diff --git a/commands/pkg/get/cmdget.go b/commands/pkg/get/cmdget.go
index 7158049fc..3ea0dc66c 100644
--- a/commands/pkg/get/cmdget.go
+++ b/commands/pkg/get/cmdget.go
@@ -76,6 +76,8 @@ type Runner struct {
 
 func (r *Runner) preRunE(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	const op errors.Op = "cmdget.preRunE"
+	// Track if destination was explicitly provided
+	explicitDest := len(args) > 1
 	if len(args) == 1 {
 		args = append(args, pkg.CurDir)
 	} else {
@@ -88,7 +90,7 @@ func (r *Runner) preRunE(_ *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 			args[1] = resolvedPath
 		}
 	}
-	t, err := parse.GitParseArgs(r.ctx, args)
+	t, err := parse.GitParseArgs(r.ctx, args, explicitDest)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.E(op, err)
 	}
diff --git a/commands/pkg/get/cmdget_test.go b/commands/pkg/get/cmdget_test.go
index 8c8a5f2d3..d0ca7f035 100644
--- a/commands/pkg/get/cmdget_test.go
+++ b/commands/pkg/get/cmdget_test.go
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func TestCmdMainBranch_execute(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	r := get.NewRunner(fake.CtxWithDefaultPrinter(), "kpt")
-	r.Command.SetArgs([]string{"file://" + g.RepoDirectory + ".git/", "./"})
+	r.Command.SetArgs([]string{"file://" + g.RepoDirectory + ".git/"})
 	err = r.Command.Execute()
 
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
@@ -159,9 +159,9 @@ func TestCmd_fail(t *testing.T) {
 	r := get.NewRunner(fake.CtxWithDefaultPrinter(), "kpt")
 	r.Command.SilenceErrors = true
 	r.Command.SilenceUsage = true
-	r.Command.SetArgs([]string{"file://" + filepath.Join("not", "real", "dir") + ".git/@master", "./"})
+	r.Command.SetArgs([]string{"file://" + filepath.Join("not", "real", "dir") + ".git/@master", "nonexistent"})
 
-	defer os.RemoveAll("dir")
+	defer os.RemoveAll("nonexistent")
 
 	err := r.Command.Execute()
 	if !assert.Error(t, err) {
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ func TestCmd_Execute_flagAndArgParsing(t *testing.T) {
 				assert.NoError(t, err)
 				assert.Equal(t, "master", r.Get.Git.Ref)
 				assert.Equal(t, "something://foo", r.Get.Git.Repo)
-				assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(pathPrefix, w.WorkspaceDirectory, "foo"), r.Get.Destination)
+				assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(pathPrefix, w.WorkspaceDirectory), r.Get.Destination)
 			},
 		},
 		"repo arg is split up correctly into ref, directory and repo": {
@@ -247,10 +247,10 @@ func TestCmd_Execute_flagAndArgParsing(t *testing.T) {
 				assert.Equal(t, fmt.Sprintf("file://%s", repo), r.Get.Git.Repo)
 				assert.Equal(t, "master", r.Get.Git.Ref)
 				assert.Equal(t, "/blueprints/java", r.Get.Git.Directory)
-				assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(pathPrefix, w.WorkspaceDirectory, "java"), r.Get.Destination)
+				assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(pathPrefix, w.WorkspaceDirectory), r.Get.Destination)
 			},
 		},
-		"current working dir -- should use package name": {
+		"current working dir -- should use current directory directly": {
 			argsFunc: func(repo, _ string) []string {
 				return []string{fmt.Sprintf("file://%s.git/blueprints/java", repo), "foo/../bar/../"}
 			},
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ func TestCmd_Execute_flagAndArgParsing(t *testing.T) {
 				assert.Equal(t, fmt.Sprintf("file://%s", repo), r.Get.Git.Repo)
 				assert.Equal(t, "master", r.Get.Git.Ref)
 				assert.Equal(t, "/blueprints/java", r.Get.Git.Directory)
-				assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(pathPrefix, w.WorkspaceDirectory, "java"), r.Get.Destination)
+				assert.Equal(t, filepath.Join(pathPrefix, w.WorkspaceDirectory), r.Get.Destination)
 			},
 		},
 		"clean relative path": {
diff --git a/internal/util/get/get.go b/internal/util/get/get.go
index db9ea9d50..98be8e49a 100644
--- a/internal/util/get/get.go
+++ b/internal/util/get/get.go
@@ -70,12 +70,30 @@ func (c Command) Run(ctx context.Context) error {
 		return errors.E(op, err)
 	}
 
-	if _, err := os.Stat(c.Destination); !goerrors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
-		return errors.E(op, errors.Exist, types.UniquePath(c.Destination), fmt.Errorf("destination directory already exists"))
-	}
+	destInfo, err := os.Stat(c.Destination)
+	switch {
+	case err == nil:
+		// Destination exists - check if it's an empty directory
+		if !destInfo.IsDir() {
+			return errors.E(op, errors.Exist, types.UniquePath(c.Destination), fmt.Errorf("destination exists and is not a directory"))
+		}
 
