diff --git a/gitoxide-core/src/repository/clean.rs b/gitoxide-core/src/repository/clean.rs
index b9bac90d9f3..a21bbe25a6c 100644
--- a/gitoxide-core/src/repository/clean.rs
+++ b/gitoxide-core/src/repository/clean.rs
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ pub(crate) mod function {
                     .join(gix::path::from_bstr(entry.rela_path.as_bstr()))
                     .metadata()
                     .ok()
-                    .map(|e| e.file_type().into());
+                    .and_then(|e| gix::dir::entry::Kind::try_from_file_type(e.file_type()));
             }
             let mut disk_kind = entry.disk_kind.expect("present if not pruned");
             if !keep {
diff --git a/gix-dir/Cargo.toml b/gix-dir/Cargo.toml
index d29b58cafaa..e0d6472f6f5 100644
--- a/gix-dir/Cargo.toml
+++ b/gix-dir/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ rust-version = "1.65"
 
 [lib]
 doctest = false
+test = false
 
 [dependencies]
 gix-trace = { version = "^0.1.11", path = "../gix-trace" }
diff --git a/gix-dir/src/entry.rs b/gix-dir/src/entry.rs
index 4bfc02e02a4..a34885b1b75 100644
--- a/gix-dir/src/entry.rs
+++ b/gix-dir/src/entry.rs
@@ -147,15 +147,20 @@ impl Entry {
     }
 }
 
-impl From<std::fs::FileType> for Kind {
-    fn from(value: std::fs::FileType) -> Self {
-        if value.is_dir() {
+impl Kind {
+    /// Try to represent the file type `t` as `Entry`, or return `None` if it cannot be represented.
+    ///
+    /// The latter can happen if it's a `pipe` for instance.
+    pub fn try_from_file_type(t: std::fs::FileType) -> Option<Self> {
+        Some(if t.is_dir() {
             Kind::Directory
-        } else if value.is_symlink() {
+        } else if t.is_symlink() {
             Kind::Symlink
-        } else {
+        } else if t.is_file() {
             Kind::File
-        }
+        } else {
+            return None;
+        })
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/gix-dir/src/walk/classify.rs b/gix-dir/src/walk/classify.rs
index b87c893e7c7..e289307f792 100644
--- a/gix-dir/src/walk/classify.rs
+++ b/gix-dir/src/walk/classify.rs
@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@ pub fn root(
     let mut last_length = None;
     let mut path_buf = worktree_root.to_owned();
     // These initial values kick in if worktree_relative_root.is_empty();
-    let file_kind = path_buf.symlink_metadata().map(|m| m.file_type().into()).ok();
+    let file_kind = path_buf
+        .symlink_metadata()
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|m| entry::Kind::try_from_file_type(m.file_type()));
     let mut out = path(&mut path_buf, buf, 0, file_kind, || None, options, ctx)?;
     let worktree_root_is_repository = out
         .disk_kind
@@ -32,7 +35,10 @@ pub fn root(
         }
         path_buf.push(component);
         buf.extend_from_slice(gix_path::os_str_into_bstr(component.as_os_str()).expect("no illformed UTF8"));
-        let file_kind = path_buf.symlink_metadata().map(|m| m.file_type().into()).ok();
+        let file_kind = path_buf
+            .symlink_metadata()
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|m| entry::Kind::try_from_file_type(m.file_type()));
 
         out = path(
             &mut path_buf,
@@ -122,6 +128,8 @@ impl<'a> EntryRef<'a> {
 ///
 /// Returns `(status, file_kind, pathspec_matches_how)` to identify the `status` on disk, along with a classification `file_kind`,
 /// and if `file_kind` is not a directory, the way the pathspec matched with `pathspec_matches_how`.
+///
+/// Note that non-files are pruned by default.
 pub fn path(
     path: &mut PathBuf,
     rela_path: &mut BString,
diff --git a/gix-dir/src/walk/readdir.rs b/gix-dir/src/walk/readdir.rs
index ab1e9370344..cde07fa0ea6 100644
--- a/gix-dir/src/walk/readdir.rs
+++ b/gix-dir/src/walk/readdir.rs
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ pub(super) fn recursive(
             current_bstr,
             if prev_len == 0 { 0 } else { prev_len + 1 },
             None,
-            || entry.file_type().ok().map(Into::into),
+            || entry.file_type().ok().and_then(entry::Kind::try_from_file_type),
             opts,
             ctx,
         )?;
diff --git a/gix-dir/tests/dir.rs b/gix-dir/tests/dir/main.rs
similarity index 65%
rename from gix-dir/tests/dir.rs
rename to gix-dir/tests/dir/main.rs
index 81d7d83341e..ec8a0eff6b9 100644
--- a/gix-dir/tests/dir.rs
+++ b/gix-dir/tests/dir/main.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 pub use gix_testtools::Result;
 
