diff --git a/commands/command_migrate_import.go b/commands/command_migrate_import.go
index e8ce4b63..8b44b415 100644
--- a/commands/command_migrate_import.go
+++ b/commands/command_migrate_import.go
@@ -196,7 +196,6 @@ func migrateImportCommand(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
-				return nil
 			}
 			return nil
 		},
@@ -322,8 +321,12 @@ func trackedFromAttrs(db *gitobj.ObjectDatabase, t *gitobj.Tree) (*tools.Ordered
 
 	for _, e := range t.Entries {
 		if strings.ToLower(e.Name) == ".gitattributes" && e.Type() == gitobj.BlobObjectType {
-			oid = e.Oid
-			break
+			if e.IsLink() {
+				return nil, errors.Errorf("migrate: %s", tr.Tr.Get("expected '.gitattributes' to be a file, got a symbolic link"))
+			} else {
+				oid = e.Oid
+				break
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/commands/command_migrate_info.go b/commands/command_migrate_info.go
index 47901e6e..bcbc18b2 100644
--- a/commands/command_migrate_info.go
+++ b/commands/command_migrate_info.go
@@ -164,15 +164,28 @@ func migrateInfoCommand(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		},
 
 		TreePreCallbackFn: func(path string, t *gitobj.Tree) error {
-			if migrateFixup && path == "/" {
-				var err error
+			if migrateFixup {
+				if path == "/" {
+					var err error
 
-				fixups, err = gitattr.New(db, t)
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
+					fixups, err = gitattr.New(db, t)
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
 				}
 				return nil
 			}
+
+			for _, e := range t.Entries {
+				if strings.ToLower(e.Name) == ".gitattributes" && e.Type() == gitobj.BlobObjectType {
+					if e.IsLink() {
+						return errors.Errorf("migrate: %s", tr.Tr.Get("expected '.gitattributes' to be a file, got a symbolic link"))
+					} else {
+						break
+					}
+				}
+			}
+
 			return nil
 		},
 	})
diff --git a/docs/man/git-lfs-migrate.1.ronn b/docs/man/git-lfs-migrate.1.ronn
index ef481b3c..8ed8cbaf 100644
--- a/docs/man/git-lfs-migrate.1.ronn
+++ b/docs/man/git-lfs-migrate.1.ronn
@@ -53,7 +53,9 @@ in [INCLUDE AND EXCLUDE].
 As typical Git LFS usage depends on tracking specific file types using
 filename patterns defined in `.gitattributes` files, the `git lfs migrate`
 command will examine, create, and modify `.gitattributes` files as
-necessary.
+necessary.  The `.gitattributes` files will always be assigned the default
+read/write permissions mode (i.e., without execute permissions).  Any
+symbolic links with that name will cause the migration to halt prematurely.
 
 The `import` mode (see [IMPORT]) will convert Git objects of the file types
 specified (e.g., with `--include`) to Git LFS pointers, and will add entries
diff --git a/git/gitattr/tree.go b/git/gitattr/tree.go
index d54378fb..d738bd7c 100644
--- a/git/gitattr/tree.go
+++ b/git/gitattr/tree.go
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ package gitattr
 import (
 	"strings"
 
+	"github.com/git-lfs/git-lfs/v3/errors"
+	"github.com/git-lfs/git-lfs/v3/tr"
 	"github.com/git-lfs/gitobj/v2"
 )
 
@@ -63,6 +65,9 @@ func linesInTree(db *gitobj.ObjectDatabase, t *gitobj.Tree) ([]*Line, string, er
 	var at int = -1
 	for i, e := range t.Entries {
 		if e.Name == ".gitattributes" {
+			if e.IsLink() {
+				return nil, "", errors.Errorf("migrate: %s", tr.Tr.Get("expected '.gitattributes' to be a file, got a symbolic link"))
+			}
 			at = i
 			break
 		}
diff --git a/t/fixtures/migrate.sh b/t/fixtures/migrate.sh
index 3fbd26a8..032f0078 100755
--- a/t/fixtures/migrate.sh
+++ b/t/fixtures/migrate.sh
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ assert_ref_unmoved() {
 #
 #   If "0755" is passed as an argument, the .gitattributes file is created
 #   with that permissions mode.
+#   If "link" is passed as an argument, the .gitattributes file is created
+#   as a symlink to a gitattrs file.
 setup_local_branch_with_gitattrs() {
   set -e
 
