diff --git a/fdroidserver/common.py b/fdroidserver/common.py
index 5a546386..3c42232d 100644
--- a/fdroidserver/common.py
+++ b/fdroidserver/common.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 # libraries here as they will become a requirement for all commands.
 
 import difflib
+from typing import List
 import git
 import glob
 import io
@@ -4300,7 +4301,7 @@ def get_app_display_name(app):
     return app.get('AutoName') or app['id']
 
 
-def local_rsync(options, fromdir, todir):
+def local_rsync(options, fromdir, todir, args: List[str] = []):
     """Rsync method for local to local copying of things.
 
     This is an rsync wrapper with all the settings for safe use within
@@ -4317,6 +4318,7 @@ def local_rsync(options, fromdir, todir):
         rsyncargs += ['--verbose']
     if options.quiet:
         rsyncargs += ['--quiet']
+    rsyncargs += args
     logging.debug(' '.join(rsyncargs + [fromdir, todir]))
     if subprocess.call(rsyncargs + [fromdir, todir]) != 0:
         raise FDroidException()
diff --git a/fdroidserver/deploy.py b/fdroidserver/deploy.py
index b668e2b0..4d581470 100644
--- a/fdroidserver/deploy.py
+++ b/fdroidserver/deploy.py
@@ -561,9 +561,11 @@ def sync_from_localcopy(repo_section, local_copy_dir):
     """
     logging.info('Syncing from local_copy_dir to this repo.')
     if options.index_only:
+        rsyncargs = ['--include', "*/"] + _get_index_includes(repo_section) + ['--exclude', '*']
         common.local_rsync(common.get_options(),
                            _get_index_includes(local_copy_dir),
-                           repo_section.rstrip('/') + '/')
+                           repo_section.rstrip('/') + '/',
+                           args=rsyncargs)
     else:
         # trailing slashes have a meaning in rsync which is not needed here, so
         # make sure both paths have exactly one trailing slash
@@ -588,9 +590,11 @@ def update_localcopy(repo_section, local_copy_dir):
 
     """
     if options.index_only:
+        rsyncargs = ['--include', "*/"] + _get_index_includes(repo_section) + ['--exclude', '*']
         common.local_rsync(common.get_options(),
                            _get_index_includes(repo_section),
-                           repo_section.rstrip('/') + '/')
+                           local_copy_dir,
+                           args=rsyncargs)
     else:
         # local_copy_dir is guaranteed to have a trailing slash in main() below
         common.local_rsync(common.get_options(), repo_section, local_copy_dir)
diff --git a/tests/deploy.TestCase b/tests/deploy.TestCase
index 4c0c8535..41d40088 100755
--- a/tests/deploy.TestCase
+++ b/tests/deploy.TestCase
@@ -555,6 +555,66 @@ class DeployTest(unittest.TestCase):
             fdroidserver.deploy.update_serverwebroot(serverwebroot, repo_section)
         self.assertEqual(call_iteration, 1, 'expected 1 invocations of subprocess.call')
 
+    def test_update_localcopy_in_index_only_mode(self):
+        # setup parameters for this test run
+        fdroidserver.deploy.options.no_chcksum = False
+        fdroidserver.deploy.options.verbose = True
+        fdroidserver.deploy.options.quiet = False
+        fdroidserver.deploy.options.identity_file = None
+        fdroidserver.deploy.options.index_only = True
+        repo_section = 'repo'
+
+        # setup function for asserting subprocess.call invocations
+        call_iteration = 0
+
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as local_copy_dir:
+            def update_localcopy_call(cmd):
+                nonlocal call_iteration
+                if call_iteration == 0:
+                    self.assertListEqual(
+                        cmd,
+                        [
+                            'rsync',
+                            '--recursive', '--safe-links', '--times', '--perms',
+                            '--one-file-system', '--delete', '--chmod=Da+rx,Fa-x,a+r,u+w',
+                            '--verbose',
+                            '--include',
+                            "*/",
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/entry.jar',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/entry.json',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/entry.json.asc',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/index-v1.jar',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/index-v1.json',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/index-v1.json.asc',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/index-v2.json',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/index-v2.json.asc',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/index.jar',
+                            '--include',
+                            'repo/index.xml',
+                            '--exclude',
+                            "*",
+                            'repo',
+                            local_copy_dir,
+                        ],
+                    )
+                else:
+                    self.fail('unexpected subprocess.call invocation')
+                call_iteration += 1
+                return 0
+
+            with mock.patch('subprocess.call', side_effect=update_localcopy_call):
+                fdroidserver.deploy.update_localcopy(repo_section, local_copy_dir)
+        self.assertEqual(call_iteration, 1, 'expected 1 invocations of subprocess.call')
+
     @unittest.skipIf(
         not os.getenv('VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY'), 'VIRUSTOTAL_API_KEY is not set'
     )