diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/fetch/template.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/fetch/template.ts
index a1afabc39e..15e1a6fd75 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/fetch/template.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/fetch/template.ts
@@ -206,16 +206,17 @@ export function createFetchTemplateAction(options: {
         } else {
           renderFilename = renderContents = !nonTemplatedEntries.has(location);
         }
+
         if (renderFilename) {
           localOutputPath = renderTemplate(localOutputPath, context);
         }
-        const outputPath = resolveSafeChildPath(outputDir, localOutputPath);
-        // variables have been expanded to make an empty file name
-        // this is due to a conditional like if values.my_condition then file-name.txt else empty string so skip
-        if (outputDir === outputPath) {
+
+        if (containsSkippedContent(localOutputPath)) {
           continue;
         }
 
+        const outputPath = resolveSafeChildPath(outputDir, localOutputPath);
+
         if (!renderContents && !extension) {
           ctx.logger.info(
             `Copying file/directory ${location} without processing.`,
@@ -257,3 +258,12 @@ export function createFetchTemplateAction(options: {
     },
   });
 }
+
+function containsSkippedContent(localOutputPath: string): boolean {
+  // if the path starts with / means that the root directory has been skipped
+  // if the path is empty means that there is a file skipped in the root
+  // if the path includes // means that there is a subdirectory skipped
+  return localOutputPath.startsWith('/')
+    || localOutputPath === ''
+    || localOutputPath.includes('//');
+}