diff --git a/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_indexer.go b/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_indexer.go
index b6432f000..088aa8b7d 100644
--- a/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_indexer.go
+++ b/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_indexer.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/internal/windows"
 )
 
-type PathIndexVisitor func(string, os.FileInfo, error) error
+type PathIndexVisitor func(string, string, os.FileInfo, error) error
 
 type directoryIndexer struct {
 	path              string
@@ -239,14 +239,14 @@ func allContainedPaths(p string) []string {
 	return all
 }
 
-func (r *directoryIndexer) indexPath(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) (string, error) {
+func (r *directoryIndexer) indexPath(givenPath string, info os.FileInfo, err error) (string, error) {
 	// ignore any path which a filter function returns true
 	for _, filterFn := range r.pathIndexVisitors {
 		if filterFn == nil {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		if filterErr := filterFn(path, info, err); filterErr != nil {
+		if filterErr := filterFn(r.base, givenPath, info, err); filterErr != nil {
 			if errors.Is(filterErr, fs.SkipDir) {
 				// signal to walk() to skip this directory entirely (even if we're processing a file)
 				return "", filterErr
@@ -258,24 +258,24 @@ func (r *directoryIndexer) indexPath(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) (
 
 	if info == nil {
 		// walk may not be able to provide a FileInfo object, don't allow for this to stop indexing; keep track of the paths and continue.
-		r.errPaths[path] = fmt.Errorf("no file info observable at path=%q", path)
+		r.errPaths[givenPath] = fmt.Errorf("no file info observable at path=%q", givenPath)
 		return "", nil
 	}
 
 	// here we check to see if we need to normalize paths to posix on the way in coming from windows
 	if windows.HostRunningOnWindows() {
-		path = windows.ToPosix(path)
+		givenPath = windows.ToPosix(givenPath)
 	}
 
-	newRoot, err := r.addPathToIndex(path, info)
-	if r.isFileAccessErr(path, err) {
+	newRoot, err := r.addPathToIndex(givenPath, info)
+	if r.isFileAccessErr(givenPath, err) {
 		return "", nil
 	}
 
 	return newRoot, nil
 }
 
-func (r *directoryIndexer) disallowFileAccessErr(path string, _ os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+func (r *directoryIndexer) disallowFileAccessErr(_, path string, _ os.FileInfo, err error) error {
 	if r.isFileAccessErr(path, err) {
 		return ErrSkipPath
 	}
@@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ func (r directoryIndexer) hasBeenIndexed(p string) (bool, *file.Metadata) {
 	return true, &entry.Metadata
 }
 
-func (r *directoryIndexer) disallowRevisitingVisitor(path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+func (r *directoryIndexer) disallowRevisitingVisitor(_, path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 	// this prevents visiting:
 	// - link destinations twice, once for the real file and another through the virtual path
 	// - infinite link cycles
@@ -436,14 +436,17 @@ func (r *directoryIndexer) disallowRevisitingVisitor(path string, _ os.FileInfo,
 	return nil
 }
 
