diff --git a/lib/commands/query.js b/lib/commands/query.js
index 371fddef9b440..60294acaf4a68 100644
--- a/lib/commands/query.js
+++ b/lib/commands/query.js
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ class Query extends BaseCommand {
     const opts = {
       ...this.npm.flatOptions,
       path: where,
+      forceActual: true,
     }
     const arb = new Arborist(opts)
     const tree = await arb.loadActual(opts)
diff --git a/workspaces/arborist/lib/arborist/load-actual.js b/workspaces/arborist/lib/arborist/load-actual.js
index d4eabe8c0fdfd..bca7cef9476ff 100644
--- a/workspaces/arborist/lib/arborist/load-actual.js
+++ b/workspaces/arborist/lib/arborist/load-actual.js
@@ -115,6 +115,7 @@ module.exports = cls => class ActualLoader extends cls {
       root = null,
       transplantFilter = () => true,
       ignoreMissing = false,
+      forceActual = false,
     } = options
     this[_filter] = filter
     this[_transplantFilter] = transplantFilter
@@ -141,26 +142,30 @@ module.exports = cls => class ActualLoader extends cls {
 
     this[_actualTree].assertRootOverrides()
 
-    // Note: hidden lockfile will be rejected if it's not the latest thing
-    // in the folder, or if any of the entries in the hidden lockfile are
-    // missing.
-    const meta = await Shrinkwrap.load({
-      path: this[_actualTree].path,
-      hiddenLockfile: true,
-      resolveOptions: this.options,
-    })
-    if (meta.loadedFromDisk) {
-      this[_actualTree].meta = meta
-      return this[_loadActualVirtually]({ root })
-    } else {
+    // if forceActual is set, don't even try the hidden lockfile
+    if (!forceActual) {
+      // Note: hidden lockfile will be rejected if it's not the latest thing
+      // in the folder, or if any of the entries in the hidden lockfile are
+      // missing.
       const meta = await Shrinkwrap.load({
         path: this[_actualTree].path,
-        lockfileVersion: this.options.lockfileVersion,
+        hiddenLockfile: true,
         resolveOptions: this.options,
       })
-      this[_actualTree].meta = meta
-      return this[_loadActualActually]({ root, ignoreMissing })
+
+      if (meta.loadedFromDisk) {
+        this[_actualTree].meta = meta
+        return this[_loadActualVirtually]({ root })
+      }
     }
+
+    const meta = await Shrinkwrap.load({
+      path: this[_actualTree].path,
+      lockfileVersion: this.options.lockfileVersion,
+      resolveOptions: this.options,
+    })
+    this[_actualTree].meta = meta
+    return this[_loadActualActually]({ root, ignoreMissing })
   }
 
   async [_loadActualVirtually] ({ root }) {
diff --git a/workspaces/arborist/tap-snapshots/test/arborist/load-actual.js.test.cjs b/workspaces/arborist/tap-snapshots/test/arborist/load-actual.js.test.cjs
index b7177c7d248f6..35ba9f7cafa84 100644
--- a/workspaces/arborist/tap-snapshots/test/arborist/load-actual.js.test.cjs
+++ b/workspaces/arborist/tap-snapshots/test/arborist/load-actual.js.test.cjs
@@ -1084,6 +1084,39 @@ ArboristNode {
 }
 `
 
+exports[`test/arborist/load-actual.js TAP do not load from a hidden lockfile when forceActual is set > must match snapshot 1`] = `
+ArboristNode {
+  "children": Map {
+    "abbrev" => ArboristNode {
+      "edgesIn": Set {
+        EdgeIn {
+          "from": "",
+          "name": "abbrev",
+          "spec": "^1.1.1",
+          "type": "prod",
+        },
+      },
+      "location": "node_modules/abbrev",
+      "name": "abbrev",
+      "path": "hidden-lockfile/node_modules/abbrev",
+      "version": "1.1.1",
+    },
+  },
+  "edgesOut": Map {
+    "abbrev" => EdgeOut {
+      "name": "abbrev",
+      "spec": "^1.1.1",
+      "to": "node_modules/abbrev",
+      "type": "prod",
+    },
+  },
+  "isProjectRoot": true,
+  "location": "",
+  "name": "hidden-lockfile",
+  "path": "hidden-lockfile",
+}
+`
+
 exports[`test/arborist/load-actual.js TAP external-dep/root > loaded tree 1`] = `
 ArboristNode {
   "edgesOut": Map {
@@ -3760,7 +3793,7 @@ ArboristNode {
 }
 `
 
-exports[`test/arborist/load-actual.js TAP load from a hidden lockfile > expect resolving Promise 1`] = `
+exports[`test/arborist/load-actual.js TAP load from a hidden lockfile > must match snapshot 1`] = `
 ArboristNode {
   "children": Map {
     "abbrev" => ArboristNode {
diff --git a/workspaces/arborist/test/arborist/load-actual.js b/workspaces/arborist/test/arborist/load-actual.js
index 8b84bb330ad25..72ab5e60fbf38 100644
--- a/workspaces/arborist/test/arborist/load-actual.js
+++ b/workspaces/arborist/test/arborist/load-actual.js
@@ -199,8 +199,17 @@ t.test('missing symlinks', t =>
       'bar has error')
   }))
 
-t.test('load from a hidden lockfile', t =>
-  t.resolveMatchSnapshot(loadActual(resolve(fixtures, 'hidden-lockfile'))))
+t.test('load from a hidden lockfile', async (t) => {
+  const tree = await loadActual(resolve(fixtures, 'hidden-lockfile'))
+  t.ok(tree.meta.loadedFromDisk, 'meta was loaded from disk')
+  t.matchSnapshot(tree)
+})
+
+t.test('do not load from a hidden lockfile when forceActual is set', async (t) => {
+  const tree = await loadActual(resolve(fixtures, 'hidden-lockfile'), { forceActual: true })
+  t.not(tree.meta.loadedFromDisk, 'meta was NOT loaded from disk')
+  t.matchSnapshot(tree)
+})
 
 t.test('load a global space', t =>
   t.resolveMatchSnapshot(loadActual(resolve(fixtures, 'global-style/lib'), {