diff --git a/packages/babel-core/src/config/build-config-chain.js b/packages/babel-core/src/config/build-config-chain.js
index 605e32004c..68b97b1dda 100644
--- a/packages/babel-core/src/config/build-config-chain.js
+++ b/packages/babel-core/src/config/build-config-chain.js
@@ -74,35 +74,42 @@ class ConfigChainBuilder {
       else res.push(pattern);
     });
 
-    // Lazy-init so we don't initialize this for files that have no glob patterns.
-    if (strings.length > 0 && !this.possibleDirs) {
-      this.possibleDirs = [];
+    if (res.some((re) => re.test(this.filename))) return true;
+    if (fns.some((fn) => fn(this.filename))) return true;
 
-      if (this.filename) {
-        this.possibleDirs.push(this.filename);
+    if (strings.length > 0) {
+      // Lazy-init so we don't initialize this for files that have no glob patterns.
+      if (!this.possibleDirs) {
+        this.possibleDirs = [];
 
-        let current = this.filename;
-        while (true) {
-          const previous = current;
-          current = path.dirname(current);
-          if (previous === current) break;
+        if (this.filename) {
+          this.possibleDirs.push(this.filename);
 
-          this.possibleDirs.push(current);
+          let current = this.filename;
+          while (true) {
+            const previous = current;
+            current = path.dirname(current);
+            if (previous === current) break;
+
+            this.possibleDirs.push(current);
+          }
         }
       }
-    }
 
-    return res.some((re) => re.test(this.filename)) ||
-      fns.some((fn) => fn(this.filename)) ||
-      (strings.length > 0 && this.possibleDirs.some(micromatch.filter(strings.map((pattern) => {
+      const absolutePatterns = strings.map((pattern) => {
         // Preserve the "!" prefix so that micromatch can use it for negation.
         const negate = pattern[0] === "!";
         if (negate) pattern = pattern.slice(1);
 
         return (negate ? "!" : "") + path.resolve(dirname, pattern);
-      }, {
-        nocase: true,
-      }))));
+      });
+
+      if (micromatch(this.possibleDirs, absolutePatterns, { nocase: true }).length > 0) {
+        return true;
+      }
+    }
+
+    return false;
   }
 
   findConfigs(loc: string) {
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/config-chain.js b/packages/babel-core/test/config-chain.js
index 453e3e86e6..269e6053f7 100644
--- a/packages/babel-core/test/config-chain.js
+++ b/packages/babel-core/test/config-chain.js
@@ -31,7 +31,26 @@ describe("buildConfigChain", function () {
     process.env.NODE_ENV = oldNodeEnv;
   });
 
-  // TODO: Tests for ignore and only
+  describe("ignore/only", () => {
+    // TODO: More tests for ignore and only
+
+    it("should ignore files that match", () => {
+      const chain = buildConfigChain({
+        filename: fixture("nonexistant-fake", "src.js"),
+        babelrc: false,
+        ignore: [
+          fixture("nonexistant-fake", "src.js"),
+
+          // We had a regression where multiple ignore patterns broke things, so
+          // we keep some extra random items in here.
+          fixture("nonexistant-fake", "other.js"),
+          fixture("nonexistant-fake", "misc.js"),
+        ],
+      });
+
+      assert.equal(chain, null);
+    });
+  });
 
   it("dir1", function () {
     const chain = buildConfigChain({