-func disallowUnixSystemRuntimePath(path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
-	if internal.HasAnyOfPrefixes(path, unixSystemRuntimePrefixes...) {
+func disallowUnixSystemRuntimePath(base, path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+	// note: we need to consider all paths relative to the base when being filtered, which is how they would appear
+	// when the resolver is being used. Then something like /some/mountpoint/dev with a base of /some/mountpoint
+	// would be considered as /dev when being filtered.
+	if internal.HasAnyOfPrefixes(relativePath(base, path), unixSystemRuntimePrefixes...) {
 		return fs.SkipDir
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-func disallowByFileType(_ string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+func disallowByFileType(_, _ string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 	if info == nil {
 		// we can't filter out by filetype for non-existent files
 		return nil
@@ -458,13 +461,39 @@ func disallowByFileType(_ string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func requireFileInfo(_ string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+func requireFileInfo(_, _ string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 	if info == nil {
 		return ErrSkipPath
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+func relativePath(basePath, givenPath string) string {
+	var relPath string
+	var relErr error
+
+	if basePath != "" {
+		relPath, relErr = filepath.Rel(basePath, givenPath)
+		cleanPath := filepath.Clean(relPath)
+		if relErr == nil {
+			if cleanPath == "." {
+				relPath = string(filepath.Separator)
+			} else {
+				relPath = cleanPath
+			}
+		}
+		if !filepath.IsAbs(relPath) {
+			relPath = string(filepath.Separator) + relPath
+		}
+	}
+
+	if relErr != nil || basePath == "" {
+		relPath = givenPath
+	}
+
+	return relPath
+}
+
 func indexingProgress(path string) (*progress.Stage, *progress.Manual) {
 	stage := &progress.Stage{}
 	prog := progress.NewManual(-1)
diff --git a/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_indexer_test.go b/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_indexer_test.go
index 3e5c128cd..3b9378c72 100644
--- a/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_indexer_test.go
+++ b/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_indexer_test.go
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ func TestDirectoryIndexer_handleFileAccessErr(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestDirectoryIndexer_IncludeRootPathInIndex(t *testing.T) {
-	filterFn := func(path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+	filterFn := func(_, path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 		if path != "/" {
 			return fs.SkipDir
 		}
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ func TestDirectoryIndexer_index(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDirectoryIndexer_SkipsAlreadyVisitedLinkDestinations(t *testing.T) {
 	var observedPaths []string
-	pathObserver := func(p string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+	pathObserver := func(_, p string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 		fields := strings.Split(p, "test-fixtures/symlinks-prune-indexing")
 		if len(fields) < 2 {
 			return nil
@@ -383,3 +383,84 @@ func Test_allContainedPaths(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func Test_relativePath(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		basePath  string
+		givenPath string
+		want      string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "root: same relative path",
+			basePath:  "a/b/c",
+			givenPath: "a/b/c",
+			want:      "/",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "root: same absolute path",
+			basePath:  "/a/b/c",
+			givenPath: "/a/b/c",
+			want:      "/",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "contained path: relative",
+			basePath:  "a/b/c",
+			givenPath: "a/b/c/dev",
+			want:      "/dev",
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "contained path: absolute",
+			basePath:  "/a/b/c",
+			givenPath: "/a/b/c/dev",
+			want:      "/dev",
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.want, relativePath(tt.basePath, tt.givenPath))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func Test_disallowUnixSystemRuntimePath(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name    string
+		base    string
+		path    string
+		wantErr require.ErrorAssertionFunc
+	}{
+		{
+			name:    "no base, matching path",
+			base:    "",
+			path:    "/dev",
+			wantErr: require.Error,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "no base, non-matching path",
+			base:    "",
+			path:    "/not-dev",
+			wantErr: require.NoError,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "base, matching path",
+			base:    "/a/b/c",
+			path:    "/a/b/c/dev",
+			wantErr: require.Error,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "base, non-matching path due to bad relative alignment",
+			base:    "/a/b/c",
+			path:    "/dev",
+			wantErr: require.NoError,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if tt.wantErr == nil {
+				tt.wantErr = require.NoError
+			}
+			tt.wantErr(t, disallowUnixSystemRuntimePath(tt.base, tt.path, nil, nil))
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_test.go b/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_test.go
index ab96c7144..170b0558d 100644
--- a/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_test.go
+++ b/syft/internal/fileresolver/directory_test.go
@@ -918,7 +918,7 @@ func Test_isUnallowableFileType(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			assert.Equal(t, test.expected, disallowByFileType("dont/care", test.info, nil))
+			assert.Equal(t, test.expected, disallowByFileType("", "dont/care", test.info, nil))
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -999,7 +999,7 @@ func Test_IndexingNestedSymLinks(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func Test_IndexingNestedSymLinks_ignoredIndexes(t *testing.T) {
-	filterFn := func(path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+	filterFn := func(_, path string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 		if strings.HasSuffix(path, string(filepath.Separator)+"readme") {
 			return ErrSkipPath
 		}
@@ -1144,7 +1144,7 @@ func Test_isUnixSystemRuntimePath(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(test.path, func(t *testing.T) {
-			assert.Equal(t, test.expected, disallowUnixSystemRuntimePath(test.path, nil, nil))
+			assert.Equal(t, test.expected, disallowUnixSystemRuntimePath("", test.path, nil, nil))
 		})
 	}
 }
diff --git a/syft/source/directory_source.go b/syft/source/directory_source.go
index e8e5e217e..3b974521c 100644
--- a/syft/source/directory_source.go
+++ b/syft/source/directory_source.go
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ func getDirectoryExclusionFunctions(root string, exclusions []string) ([]fileres
 	}
 
 	return []fileresolver.PathIndexVisitor{
-		func(path string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+		func(_, path string, info os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 			for _, exclusion := range exclusions {
 				// this is required to handle Windows filepaths
 				path = filepath.ToSlash(path)
diff --git a/syft/source/directory_source_test.go b/syft/source/directory_source_test.go
index c324fb91b..3ea197e29 100644
--- a/syft/source/directory_source_test.go
+++ b/syft/source/directory_source_test.go
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ func Test_getDirectoryExclusionFunctions_crossPlatform(t *testing.T) {
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 
 			for _, f := range fns {
-				result := f(test.path, test.finfo, nil)
+				result := f("", test.path, test.finfo, nil)
 				require.Equal(t, test.walkHint, result)
 			}
 		})
diff --git a/syft/source/file_source.go b/syft/source/file_source.go
index 6fcc2f669..9e0bd5a86 100644
--- a/syft/source/file_source.go
+++ b/syft/source/file_source.go
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ func (s FileSource) FileResolver(_ Scope) (file.Resolver, error) {
 		exclusionFunctions = append([]fileresolver.PathIndexVisitor{
 
 			// note: we should exclude these kinds of paths first before considering any other user-provided exclusions
-			func(p string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
+			func(_, p string, _ os.FileInfo, _ error) error {
 				if p == absParentDir {
 					// this is the root directory... always include it
 					return nil