diff --git a/copier/_vcs.py b/copier/_vcs.py
index 33c454455..3d3438ac3 100644
--- a/copier/_vcs.py
+++ b/copier/_vcs.py
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ def clone(url: str, ref: str | None = None) -> str:
                 )
 
     with local.cwd(location):
-        git("checkout", "-f", ref or "HEAD")
+        git("checkout", "-f", ref or "HEAD", "--", location)
         git("submodule", "update", "--checkout", "--init", "--recursive", "--force")
 
     return location
diff --git a/tests/test_vcs.py b/tests/test_vcs.py
index cd7dff14e..5606fdaf7 100644
--- a/tests/test_vcs.py
+++ b/tests/test_vcs.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 from copier._main import Worker
 from copier._user_data import load_answersfile_data
 from copier._vcs import checkout_latest_tag, clone, get_git_version, get_repo
-from copier.errors import ShallowCloneWarning
+from copier.errors import DirtyLocalWarning, ShallowCloneWarning
 
 from .helpers import git
 
@@ -88,6 +88,26 @@ def test_local_clone() -> None:
     shutil.rmtree(local_tmp, ignore_errors=True)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.impure
+def test_local_dirty_clone() -> None:
+    tmp = clone("https://github.com/copier-org/autopretty.git")
+    assert tmp
+    assert Path(tmp, "copier.yml").exists()
+
+    with local.cwd(tmp):
+        Path("unknown.txt").write_text("hello world")
+        Path("README.md").write_text("override string!!")
+
+    with pytest.warns(DirtyLocalWarning):
+        local_tmp = clone(tmp)
+
+    assert local_tmp
+    assert Path(local_tmp, "unknown.txt").exists()
+    assert Path(local_tmp, "README.md").exists()
+    assert Path(local_tmp, "copier.yaml").exists()
+    shutil.rmtree(local_tmp, ignore_errors=True)
+
+
 @pytest.mark.impure
 def test_shallow_clone(tmp_path: Path, recwarn: pytest.WarningsRecorder) -> None:
     # This test should always work but should be much slower if `is_git_shallow_repo()` is not