diff --git a/.changeset/tricky-states-tease.md b/.changeset/tricky-states-tease.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..03551af9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/tricky-states-tease.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@clack/prompts": patch
+---
+
+Fix `path` directory mode so pressing Enter with an existing directory `initialValue` submits that current directory instead of the first child option, and add regression coverage for immediate submit and child-directory navigation.
diff --git a/packages/prompts/src/path.ts b/packages/prompts/src/path.ts
index d575ab33..abdf7f26 100644
--- a/packages/prompts/src/path.ts
+++ b/packages/prompts/src/path.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export const path = (opts: PathOptions) => {
 		...opts,
 		initialUserInput: opts.initialValue ?? opts.root ?? process.cwd(),
 		maxItems: 5,
+		filter: () => true,
 		validate(value) {
 			if (Array.isArray(value)) {
 				// Shouldn't ever happen since we don't enable `multiple: true`
@@ -44,13 +45,17 @@ export const path = (opts: PathOptions) => {
 					searchPath = dirname(userInput);
 				} else {
 					const stat = lstatSync(userInput);
-					if (stat.isDirectory()) {
+					if (stat.isDirectory() && !opts.directory) {
 						searchPath = userInput;
 					} else {
 						searchPath = dirname(userInput);
 					}
 				}
 
+				// Strip trailing slash so startsWith matches the directory itself among its siblings
+				const prefix =
+					userInput.length > 1 && userInput.endsWith('/') ? userInput.slice(0, -1) : userInput;
+
 				const items = readdirSync(searchPath)
 					.map((item) => {
 						const path = join(searchPath, item);
@@ -63,8 +68,9 @@ export const path = (opts: PathOptions) => {
 					})
 					.filter(
 						({ path, isDirectory }) =>
-							path.startsWith(userInput) && (isDirectory || !opts.directory)
+							path.startsWith(prefix) && (isDirectory || !opts.directory)
 					);
+
 				return items.map((item) => ({
 					value: item.path,
 				}));
diff --git a/packages/prompts/test/path.test.ts b/packages/prompts/test/path.test.ts
index 24f7d76d..90c4ef41 100644
--- a/packages/prompts/test/path.test.ts
+++ b/packages/prompts/test/path.test.ts
@@ -163,6 +163,41 @@ describe.each(['true', 'false'])('text (isCI = %s)', (isCI) => {
 		expect(value).toBe('/tmp/foo');
 	});
 
+	test('directory mode submits initial directory value on enter', async () => {
+		const result = prompts.path({
+			message: 'foo',
+			root: '/tmp/',
+			initialValue: '/tmp/',
+			directory: true,
+			input,
+			output,
+		});
+
+		input.emit('keypress', '', { name: 'return' });
+
+		const value = await result;
+
+		expect(value).toBe('/tmp');
+	});
+
+	test('directory mode can navigate from initial directory to child directory', async () => {
+		const result = prompts.path({
+			message: 'foo',
+			root: '/tmp/',
+			initialValue: '/tmp/',
+			directory: true,
+			input,
+			output,
+		});
+
+		input.emit('keypress', 'f', { name: 'f' });
+		input.emit('keypress', '', { name: 'return' });
+
+		const value = await result;
+
+		expect(value).toBe('/tmp/foo');
+	});
+
 	test('default mode allows selecting files', async () => {
 		const result = prompts.path({
 			message: 'foo',