diff --git a/watch.go b/watch.go
index 5ce5f7ee37..db4db5903b 100644
--- a/watch.go
+++ b/watch.go
@@ -90,12 +90,18 @@ func (e *Executor) watchTasks(calls ...*ast.Call) error {
 	}()
 
 	go func() {
-		// re-register every 5 seconds because we can have new files, but this process is expensive to run
+		// re-register every "watchInterval" duration because we can have new files, but this process is expensive to run
+
+		// need to differentiate between the first scan of the sources and any
+		// subsequent ones used to catch added files
+		initialScan := true
+
 		for {
-			if err := e.registerWatchedFiles(w, calls...); err != nil {
+			if err := e.registerWatchedFiles(w, initialScan, calls...); err != nil {
 				e.Logger.Errf(logger.Red, "%v\n", err)
 			}
 			time.Sleep(watchInterval)
+			initialScan = false
 		}
 	}()
 
@@ -119,7 +125,7 @@ func closeOnInterrupt(w *watcher.Watcher) {
 	}()
 }
 
-func (e *Executor) registerWatchedFiles(w *watcher.Watcher, calls ...*ast.Call) error {
+func (e *Executor) registerWatchedFiles(w *watcher.Watcher, initialScan bool, calls ...*ast.Call) error {
 	watchedFiles := w.WatchedFiles()
 
 	var registerTaskFiles func(*ast.Call) error
@@ -166,6 +172,13 @@ func (e *Executor) registerWatchedFiles(w *watcher.Watcher, calls ...*ast.Call)
 				if err := w.Add(absFile); err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
+				if !initialScan {
+					fileInfo, err := os.Stat(absFile)
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					w.TriggerEvent(watcher.Create, fileInfo)
+				}
 				e.Logger.VerboseOutf(logger.Green, "task: watching new file: %v\n", absFile)
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/watch_test.go b/watch_test.go
index f1fb6a218d..a5e482f529 100644
--- a/watch_test.go
+++ b/watch_test.go
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ task: Started watching for tasks: default
 task: [default] echo "Hello, World!"
 Hello, World!
 task: [default] echo "Hello, World!"
+Hello, World!
+task: [default] echo "Hello, World!"
 Hello, World!
 	`)
 
@@ -72,6 +74,11 @@ Hello, World!
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	time.Sleep(700 * time.Millisecond)
+	err = os.WriteFile(filepathext.SmartJoin(dir, "src/b"), []byte("test"), 0644)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	time.Sleep(700 * time.Millisecond)
 	cancel()
 	assert.Equal(t, expectedOutput, strings.TrimSpace(buff.String()))
 	buff.Reset()