 mod walk;
+#[path = "../walk_utils/mod.rs"]
 pub mod walk_utils;
diff --git a/gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs b/gix-dir/tests/dir/walk.rs
similarity index 98%
rename from gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs
rename to gix-dir/tests/dir/walk.rs
index e4d08f7b0cf..36b6bd591f4 100644
--- a/gix-dir/tests/walk/mod.rs
+++ b/gix-dir/tests/dir/walk.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,94 @@ use gix_dir::walk::EmissionMode::*;
 use gix_dir::walk::ForDeletionMode;
 use gix_ignore::Kind::*;
 
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn root_is_fifo() {
+    let root = fixture_in("fifo", "top-level");
+
+    let err = try_collect(&root, None, |keep, ctx| {
+        walk(
+            &root,
+            ctx,
+            gix_dir::walk::Options {
+                emit_ignored: Some(Matching),
+                ..options()
+            },
+            keep,
+        )
+    })
+    .unwrap_err();
+    assert!(
+        matches!(err, gix_dir::walk::Error::WorktreeRootIsFile { .. }),
+        "roots simply need to be directories to work"
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn one_top_level_fifo() {
+    let root = fixture_in("fifo", "single-top-level-fifo");
+
+    let ((out, _root), entries) = collect(&root, None, |keep, ctx| {
+        walk(
+            &root,
+            ctx,
+            gix_dir::walk::Options {
+                emit_pruned: false,
+                ..options()
+            },
+            keep,
+        )
+    });
+    assert_eq!(
+        out,
+        walk::Outcome {
+            read_dir_calls: 1,
+            returned_entries: entries.len(),
+            seen_entries: 2,
+        }
+    );
+
+    assert_eq!(entries, &[], "Non-files are simply pruned by default");
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+fn fifo_in_traversal() {
+    let root = fixture_in("fifo", "two-fifos-two-files");
+
+    let ((out, _root), entries) = collect(&root, None, |keep, ctx| {
+        walk(
+            &root,
+            ctx,
+            gix_dir::walk::Options {
+                emit_pruned: true,
+                ..options()
+            },
+            keep,
+        )
+    });
+    assert_eq!(
+        out,
+        walk::Outcome {
+            read_dir_calls: 3,
+            returned_entries: entries.len(),
+            seen_entries: 5,
+        }
+    );
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        entries,
+        &[
+            entry_nokind(".git", Pruned).with_property(DotGit).with_match(Always),
+            entry("dir-with-file/nested-file", Untracked, File),
+            entry("file", Untracked, File),
+        ],
+        "Non-files are not even pruned, they are ignored entirely.\
+        If one day this isn't what we want, we can create an own filetype for them"
+    );
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn symlink_to_dir_can_be_excluded() -> crate::Result {
     let root = fixture_in("many-symlinks", "excluded-symlinks-to-dir");
diff --git a/gix-dir/tests/dir_walk_cwd.rs b/gix-dir/tests/dir_cwd.rs
similarity index 100%
rename from gix-dir/tests/dir_walk_cwd.rs
rename to gix-dir/tests/dir_cwd.rs
diff --git a/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/fifo.sh b/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/fifo.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..9c59c234464
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/fifo.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -eu -o pipefail
+
+mkfifo top-level
+
+git init single-top-level-fifo
+(cd single-top-level-fifo
+  mkfifo top
+)
+
+git init two-fifos-two-files
+(cd two-fifos-two-files
+  mkdir dir dir-with-file
+  touch file dir-with-file/nested-file
+
+  mkfifo top
+  mkfifo dir/nested
+)
diff --git a/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/generated-archives/.gitignore b/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/generated-archives/.gitignore
index 75186c14a92..d025b4d2cf9 100644
--- a/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/generated-archives/.gitignore
+++ b/gix-dir/tests/fixtures/generated-archives/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 many.tar
-many-symlinks.tar
\ No newline at end of file
+many-symlinks.tar
+fifo.tar
\ No newline at end of file