diff --git a/lib/internal/vfs/providers/memory.js b/lib/internal/vfs/providers/memory.js
index ce59a0611616..7a46f080618e 100644
--- a/lib/internal/vfs/providers/memory.js
+++ b/lib/internal/vfs/providers/memory.js
@@ -829,15 +829,20 @@ class MemoryProvider extends VirtualProvider {
     // Get the entry (without following symlinks for the entry itself)
     const entry = this.#getEntry(normalizedOld, 'rename', false);
 
-    if (entry.isDirectory() &&
-        StringPrototypeStartsWith(normalizedNew, `${normalizedOld}/`)) {
-      throw createEINVAL('rename', oldPath);
-    }
-
     // Validate destination parent exists (do not auto-create)
     const newParent = this.#ensureParent(normalizedNew, false, 'rename');
     const newName = pathPosix.basename(normalizedNew);
 
+    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+      // Resolve both paths so symlinked parents cannot hide a descendant.
+      const { resolvedPath: resolvedOld } = this.#lookupEntry(normalizedOld, false);
+      const { resolvedPath: resolvedParent } = this.#lookupEntry(pathPosix.dirname(normalizedNew));
+      if (resolvedParent === resolvedOld ||
+          StringPrototypeStartsWith(resolvedParent, pathPosix.join(resolvedOld, '/'))) {
+        throw createEINVAL('rename', oldPath);
+      }
+    }
+
     // Check if destination exists
     const existingDest = newParent.children.get(newName);
     if (existingDest === entry) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vfs-rename-symlink-descendant.js b/test/parallel/test-vfs-rename-symlink-descendant.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4781f804531a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vfs-rename-symlink-descendant.js
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+// Flags: --experimental-vfs
+'use strict';
+
+const common = require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+const { create } = require('node:vfs');
+
+async function test() {
+  for (const async of [false, true]) {
+    for (const [oldPath, newPath, target] of [
+      ['/a', '/alias/moved', '/a/b'],
+      ['/a', '/alias/moved', 'a/b'],
+      ['/a', '/alias/moved', '/source/a/b'],
+      ['/a', '/alias/moved', '/a'],
+      ['/a', '/alias/b/moved', '/a'],
+      ['/source/a', '/alias/moved', '/a/b'],
+      ['/source/a', '/a/b/moved', '/a/b'],
+      ['/a', '/alias/keep.txt', '/a'],
+    ]) {
+      const fs = create();
+      fs.mkdirSync('/a/b', { recursive: true });
+      fs.writeFileSync('/a/keep.txt', 'keep');
+      fs.symlinkSync(target, '/alias');
+      fs.symlinkSync('/', '/source');
+
+      const error = { code: 'EINVAL', syscall: 'rename', path: oldPath };
+      if (async) {
+        await assert.rejects(fs.promises.rename(oldPath, newPath), error);
+      } else {
+        assert.throws(() => fs.renameSync(oldPath, newPath), error);
+      }
+
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(fs.readdirSync('/'), ['a', 'alias', 'source']);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(fs.readdirSync('/a'), ['b', 'keep.txt']);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(fs.readdirSync('/a/b'), []);
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.readFileSync('/a/keep.txt', 'utf8'), 'keep');
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.statSync('/a/keep.txt').nlink, 1);
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.readlinkSync('/alias'), target);
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.statSync('/alias').isDirectory(), true);
+    }
+
+    // Resolving the source's parent must still allow a rename onto itself.
+    {
+      const fs = create();
+      fs.mkdirSync('/a');
+      fs.writeFileSync('/a/keep.txt', 'keep');
+      fs.symlinkSync('/', '/source');
+      if (async) {
+        await fs.promises.rename('/source/a', '/a');
+      } else {
+        fs.renameSync('/source/a', '/a');
+      }
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.readFileSync('/a/keep.txt', 'utf8'), 'keep');
+    }
+
+    // A shared name prefix does not make a directory a descendant.
+    {
+      const fs = create();
+      fs.mkdirSync('/a');
+      fs.mkdirSync('/ab');
+      fs.symlinkSync('/ab', '/alias');
+      if (async) {
+        await fs.promises.rename('/a', '/alias/moved');
+      } else {
+        fs.renameSync('/a', '/alias/moved');
+      }
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync('/a'), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.statSync('/ab/moved').isDirectory(), true);
+    }
+
+    // A path beneath the source can resolve outside it through a symlink.
+    {
+      const fs = create();
+      fs.mkdirSync('/a');
+      fs.mkdirSync('/outside');
+      fs.writeFileSync('/a/keep.txt', 'keep');
+      fs.symlinkSync('/outside', '/a/link');
+      if (async) {
+        await fs.promises.rename('/a', '/a/link/moved');
+      } else {
+        fs.renameSync('/a', '/a/link/moved');
+      }
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync('/a'), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.readFileSync('/outside/moved/keep.txt', 'utf8'), 'keep');
+    }
+
+    // Renaming a symlink moves the link itself, without following its target.
+    {
+      const fs = create();
+      fs.mkdirSync('/a/b', { recursive: true });
+      fs.symlinkSync('/a', '/alias');
+      if (async) {
+        await fs.promises.rename('/alias', '/a/b/link');
+      } else {
+        fs.renameSync('/alias', '/a/b/link');
+      }
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.existsSync('/alias'), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(fs.readlinkSync('/a/b/link'), '/a');
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+test().then(common.mustCall());