diff --git a/pkg/filecollector/file_collector.go b/pkg/filecollector/file_collector.go
index 8547bb7c5fa..c039926bbe0 100644
--- a/pkg/filecollector/file_collector.go
+++ b/pkg/filecollector/file_collector.go
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func (cc *CopyCollector) WriteFile(fpath string, fi fs.FileInfo, linkName string
 	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(fdestpath), 0o777); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	if f == nil {
+	if linkName != "" {
 		return os.Symlink(linkName, fdestpath)
 	}
 	df, err := os.OpenFile(fdestpath, os.O_CREATE|os.O_WRONLY, fi.Mode())
diff --git a/pkg/runner/action_cache.go b/pkg/runner/action_cache.go
index 1099d78f99a..9af06db0335 100644
--- a/pkg/runner/action_cache.go
+++ b/pkg/runner/action_cache.go
@@ -6,10 +6,12 @@ import (
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"io/fs"
 	"path"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	git "github.com/go-git/go-git/v5"
 	config "github.com/go-git/go-git/v5/config"
@@ -78,6 +80,44 @@ func (c GoGitActionCache) Fetch(ctx context.Context, cacheDir, url, ref, token s
 	return hash.String(), nil
 }
 
+type GitFileInfo struct {
+	name    string
+	size    int64
+	modTime time.Time
+	isDir   bool
+	mode    fs.FileMode
+}
+
+// IsDir implements fs.FileInfo.
+func (g *GitFileInfo) IsDir() bool {
+	return g.isDir
+}
+
+// ModTime implements fs.FileInfo.
+func (g *GitFileInfo) ModTime() time.Time {
+	return g.modTime
+}
+
+// Mode implements fs.FileInfo.
+func (g *GitFileInfo) Mode() fs.FileMode {
+	return g.mode
+}
+
+// Name implements fs.FileInfo.
+func (g *GitFileInfo) Name() string {
+	return g.name
+}
+
+// Size implements fs.FileInfo.
+func (g *GitFileInfo) Size() int64 {
+	return g.size
+}
+
+// Sys implements fs.FileInfo.
+func (g *GitFileInfo) Sys() any {
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (c GoGitActionCache) GetTarArchive(ctx context.Context, cacheDir, sha, includePrefix string) (io.ReadCloser, error) {
 	gitPath := path.Join(c.Path, safeFilename(cacheDir)+".git")
 	gogitrepo, err := git.PlainOpen(gitPath)
@@ -88,6 +128,10 @@ func (c GoGitActionCache) GetTarArchive(ctx context.Context, cacheDir, sha, incl
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	t, err := commit.Tree()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 	files, err := commit.Files()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -108,45 +152,63 @@ func (c GoGitActionCache) GetTarArchive(ctx context.Context, cacheDir, sha, incl
 		tw := tar.NewWriter(wpipe)
 		cleanIncludePrefix := path.Clean(includePrefix)
 		wpipe.CloseWithError(files.ForEach(func(f *object.File) error {
-			if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			name := f.Name
-			if strings.HasPrefix(name, cleanIncludePrefix+"/") {
-				name = name[len(cleanIncludePrefix)+1:]
-			} else if cleanIncludePrefix != "." && name != cleanIncludePrefix {
-				return nil
-			}
-			fmode, err := f.Mode.ToOSFileMode()
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			if fmode&fs.ModeSymlink == fs.ModeSymlink {
-				content, err := f.Contents()
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				}
-				return tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
-					Name:     name,
-					Mode:     int64(fmode),
-					Linkname: content,
-				})
-			}
-			err = tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
-				Name: name,
-				Mode: int64(fmode),
-				Size: f.Size,
-			})
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			reader, err := f.Reader()
-			if err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			_, err = io.Copy(tw, reader)
-			return err
+			return actionCacheCopyFileOrDir(ctx, cleanIncludePrefix, t, tw, f.Name, f)
 		}))
 	}()
 	return rpipe, err
 }
+
+func actionCacheCopyFileOrDir(ctx context.Context, cleanIncludePrefix string, t *object.Tree, tw *tar.Writer, origin string, f *object.File) error {
+	if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	name := origin
+	if strings.HasPrefix(name, cleanIncludePrefix+"/") {
+		name = name[len(cleanIncludePrefix)+1:]
+	} else if cleanIncludePrefix != "." && name != cleanIncludePrefix {
+		return nil
+	}
+	fmode, err := f.Mode.ToOSFileMode()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if fmode&fs.ModeSymlink == fs.ModeSymlink {
+		content, err := f.Contents()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		destPath := path.Join(path.Dir(f.Name), content)
+
+		subtree, err := t.Tree(destPath)
+		if err == nil {
+			return subtree.Files().ForEach(func(ft *object.File) error {
+				return actionCacheCopyFileOrDir(ctx, cleanIncludePrefix, t, tw, origin+strings.TrimPrefix(ft.Name, f.Name), f)
+			})
+		}
+
+		f, err := t.File(destPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("%s (%s): %w", destPath, origin, err)
+		}
+		return actionCacheCopyFileOrDir(ctx, cleanIncludePrefix, t, tw, origin, f)
+	}
+	header, err := tar.FileInfoHeader(&GitFileInfo{
+		name: name,
+		mode: fmode,
+		size: f.Size,
+	}, "")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	err = tw.WriteHeader(header)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	reader, err := f.Reader()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	_, err = io.Copy(tw, reader)
+	return err
+}