diff --git a/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder/local.go b/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder/local.go
index a46ab30bc70..9428a4bac2b 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder/local.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder/local.go
@@ -57,7 +57,11 @@ func (l *Local) Find(ctx context.Context, src plugins.PluginSource) ([]*plugins.
 			continue
 		}
 
-		paths, err := l.getAbsPluginJSONPaths(path)
+		followDistFolder := true
+		if src.PluginClass(ctx) == plugins.ClassCore {
+			followDistFolder = false
+		}
+		paths, err := l.getAbsPluginJSONPaths(path, followDistFolder)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
@@ -154,7 +158,7 @@ func (l *Local) readPluginJSON(pluginJSONPath string) (plugins.JSONData, error)
 	return plugin, nil
 }
 
-func (l *Local) getAbsPluginJSONPaths(path string) ([]string, error) {
+func (l *Local) getAbsPluginJSONPaths(path string, followDistFolder bool) ([]string, error) {
 	var pluginJSONPaths []string
 
 	var err error
@@ -163,7 +167,7 @@ func (l *Local) getAbsPluginJSONPaths(path string) ([]string, error) {
 		return []string{}, err
 	}
 
-	if err = walk(path, true, true,
+	if err = walk(path, true, true, followDistFolder,
 		func(currentPath string, fi os.FileInfo, err error) error {
 			if err != nil {
 				if errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder/local_test.go b/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder/local_test.go
index 42cefb50a1a..8b2be26565e 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder/local_test.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder/local_test.go
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ func TestFinder_Find(t *testing.T) {
 func TestFinder_getAbsPluginJSONPaths(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("When scanning a folder that doesn't exists shouldn't return an error", func(t *testing.T) {
 		origWalk := walk
-		walk = func(path string, followSymlinks, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop bool, walkFn util.WalkFunc) error {
+		walk = func(path string, followSymlinks, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop, followDistFolder bool, walkFn util.WalkFunc) error {
 			return walkFn(path, nil, os.ErrNotExist)
 		}
 		t.Cleanup(func() {
@@ -282,14 +282,14 @@ func TestFinder_getAbsPluginJSONPaths(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 
 		finder := NewLocalFinder(false)
-		paths, err := finder.getAbsPluginJSONPaths("test")
+		paths, err := finder.getAbsPluginJSONPaths("test", true)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.Empty(t, paths)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("When scanning a folder that lacks permission shouldn't return an error", func(t *testing.T) {
 		origWalk := walk
-		walk = func(path string, followSymlinks, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop bool, walkFn util.WalkFunc) error {
+		walk = func(path string, followSymlinks, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop, followDistFolder bool, walkFn util.WalkFunc) error {
 			return walkFn(path, nil, os.ErrPermission)
 		}
 		t.Cleanup(func() {
@@ -297,14 +297,14 @@ func TestFinder_getAbsPluginJSONPaths(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 
 		finder := NewLocalFinder(false)
-		paths, err := finder.getAbsPluginJSONPaths("test")
+		paths, err := finder.getAbsPluginJSONPaths("test", true)
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.Empty(t, paths)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("When scanning a folder that returns a non-handled error should return that error", func(t *testing.T) {
 		origWalk := walk
-		walk = func(path string, followSymlinks, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop bool, walkFn util.WalkFunc) error {
+		walk = func(path string, followSymlinks, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop, followDistFolder bool, walkFn util.WalkFunc) error {
 			return walkFn(path, nil, errors.New("random error"))
 		}
 		t.Cleanup(func() {
@@ -312,10 +312,28 @@ func TestFinder_getAbsPluginJSONPaths(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 
 		finder := NewLocalFinder(false)
-		paths, err := finder.getAbsPluginJSONPaths("test")
+		paths, err := finder.getAbsPluginJSONPaths("test", true)
 		require.Error(t, err)
 		require.Empty(t, paths)
 	})
+
+	t.Run("should forward if the dist folder should be evaluated", func(t *testing.T) {
+		origWalk := walk
+		walk = func(path string, followSymlinks, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop, followDistFolder bool, walkFn util.WalkFunc) error {
+			if followDistFolder {
+				return walkFn(path, nil, errors.New("unexpected followDistFolder"))
+			}
+			return walkFn(path, nil, filepath.SkipDir)
+		}
+		t.Cleanup(func() {
+			walk = origWalk
+		})
+
+		finder := NewLocalFinder(false)
+		paths, err := finder.getAbsPluginJSONPaths("test", false)
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, filepath.SkipDir)
+		require.Empty(t, paths)
+	})
 }
 
