diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/client/__tests__/docsUtils.test.tsx b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/client/__tests__/docsUtils.test.tsx
index 974eca6ce20a..44916fd33c99 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/client/__tests__/docsUtils.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/client/__tests__/docsUtils.test.tsx
@@ -440,6 +440,7 @@ describe('isVisibleSidebarItem', () => {
   it('works with category', () => {
     const subCategoryAllUnlisted = testCategory({
       href: '/sub-category-path',
+      linkUnlisted: true,
       items: [
         {
           type: 'link',
@@ -455,6 +456,7 @@ describe('isVisibleSidebarItem', () => {
         },
         testCategory({
           href: '/sub-sub-category-path',
+          linkUnlisted: true,
           items: [
             {
               type: 'link',
@@ -500,6 +502,22 @@ describe('isVisibleSidebarItem', () => {
     expect(
       isVisibleSidebarItem(categorySomeUnlisted, categorySomeUnlisted.href!),
     ).toBe(true);
+
+    const categoryOnlyIndexListed = testCategory({
+      href: '/category-only-index-listed',
+      items: [
+        {
+          type: 'link',
+          href: '/sub-link-path',
+          label: 'Label',
+          unlisted: true,
+        },
+        subCategoryAllUnlisted,
+      ],
+    });
+    expect(
+      isVisibleSidebarItem(categoryOnlyIndexListed, '/nonexistentPath'),
+    ).toBe(true);
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/client/docsUtils.tsx b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/client/docsUtils.tsx
index cb8500eccc00..0fff426231a8 100644
--- a/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/client/docsUtils.tsx
+++ b/packages/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/src/client/docsUtils.tsx
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@ export function isVisibleSidebarItem(
     case 'category':
       return (
         isActiveSidebarItem(item, activePath) ||
+        (typeof item.href !== 'undefined' && !item.linkUnlisted) ||
         item.items.some((subItem) => isVisibleSidebarItem(subItem, activePath))
       );
     case 'link':
diff --git a/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/index.mdx b/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/index.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..13df3c402e7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/index.mdx	
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+---
+unlisted: false
+tags: [visibility, unlisted]
+---
+
+# Subcategory index listed
+
+Doc index, **listed**, but all the other category items are unlisted
+
+```mdx-code-block
+import DocCardList from '@theme/DocCardList';
+
+<DocCardList />
+```
diff --git a/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/unlisted1.mdx b/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/unlisted1.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d83816f21de6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/unlisted1.mdx	
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+unlisted: true
+tags: [visibility, unlisted]
+---
+
+# Unlisted 1
+
+Doc with unlisted front matter
diff --git a/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/unlisted2.mdx b/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/unlisted2.mdx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e19258446816
--- /dev/null
+++ b/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/subcategory-with-listed-index/unlisted2.mdx	
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+unlisted: true
+tags: [visibility, unlisted]
+---
+
+# Unlisted 2
+
+Doc with unlisted front matter
diff --git a/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/unlisted-subcategory/index.mdx b/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/unlisted-subcategory/index.mdx
index 31f24b59c698..abb934b22417 100644
--- a/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/unlisted-subcategory/index.mdx	
+++ b/website/_dogfooding/_docs tests/tests/visibility/some-unlisteds/unlisted-subcategory/index.mdx	
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ unlisted: true
 tags: [visibility, unlisted]
 ---
 
-# Some Unlisteds - Subcategory index unlisted
+# Subcategory index unlisted
 
 Doc with unlisted front matter