@@ -45,6 +47,12 @@ setup_local_branch_with_gitattrs() {
 
   if [[ $1 == "0755" ]]; then
     chmod +x .gitattributes
+  elif [[ $1 == "link" ]]; then
+    mv .gitattributes gitattrs
+
+    add_symlink gitattrs .gitattributes
+
+    git add gitattrs
   fi
 
   git add .gitattributes
@@ -128,6 +136,8 @@ setup_single_local_branch_untracked() {
 #
 #   If "0755" is passed as an argument, the .gitattributes file is created
 #   with that permissions mode.
+#   If "link" is passed as an argument, the .gitattributes file is created
+#   as a symlink to a gitattrs file.
 setup_single_local_branch_tracked() {
   set -e
 
@@ -150,6 +160,14 @@ setup_single_local_branch_tracked() {
 
   git add a.txt a.md
   git commit -m "add a.{txt,md}"
+
+  if [[ $1 == "link" ]]; then
+    git mv .gitattributes gitattrs
+
+    add_symlink gitattrs .gitattributes
+
+    git commit -m "link .gitattributes"
+  fi
 }
 
 # setup_single_local_branch_complex_tracked creates a repository as follows:
@@ -191,6 +209,9 @@ setup_single_local_branch_complex_tracked() {
 #
 # - Commit 'A' has 120 bytes of random data in a.txt, and tracks *.txt under Git
 #   LFS, but a.txt is not stored as an LFS object.
+#
+#   If "link" is passed as an argument, the .gitattributes file is created
+#   as a symlink to a gitattrs file.
 setup_single_local_branch_tracked_corrupt() {
   set -e
 
@@ -203,6 +224,14 @@ setup_single_local_branch_tracked_corrupt() {
 
   base64 < /dev/urandom | head -c 120 > a.txt
 
+ if [[ $1 == "link" ]]; then
+    mv .gitattributes gitattrs
+
+    add_symlink gitattrs .gitattributes
+
+    git add .gitattributes
+  fi
+
   git add .gitattributes a.txt
   git commit -m "initial commit"
 
diff --git a/t/t-migrate-export.sh b/t/t-migrate-export.sh
index 86aef3b2..69288ce6 100755
--- a/t/t-migrate-export.sh
+++ b/t/t-migrate-export.sh
@@ -413,6 +413,31 @@ EOF
 )
 end_test
 
+begin_test "migrate export (.gitattributes symlink)"
+(
+  set -e
+
+  setup_single_local_branch_tracked link
+
+  git lfs migrate export --yes --include="*.txt" 2>&1 | tee migrate.log
+  if [ ${PIPESTATUS[0]} -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo >&2 "fatal: expected git lfs migrate export to fail, didn't"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  grep "migrate: expected '.gitattributes' to be a file, got a symbolic link" migrate.log
+
+  main="$(git rev-parse refs/heads/main)"
+
+  attrs_main_sha="$(git show $main:.gitattributes | git hash-object --stdin)"
+
+  diff -u <(git ls-tree $main -- .gitattributes) <(cat <<-EOF
+120000 blob $attrs_main_sha	.gitattributes
+EOF
+  )
+)
+end_test
+
 begin_test "migrate export (--object-map)"
 (
   set -e
diff --git a/t/t-migrate-fixup.sh b/t/t-migrate-fixup.sh
index fff428bc..8f027fce 100755
--- a/t/t-migrate-fixup.sh
+++ b/t/t-migrate-fixup.sh
@@ -129,3 +129,28 @@ begin_test "migrate import (--fixup with remote tags)"
   git lfs migrate import --fixup --yes main
 )
 end_test
+
+begin_test "migrate import (--fixup, .gitattributes symlink)"
+(
+  set -e
+
+  setup_single_local_branch_tracked_corrupt link
+
+  git lfs migrate import --everything --fixup --yes 2>&1 | tee migrate.log
+  if [ ${PIPESTATUS[0]} -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo >&2 "fatal: expected git lfs migrate import to fail, didn't"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  grep "migrate: expected '.gitattributes' to be a file, got a symbolic link" migrate.log
+
+  main="$(git rev-parse refs/heads/main)"
+
+  attrs_main_sha="$(git show $main:.gitattributes | git hash-object --stdin)"
+
+  diff -u <(git ls-tree $main -- .gitattributes) <(cat <<-EOF
+120000 blob $attrs_main_sha	.gitattributes
+EOF
+  )
+)
+end_test
diff --git a/t/t-migrate-import.sh b/t/t-migrate-import.sh
index 54c5d64d..ab56877f 100755
--- a/t/t-migrate-import.sh
+++ b/t/t-migrate-import.sh
@@ -606,6 +606,31 @@ EOF
 )
 end_test
 
