diff --git a/coworker/tools/search.py b/coworker/tools/search.py
index 3ff7fc3e1..1ecbb7bda 100644
--- a/coworker/tools/search.py
+++ b/coworker/tools/search.py
@@ -115,14 +115,21 @@ def grep(
             # last because ripgrep resolves conflicting globs with the later one winning.
             for ignored in sorted(_IGNORE_DIRS):
                 cmd += ["--glob", f"!**/{ignored}/**"]
-            cmd.append(str(base))
+            # Search from the workspace itself: ripgrep resolves --glob patterns
+            # against paths relative to the *current working directory*, so passing
+            # an absolute path made the exclusion globs match the workspace's
+            # ancestors too — a workspace under e.g. .../node_modules/ excluded
+            # itself entirely (issue #576). With cwd anchored to the search root
+            # and "." as the target, only directory names inside the workspace
+            # can match.
+            cmd.append(".")
             try:
-                out = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30)
+                out = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=30, cwd=str(base))
             except Exception as exc:
                 return {"error": f"grep failed: {exc}"}
             if out.returncode not in (0, 1):  # 1 = no matches
                 return {"error": (out.stderr or "ripgrep error").strip()[:300]}
-            return {"engine": "ripgrep", **_parse_rg(out.stdout, root, n)}
+            return {"engine": "ripgrep", **_parse_rg(out.stdout, root, base, n)}
 
         return {"engine": "python", **_py_grep(root, base, pattern, glob, n)}
 
@@ -139,14 +146,19 @@ def grep(
     return [grep]
 
 
-def _rel(path: str, root: Path) -> str:
+def _rel(path: str, root: Path, base: Path | None = None) -> str:
     try:
-        return str(Path(path).resolve().relative_to(root))
+        p = Path(path)
+        # ripgrep emits paths relative to its own cwd (the search base); resolve
+        # them against that, not the process cwd, before relativizing.
+        if not p.is_absolute() and base is not None:
+            p = base / p
+        return str(p.resolve().relative_to(root))
     except (ValueError, OSError):
         return path
 
 
-def _parse_rg(stdout: str, root: Path, n: int) -> dict[str, Any]:
+def _parse_rg(stdout: str, root: Path, base: Path, n: int) -> dict[str, Any]:
     matches: list[dict[str, Any]] = []
     for line in stdout.splitlines():
         parts = line.split(":", 2)
@@ -154,7 +166,7 @@ def _parse_rg(stdout: str, root: Path, n: int) -> dict[str, Any]:
             f, ln, txt = parts
             matches.append(
                 {
-                    "file": _rel(f, root),
+                    "file": _rel(f, root, base),
                     "line": int(ln) if ln.isdigit() else 0,
                     "text": txt[:300],
                 }
diff --git a/tests/test_code_tools.py b/tests/test_code_tools.py
index 0edc83b2f..e6ed10a39 100644
--- a/tests/test_code_tools.py
+++ b/tests/test_code_tools.py
@@ -41,6 +41,19 @@ def test_grep_finds_matches_and_respects_glob(tmp_path):
     assert only_py["matches"][0]["line"] == 1
 
 
+def test_grep_works_when_workspace_sits_under_an_ignored_dir_name(tmp_path):
+    # Regression for #576: ripgrep matches --glob patterns against paths
+    # relative to the *current working directory*, not the search root, so a
+    # workspace living under e.g. .../node_modules/ws excluded itself entirely.
+    ws = tmp_path / "node_modules" / "ws"
+    ws.mkdir(parents=True)
+    (ws / "a.py").write_text("hello under ignored parent\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    grep = search_tools(str(ws))[0]
+    out = grep(pattern="hello")
+    assert out["count"] == 1
+    assert out["matches"][0]["file"] == "a.py"
+
+
 def test_ripgrep_uses_the_same_ignored_dirs_as_the_python_fallback(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     import coworker.tools.search as search