diff --git a/crates/bashkit/src/builtins/walk_cache.rs b/crates/bashkit/src/builtins/walk_cache.rs
index 4675c550f..804bf75a5 100644
--- a/crates/bashkit/src/builtins/walk_cache.rs
+++ b/crates/bashkit/src/builtins/walk_cache.rs
@@ -138,6 +138,30 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(cache.held(), 0);
     }
 
+    /// The default walk visits directories in path order, the order tree,
+    /// ls -R and find consume them, so a batch cut short by `max_entries`
+    /// holds the next listings the caller needs instead of arbitrary ones.
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn default_walk_visits_directories_in_path_order() {
+        let fs = InMemoryFs::new();
+        for d in ["b", "a", "c", "a/y", "a/x", "c/z"] {
+            fs.mkdir(&PathBuf::from(format!("/t/{d}")), true)
+                .await
+                .unwrap();
+        }
+        let got: Vec<String> = fs
+            .walk(Path::new("/t"), WalkOptions::new(None))
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|l| l.path.display().to_string())
+            .collect();
+        assert_eq!(
+            got,
+            ["/t", "/t/a", "/t/a/x", "/t/a/y", "/t/b", "/t/c", "/t/c/z"]
+        );
+    }
+
     #[tokio::test]
     async fn missing_directory_reports_read_dir_error() {
         let fs = tree(1, 1).await;
diff --git a/crates/bashkit/src/fs/traits.rs b/crates/bashkit/src/fs/traits.rs
index 8826588b7..f1aec93e7 100644
--- a/crates/bashkit/src/fs/traits.rs
+++ b/crates/bashkit/src/fs/traits.rs
@@ -539,12 +539,19 @@ pub async fn walk_with_read_dir<F: FileSystem + ?Sized>(
         };
         let child_depth = depth + 1;
         if opts.max_depth.is_none_or(|m| child_depth < m) {
-            for entry in &entries {
-                if entry.metadata.file_type.is_dir()
-                    && !(opts.skip_hidden && entry.name.starts_with('.'))
-                {
-                    pending.push((super::vfs_join(&path, &entry.name), child_depth, None));
-                }
+            // Visit children in name order (pushed reversed, popped first),
+            // the order tree/ls -R/find consume them: a batch cut short by
+            // `max_entries` then holds the next listings the caller needs.
+            let mut dirs: Vec<&str> = entries
+                .iter()
+                .filter(|e| {
+                    e.metadata.file_type.is_dir() && !(opts.skip_hidden && e.name.starts_with('.'))
+                })
+                .map(|e| e.name.as_str())
+                .collect();
+            dirs.sort_unstable_by(|a, b| b.cmp(a));
+            for name in dirs {
+                pending.push((super::vfs_join(&path, name), child_depth, None));
             }
         }
         held = held.saturating_add(entries.len());
diff --git a/crates/bashkit/tests/integration/remote_fs_round_trip_tests.rs b/crates/bashkit/tests/integration/remote_fs_round_trip_tests.rs
index 71330e12e..442183941 100644
--- a/crates/bashkit/tests/integration/remote_fs_round_trip_tests.rs
+++ b/crates/bashkit/tests/integration/remote_fs_round_trip_tests.rs
@@ -545,8 +545,10 @@ async fn tree_prefetch_stays_within_entry_budget() {
     let r = bash.exec("tree tree").await.unwrap();
     assert_ne!(r.exit_code, 0, "expected the entry budget to stop tree");
     let c = fs.counts();
-    // 50 entries is a handful of directories; never the whole tree.
-    assert!(c.read_dir < 15, "{c}");
+    // 50 entries is a handful of directories. The walk prefetches in path
+    // order, the order tree prints, so it reads exactly the listings tree
+    // shows (before, arbitrary order read 8-15 depending on hashing).
+    assert!(c.read_dir <= 6, "{c}");
 }
 
 #[tokio::test]
diff --git a/knowledge/foundations/vfs.md b/knowledge/foundations/vfs.md
index c626cff08..583c3e0a9 100644
--- a/knowledge/foundations/vfs.md
+++ b/knowledge/foundations/vfs.md
@@ -417,9 +417,11 @@ and measured by `benches/remote_fs.rs` over the bashkit checkout:
   the listings of `root` and the directories below it in one call, as a
   bounded batch: it stops once the answer holds `max_entries` entries
   (default 10k; at most one listing over, never a split listing). The
-  default is one `read_dir` per directory, depth first, reading a directory
-  only when popped (`walk_with_read_dir`); bulk backends override it with a
-  prefix query and a row limit. Wrappers forward it when they map the subtree one-to-one
+  default is one `read_dir` per directory, depth first in path order (the
+  order tree/ls -R/find consume, so a cut-short batch holds the next listings
+  they need), reading a directory only when popped (`walk_with_read_dir`);
+  bulk backends override it with a prefix query and a row limit, and should
+  answer in path order too. Wrappers forward it when they map the subtree one-to-one
   (`FollowFs` rebases a linked root, `MountableFs` when no mount lies below the
   root, `RootFs` outside system trees, `ReadOnlyFs`, per-execution wrappers);
   otherwise they fall back to the default. Callers use it only when they would
diff --git a/knowledge/log.md b/knowledge/log.md
index 8fd61c21e..d04376d2e 100644
--- a/knowledge/log.md
+++ b/knowledge/log.md
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 ## 2026-11-03
 
+* **Walk order**: the default `walk` visits directories in path order. It used `read_dir` order (hash order for `InMemoryFs`), so a batch cut short by `max_entries` prefetched listings `tree` never printed and `tree_prefetch_stays_within_entry_budget` read 8-15 directories run to run. See [Virtual Filesystem](foundations/vfs.md#remote-backends-round-trips).
 * **Large-tree stress tests**: `tests/large_tree_stress_tests.rs` measures heap peaks of tree walkers over a 200k-file procedural tree (2M with `BASHKIT_STRESS_FILES`). It found `rg` collecting every candidate path before reading (~70 MB for 200k files); its walk now streams in path order. See [Testing](operations/testing.md).
 * **ls -R / tree bulk walk**: `ls -R` and `tree` list through bounded `walk` batches (`WalkCache`) like `find`/`du`. New `WalkOptions::skip_hidden` keeps the default walk out of dot directories they do not print; `tree` caps batches at its remaining entry budget and keeps `read_dir` under `-I`. See [Virtual Filesystem](foundations/vfs.md#remote-backends-round-trips).