diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/AbstractCodeOwnersIT.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/AbstractCodeOwnersIT.java
index 26578fc..e42501d 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/AbstractCodeOwnersIT.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/AbstractCodeOwnersIT.java
@@ -97,6 +97,11 @@
     assumeThatCodeOwnersBackendIsNotProtoBackend();
   }
 
+  protected void skipTestIfIgnoreParentCodeOwnersNotSupportedByCodeOwnersBackend() {
+    // the proto backend doesn't support ignoring parent code owners
+    assumeThatCodeOwnersBackendIsNotProtoBackend();
+  }
+
   protected void assumeThatCodeOwnersBackendIsNotProtoBackend() {
     assume().that(backendConfig.getDefaultBackend()).isNotInstanceOf(ProtoBackend.class);
   }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/backend/PathCodeOwners.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/backend/PathCodeOwners.java
index 443b5ef..05843d1 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/backend/PathCodeOwners.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/backend/PathCodeOwners.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 import com.google.inject.Singleton;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.util.ArrayDeque;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -202,13 +203,22 @@
       CodeOwnerConfig.Builder resolvedCodeOwnerConfigBuilder =
           CodeOwnerConfig.builder(codeOwnerConfig.key(), codeOwnerConfig.revision());
 
+      List<String> messages = new ArrayList<>();
+
       // Add all data from the importing code owner config.
       resolvedCodeOwnerConfigBuilder.setIgnoreParentCodeOwners(
           codeOwnerConfig.ignoreParentCodeOwners());
       getGlobalCodeOwnerSets(codeOwnerConfig)
           .forEach(resolvedCodeOwnerConfigBuilder::addCodeOwnerSet);
       getMatchingPerFileCodeOwnerSets(codeOwnerConfig)
-          .forEach(resolvedCodeOwnerConfigBuilder::addCodeOwnerSet);
+          .forEach(
+              codeOwnerSet -> {
+                messages.add(
+                    String.format(
+                        "per-file code owner set with path expressions %s matches",
+                        codeOwnerSet.pathExpressions()));
+                resolvedCodeOwnerConfigBuilder.addCodeOwnerSet(codeOwnerSet);
+              });
 
       List<UnresolvedImport> unresolvedImports =
           resolveImports(codeOwnerConfig, resolvedCodeOwnerConfigBuilder);
@@ -219,9 +229,19 @@
       // ignoreGlobalAndParentCodeOwners flag set to true.
       // In this case also set ignoreParentCodeOwners to true, so that we do not need to inspect the
       // ignoreGlobalAndParentCodeOwners flags again.
-      if (getMatchingPerFileCodeOwnerSets(resolvedCodeOwnerConfig)
-          .anyMatch(CodeOwnerSet::ignoreGlobalAndParentCodeOwners)) {
-        logger.atFine().log("remove global code owner sets and set ignoreParentCodeOwners to true");
+      Optional<CodeOwnerSet> matchingPerFileCodeOwnerSetThatIgnoresGlobalAndParentCodeOwners =
+          getMatchingPerFileCodeOwnerSets(resolvedCodeOwnerConfig)
+              .filter(CodeOwnerSet::ignoreGlobalAndParentCodeOwners)
+              .findAny();
+      if (matchingPerFileCodeOwnerSetThatIgnoresGlobalAndParentCodeOwners.isPresent()) {
+        logger.atFine().log("remove folder code owner sets and set ignoreParentCodeOwners to true");
+        messages.add(
+            String.format(
+                "found matching per-file code owner set (with path expressions = %s) that ignores"
+                    + " parent code owners, hence ignoring the folder code owners",
+                matchingPerFileCodeOwnerSetThatIgnoresGlobalAndParentCodeOwners
+                    .get()
+                    .pathExpressions()));
         resolvedCodeOwnerConfig =
             resolvedCodeOwnerConfig
                 .toBuilder()
@@ -236,7 +256,7 @@
       this.pathCodeOwnersResult =
           OptionalResultWithMessages.create(
               PathCodeOwnersResult.create(path, resolvedCodeOwnerConfig, unresolvedImports),
-              ImmutableList.of());
+              messages);
       logger.atFine().log("path code owners result = %s", pathCodeOwnersResult);
       return this.pathCodeOwnersResult;
     }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/testing/CodeOwnerCheckInfoSubject.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/testing/CodeOwnerCheckInfoSubject.java
index b060198..f9f8e7b 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/testing/CodeOwnerCheckInfoSubject.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/testing/CodeOwnerCheckInfoSubject.java
@@ -87,6 +87,12 @@
     }
   }
 
+  public void hasDebugLogsThatDoNotContainAnyOf(String... expectedMessages) {
+    for (String expectedMessage : expectedMessages) {
+      check("debugLogs").that(codeOwnerCheckInfo().debugLogs).doesNotContain(expectedMessage);
+    }
+  }
+
   public IterableSubject hasDebugLogsThat() {
     return check("debugLogs").that(codeOwnerCheckInfo().debugLogs);
   }
diff --git a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/api/CheckCodeOwnerIT.java b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/api/CheckCodeOwnerIT.java
index 8166970..4964186 100644
--- a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/api/CheckCodeOwnerIT.java
+++ b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/plugins/codeowners/acceptance/api/CheckCodeOwnerIT.java
@@ -31,12 +31,14 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.restapi.BadRequestException;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.restapi.RestApiException;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.acceptance.AbstractCodeOwnersIT;
+import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.acceptance.testsuite.TestPathExpressions;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.api.CodeOwnerCheckInfo;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerBackend;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerConfig;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerConfigImportMode;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerConfigReference;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerResolver;
+import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.CodeOwnerSet;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.config.BackendConfig;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.findowners.FindOwnersBackend;
 import com.google.gerrit.plugins.codeowners.backend.proto.ProtoBackend;
@@ -67,10 +69,12 @@
   @Inject private ExternalIdNotes.Factory externalIdNotesFactory;
 
   private BackendConfig backendConfig;
+  private TestPathExpressions testPathExpressions;
 