+begin_test "migrate import (existing .gitattributes symlink)"
+(
+  set -e
+
+  setup_local_branch_with_gitattrs link
+
+  git lfs migrate import --yes --include-ref=refs/heads/main --include="*.txt" 2>&1 | tee migrate.log
+  if [ ${PIPESTATUS[0]} -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo >&2 "fatal: expected git lfs migrate import to fail, didn't"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  grep "migrate: expected '.gitattributes' to be a file, got a symbolic link" migrate.log
+
+  main="$(git rev-parse refs/heads/main)"
+
+  attrs_main_sha="$(git show $main:.gitattributes | git hash-object --stdin)"
+
+  diff -u <(git ls-tree $main -- .gitattributes) <(cat <<-EOF
+120000 blob $attrs_main_sha	.gitattributes
+EOF
+  )
+)
+end_test
+
 begin_test "migrate import (identical contents, different permissions)"
 (
   set -e
diff --git a/t/t-migrate-info.sh b/t/t-migrate-info.sh
index f0ecb494..7c6d9b6b 100755
--- a/t/t-migrate-info.sh
+++ b/t/t-migrate-info.sh
@@ -432,6 +432,56 @@ begin_test "migrate info (--everything)"
 )
 end_test
 
+begin_test "migrate info (existing .gitattributes symlink)"
+(
+  set -e
+
+  setup_local_branch_with_gitattrs link
+
+  git lfs migrate info --everything 2>&1 | tee migrate.log
+  if [ ${PIPESTATUS[0]} -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo >&2 "fatal: expected git lfs migrate info to fail, didn't"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  grep "migrate: expected '.gitattributes' to be a file, got a symbolic link" migrate.log
+
+  main="$(git rev-parse refs/heads/main)"
+
+  attrs_main_sha="$(git show $main:.gitattributes | git hash-object --stdin)"
+
+  diff -u <(git ls-tree $main -- .gitattributes) <(cat <<-EOF
+120000 blob $attrs_main_sha	.gitattributes
+EOF
+  )
+)
+end_test
+
+begin_test "migrate info (potential fixup, --fixup, .gitattributes symlink)"
+(
+  set -e
+
+  setup_single_local_branch_tracked_corrupt link
+
+  git lfs migrate info 2>&1 | tee migrate.log
+  if [ ${PIPESTATUS[0]} -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo >&2 "fatal: expected git lfs migrate info to fail, didn't"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  grep "migrate: expected '.gitattributes' to be a file, got a symbolic link" migrate.log
+
+  main="$(git rev-parse refs/heads/main)"
+
+  attrs_main_sha="$(git show $main:.gitattributes | git hash-object --stdin)"
+
+  diff -u <(git ls-tree $main -- .gitattributes) <(cat <<-EOF
+120000 blob $attrs_main_sha	.gitattributes
+EOF
+  )
+)
+end_test
+
 begin_test "migrate info (--fixup, no .gitattributes)"
 (
   set -e