-	err := os.MkdirAll(c.Destination, 0700)
-	if err != nil {
+		// Check if directory is empty
+		entries, err := os.ReadDir(c.Destination)
+		if err != nil {
+			return errors.E(op, errors.IO, types.UniquePath(c.Destination), err)
+		}
+		if len(entries) > 0 {
+			return errors.E(op, errors.Exist, types.UniquePath(c.Destination), fmt.Errorf("destination directory already exists"))
+		}
+		// Directory exists but is empty, we can use it
+	case goerrors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist):
+		// Directory doesn't exist, create it
+		err = os.MkdirAll(c.Destination, 0700)
+		if err != nil {
+			return errors.E(op, errors.IO, types.UniquePath(c.Destination), err)
+		}
+	default:
 		return errors.E(op, errors.IO, types.UniquePath(c.Destination), err)
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/util/parse/parse.go b/internal/util/parse/parse.go
index 2048fb268..5a5a6e455 100644
--- a/internal/util/parse/parse.go
+++ b/internal/util/parse/parse.go
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ type Target struct {
 	Destination string
 }
 
-func GitParseArgs(ctx context.Context, args []string) (Target, error) {
+func GitParseArgs(ctx context.Context, args []string, explicitDest bool) (Target, error) {
 	g := Target{}
 	if args[0] == "-" {
 		return g, nil
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ func GitParseArgs(ctx context.Context, args []string) (Target, error) {
 
 	// Simple parsing if contains .git{$|/)
 	if HasGitSuffix(args[0]) {
-		return targetFromPkgURL(ctx, args[0], args[1])
+		return targetFromPkgURL(ctx, args[0], args[1], explicitDest)
 	}
 
 	// GitHub parsing if contains github.com
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func GitParseArgs(ctx context.Context, args []string) (Target, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return g, err
 		}
-		return targetFromPkgURL(ctx, ghPkgURL, args[1])
+		return targetFromPkgURL(ctx, ghPkgURL, args[1], explicitDest)
 	}
 
 	uri, version, err := getURIAndVersion(args[0])
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func GitParseArgs(ctx context.Context, args []string) (Target, error) {
 		version = defaultRef
 	}
 
-	destination, err := getDest(args[1], repo, remoteDir)
+	destination, err := getDest(args[1], repo, remoteDir, explicitDest)
 	if err != nil {
 		return g, err
 	}
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func GitParseArgs(ctx context.Context, args []string) (Target, error) {
 }
 
 // targetFromPkgURL parses a pkg url and destination into kptfile git info and local destination Target
-func targetFromPkgURL(ctx context.Context, pkgURL string, dest string) (Target, error) {
+func targetFromPkgURL(ctx context.Context, pkgURL string, dest string, explicitDest bool) (Target, error) {
 	g := Target{}
 	repo, dir, ref, err := URL(pkgURL)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ func targetFromPkgURL(ctx context.Context, pkgURL string, dest string) (Target,
 		}
 		ref = defaultRef
 	}
-	destination, err := getDest(dest, repo, dir)
+	destination, err := getDest(dest, repo, dir, explicitDest)
 	if err != nil {
 		return g, err
 	}
@@ -255,7 +255,8 @@ func getRepoAndPkg(v string) (string, string, error) {
 	return repoAndPkg[0], repoAndPkg[1], nil
 }
 
-func getDest(v, repo, subdir string) (string, error) {
+func getDest(v, repo, subdir string, explicitDest bool) (string, error) {
+	originalV := v
 	v = filepath.Clean(v)
 
 	f, err := os.Stat(v)
@@ -274,6 +275,12 @@ func getDest(v, repo, subdir string) (string, error) {
 	}
 
 	// LOCATION EXISTS
+	// Check if user explicitly specified current directory (. or paths that resolve to .)
+	// to match git clone behavior
+	if explicitDest && (v == "." || originalV == "") {
+		return v, nil
+	}
+
 	// default the location to a new subdirectory matching the pkg URI base
 	repo = strings.TrimSuffix(repo, "/")
 	repo = strings.TrimSuffix(repo, ".git")
diff --git a/internal/util/parse/parse_test.go b/internal/util/parse/parse_test.go
index 45d2393b1..222800a21 100644
--- a/internal/util/parse/parse_test.go
+++ b/internal/util/parse/parse_test.go
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ func Test_GitParseArgs(t *testing.T) {
 				Directory: "/",
 				Ref:       "main",
 			},
-				Destination: "kpt"},
+				Destination: "."},
 		},
 		"starts with github.com": {
 			ghURL: "https://github.com/kptdev/kpt",
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ func Test_GitParseArgs(t *testing.T) {
 				Directory: "/",
 				Ref:       "main",
 			},
-				Destination: "kpt"},
+				Destination: "."},
 		},
 	}
 	for name, test := range tests {
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ func Test_GitParseArgs(t *testing.T) {
 				t.SkipNow()
 			}
 			ctx := printer.WithContext(context.Background(), printer.New(nil, nil))
-			actual, err := GitParseArgs(ctx, []string{test.ghURL, ""})
+			actual, err := GitParseArgs(ctx, []string{test.ghURL, ""}, true)
 			assert.NoError(t, err)
 			assert.Equal(t, test.expected, actual)
 		})