   @Before
   public void setUpCodeOwnersPlugin() throws Exception {
     backendConfig = plugin.getSysInjector().getInstance(BackendConfig.class);
+    testPathExpressions = plugin.getSysInjector().getInstance(TestPathExpressions.class);
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -641,6 +645,122 @@
                 projectOperations.project(project).getHead("master").name()));
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void checkPerFileCodeOwner() throws Exception {
+    TestAccount txtOwner =
+        accountCreator.create(
+            "txtCodeOwner", "txtCodeOwner@example.com", "Txt Code Owner", /* displayName= */ null);
+    TestAccount mdOwner =
+        accountCreator.create(
+            "mdCodeOwner", "mdCodeOwner@example.com", "Md Code Owner", /* displayName= */ null);
+
+    codeOwnerConfigOperations
+        .newCodeOwnerConfig()
+        .project(project)
+        .branch("master")
+        .folderPath("/foo/")
+        .addCodeOwnerSet(
+            CodeOwnerSet.builder()
+                .addPathExpression(testPathExpressions.matchFileType("txt"))
+                .addCodeOwnerEmail(txtOwner.email())
+                .build())
+        .addCodeOwnerSet(
+            CodeOwnerSet.builder()
+                .addPathExpression(testPathExpressions.matchFileType("md"))
+                .addCodeOwnerEmail(mdOwner.email())
+                .build())
+        .create();
+
+    String path = "/foo/bar/baz.md";
+    CodeOwnerCheckInfo checkCodeOwnerInfo = checkCodeOwner(path, mdOwner.email());
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo).isCodeOwner();
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo).isResolvable();
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo)
+        .hasCodeOwnerConfigFilePathsThat()
+        .containsExactly(getCodeOwnerConfigFilePath("/foo/"));
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo)
+        .hasDebugLogsThatContainAllOf(
+            String.format(
+                "per-file code owner set with path expressions [%s] matches",
+                testPathExpressions.matchFileType("md")),
+            String.format(
+                "found email %s as code owner in %s",
+                mdOwner.email(), getCodeOwnerConfigFilePath("/foo/")),
+            String.format("resolved to account %s", mdOwner.id()));
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo)
+        .hasDebugLogsThatDoNotContainAnyOf(
+            String.format(
+                "per-file code owner set with path expressions [%s] matches",
+                testPathExpressions.matchFileType("txt")));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void checkPerFileCodeOwnerWhenParentCodeOwnersAreIgnored() throws Exception {
+    skipTestIfIgnoreParentCodeOwnersNotSupportedByCodeOwnersBackend();
+
+    TestAccount fileCodeOwner =
+        accountCreator.create(
+            "fileCodeOwner",
+            "fileCodeOwner@example.com",
+            "File Code Owner",
+            /* displayName= */ null);
+    TestAccount folderCodeOwner =
+        accountCreator.create(
+            "folderCodeOwner",
+            "folderCodeOwner@example.com",
+            "Folder Code Owner",
+            /* displayName= */ null);
+
+    codeOwnerConfigOperations
+        .newCodeOwnerConfig()
+        .project(project)
+        .branch("master")
+        .folderPath("/foo/")
+        .addCodeOwnerEmail(folderCodeOwner.email())
+        .addCodeOwnerSet(
+            CodeOwnerSet.builder()
+                .addPathExpression(testPathExpressions.matchFileType("md"))
+                .setIgnoreGlobalAndParentCodeOwners()
+                .addCodeOwnerEmail(fileCodeOwner.email())
+                .build())
+        .create();
+
+    String path = "/foo/bar/baz.md";
+    CodeOwnerCheckInfo checkCodeOwnerInfo = checkCodeOwner(path, folderCodeOwner.email());
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo).isNotCodeOwner();
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo).isResolvable();
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo).hasCodeOwnerConfigFilePathsThat().isEmpty();
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo)
+        .hasDebugLogsThatContainAllOf(
+            String.format(
+                "per-file code owner set with path expressions [%s] matches",
+                testPathExpressions.matchFileType("md")),
+            String.format(
+                "found matching per-file code owner set (with path expressions = [%s]) that ignores"
+                    + " parent code owners, hence ignoring the folder code owners",
+                testPathExpressions.matchFileType("md")));
+
+    checkCodeOwnerInfo = checkCodeOwner(path, fileCodeOwner.email());
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo).isCodeOwner();
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo).isResolvable();
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo)
+        .hasCodeOwnerConfigFilePathsThat()
+        .containsExactly(getCodeOwnerConfigFilePath("/foo/"));
+    assertThat(checkCodeOwnerInfo)
+        .hasDebugLogsThatContainAllOf(
+            String.format(
+                "per-file code owner set with path expressions [%s] matches",
+                testPathExpressions.matchFileType("md")),
+            String.format(
+                "found matching per-file code owner set (with path expressions = [%s]) that ignores"
+                    + " parent code owners, hence ignoring the folder code owners",
+                testPathExpressions.matchFileType("md")),
+            String.format(
+                "found email %s as code owner in %s",
+                fileCodeOwner.email(), getCodeOwnerConfigFilePath("/foo/")),
+            String.format("resolved to account %s", fileCodeOwner.id()));
+  }
+
   private CodeOwnerCheckInfo checkCodeOwner(String path, String email) throws RestApiException {
     return checkCodeOwner(path, email, null);
   }