CHANGES.rst
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ Bug fixes:
 - `Pull #165`_: Directory negations no longer re-include descendants of an excluded ancestor.
 - `Pull #166`_: Escape literal regex set operators in gitignore bracket expressions so valid patterns compile when FutureWarning is treated as an error.
 - `Pull #167`_: - A gitignore pattern segment made of three or more asterisks (e.g., `***/x`) is now treated as a double-asterisk, matching Git.
+- `Pull #171`_: An explicit `**/*/**` pattern no longer matches top-level directories, so a negation can re-include files below them.
 
 
 .. _`Issue #116`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/issues/116
@@ -85,6 +86,7 @@ Bug fixes:
 .. _`Pull #165`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/pull/165
 .. _`Pull #166`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/pull/166
 .. _`Pull #167`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/pull/167
+.. _`Pull #171`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/pull/171
 
 
 1.1.1 (2026-04-26)
diff --git a/CHANGES_1.in.rst b/CHANGES_1.in.rst
index 13f12b4..5838c9f 100644
--- a/CHANGES_1.in.rst
+++ b/CHANGES_1.in.rst
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ Bug fixes:
 - `Pull #165`_: Directory negations no longer re-include descendants of an excluded ancestor.
 - `Pull #166`_: Escape literal regex set operators in gitignore bracket expressions so valid patterns compile when FutureWarning is treated as an error.
 - `Pull #167`_: - A gitignore pattern segment made of three or more asterisks (e.g., `***/x`) is now treated as a double-asterisk, matching Git.
+- `Pull #171`_: An explicit `**/*/**` pattern no longer matches top-level directories, so a negation can re-include files below them.
 
 
 .. _`Issue #116`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/issues/116
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ Bug fixes:
 .. _`Pull #165`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/pull/165
 .. _`Pull #166`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/pull/166
 .. _`Pull #167`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/pull/167
+.. _`Pull #171`: https://github.com/cpburnz/python-pathspec/pull/171
 
 
 1.1.1 (2026-04-26)
diff --git a/pathspec/patterns/gitignore/spec.py b/pathspec/patterns/gitignore/spec.py
index 8eae04c..dfd9c0f 100644
--- a/pathspec/patterns/gitignore/spec.py
+++ b/pathspec/patterns/gitignore/spec.py
@@ -157,15 +157,15 @@ def __normalize_segments(
 			and pattern_segs[0] == '**'
 			and pattern_segs[1] == '*'
 			and pattern_segs[2] == '**'
+			and is_dir_pattern
 			and not requires_dir_descendant
 		):
 			# The pattern "*/" will be normalized to "**/*/**" which will match every
-			# file not in the root directory. Special case this pattern for
-			# efficiency.
-			if is_dir_pattern:
-				return (None, _DIR_MARK_CG)
-			else:
-				return (None, '/')
+			# directory. Special case this pattern for efficiency. An explicit
+			# "**/*/**" (without a trailing slash) is not equivalent: it requires a
+			# descendant segment after the "*", so it must go through translation to
+			# keep directories such as "a/" from matching.
+			return (None, _DIR_MARK_CG)
 
 		# No regular expression override, return modified pattern segments.
 		return (pattern_segs, None)
diff --git a/tests/test_06_gitignore.py b/tests/test_06_gitignore.py
index 523e905..8ec40a7 100644
--- a/tests/test_06_gitignore.py
+++ b/tests/test_06_gitignore.py
@@ -1125,6 +1125,11 @@ def test_c(self):
 				{"d/top.txt", "child/file.txt"},
 				{"d/child/file.txt", "a/x/child/file.txt", "child/grand/deep.txt"},
 			),
+			(
+				"**/*/**",
+				{"top.txt", "d/"},
+				{"d/top.txt", "d/child/", "a/b/deep.txt"},
+			),
 		]
 		for pattern, unignored, ignored in cases:
 			for sub_test in self.parameterize_from_lines([pattern]):
@@ -1265,3 +1270,38 @@ def test_3_character_after_slash(self):
 					self.assertTrue(spec.match_file(name))
 					self.assertFalse(spec.match_file('foo/'))
 					self.assertFalse(spec.match_file('foo/other'))
+
+
+class GitIgnoreSpecGlobstarStarGlobstarTest(GitIgnoreSpecMixin, TestCase):
+	"""
+	The :class:`GitIgnoreSpecGlobstarStarGlobstarTest` class tests that an
+	explicit ``**/*/**`` pattern requires a descendant segment after the ``*``.
+	Unlike ``*/``, it must not match a top-level directory itself, so a negation
+	can still re-include a file below such a directory (Git stages the file).
+	"""
+
+	def test_1_no_dir_descendant(self):
+		"""
+		Test that "**/*/**" leaves top-level directories and files unmatched.
+		"""
+		for sub_test in self.parameterize_from_lines(["**/*/**"]):
+			with sub_test() as spec:
+				self.assertFalse(spec.match_file("top.txt"))
+				self.assertFalse(spec.match_file("d/"))
+				self.assertTrue(spec.match_file("d/top.txt"))
+				self.assertTrue(spec.match_file("d/child/"))
+				self.assertTrue(spec.match_file("a/b/deep.txt"))
+
+	def test_2_negation_reinclusion(self):
+		"""
+		Test that a negation re-includes a file below a directory which
+		"**/*/**" does not itself exclude.
+		"""
+		for sub_test in self.parameterize_from_lines([
+			"**/*/**",
+			"!a/keep.txt",
+		]):
+			with sub_test() as spec:
+				self.assertFalse(spec.match_file("a/"))
+				self.assertFalse(spec.match_file("a/keep.txt"))
+				self.assertTrue(spec.match_file("a/other.txt"))