 var fsComparer = cmp.Comparer(func(fs1 plugins.FS, fs2 plugins.FS) bool {
diff --git a/pkg/util/filepath.go b/pkg/util/filepath.go
index 1034245ac59..527457aadbb 100644
--- a/pkg/util/filepath.go
+++ b/pkg/util/filepath.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ type WalkFunc func(resolvedPath string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error
 // can detect infinite loops while following sym links.
 // It solves the issue where your WalkFunc needs a path relative to the symbolic link
 // (resolving links within walkfunc loses the path to the symbolic link for each traversal).
-func Walk(path string, followSymlinks bool, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop bool, walkFn WalkFunc) error {
+func Walk(path string, followSymlinks bool, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop bool, followDistFolder bool, walkFn WalkFunc) error {
 	info, err := os.Lstat(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func Walk(path string, followSymlinks bool, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop bool, walk
 			symlinkPathsFollowed = make(map[string]bool, 8)
 		}
 	}
-	return walk(path, info, resolvedPath, symlinkPathsFollowed, walkFn)
+	return walk(path, info, resolvedPath, symlinkPathsFollowed, followDistFolder, walkFn)
 }
 
 // walk walks the path. It is a helper/sibling function to Walk.
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ func Walk(path string, followSymlinks bool, detectSymlinkInfiniteLoop bool, walk
 //
 // If resolvedPath is "", then we are not following symbolic links.
 // If symlinkPathsFollowed is not nil, then we need to detect infinite loop.
-func walk(path string, info os.FileInfo, resolvedPath string, symlinkPathsFollowed map[string]bool, walkFn WalkFunc) error {
+func walk(path string, info os.FileInfo, resolvedPath string, symlinkPathsFollowed map[string]bool, followDistFolder bool, walkFn WalkFunc) error {
 	if info == nil {
 		return errors.New("walk: Nil FileInfo passed")
 	}
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ func walk(path string, info os.FileInfo, resolvedPath string, symlinkPathsFollow
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		return walk(path, info2, path2, symlinkPathsFollowed, walkFn)
+		return walk(path, info2, path2, symlinkPathsFollowed, followDistFolder, walkFn)
 	} else if info.IsDir() {
 		list, err := os.ReadDir(path)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -102,12 +102,13 @@ func walk(path string, info os.FileInfo, resolvedPath string, symlinkPathsFollow
 			subFiles = append(subFiles, subFile{path: path2, resolvedPath: resolvedPath2, fileInfo: fileInfo})
 		}
 
-		if containsDistFolder(subFiles) {
+		if containsDistFolder(subFiles) && followDistFolder {
 			err := walk(
 				filepath.Join(path, "dist"),
 				info,
 				filepath.Join(resolvedPath, "dist"),
 				symlinkPathsFollowed,
+				followDistFolder,
 				walkFn)
 
 			if err != nil {
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ func walk(path string, info os.FileInfo, resolvedPath string, symlinkPathsFollow
 			}
 		} else {
 			for _, p := range subFiles {
-				err = walk(p.path, p.fileInfo, p.resolvedPath, symlinkPathsFollowed, walkFn)
+				err = walk(p.path, p.fileInfo, p.resolvedPath, symlinkPathsFollowed, followDistFolder, walkFn)
 
 				if err != nil {
 					return err