diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/shared/workspaceContains.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/shared/workspaceContains.ts
index 629c9994a87..74a283dce72 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/common/shared/workspaceContains.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/common/shared/workspaceContains.ts
@@ -119,8 +119,7 @@ export function checkGlobFileExists(
 	const queryBuilder = instantiationService.createInstance(QueryBuilder);
 	const query = queryBuilder.file(folders.map(folder => toWorkspaceFolder(URI.revive(folder))), {
 		_reason: 'checkExists',
-		includePattern: includes.join(', '),
-		expandPatterns: true,
+		includePattern: includes,
 		exists: true
 	});
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/common/queryBuilder.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/common/queryBuilder.ts
index c7b9d17e10a..0025b2823b4 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/common/queryBuilder.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/common/queryBuilder.ts
@@ -45,8 +45,8 @@ export interface ISearchPathsInfo {
 
 export interface ICommonQueryBuilderOptions {
 	_reason?: string;
-	excludePattern?: string;
-	includePattern?: string;
+	excludePattern?: string | string[];
+	includePattern?: string | string[];
 	extraFileResources?: uri[];
 
 	/** Parse the special ./ syntax supported by the searchview, and expand foo to ** /foo */
@@ -148,22 +148,20 @@ export class QueryBuilder {
 		};
 	}
 
-	private commonQuery(folderResources: IWorkspaceFolderData[] = [], options: ICommonQueryBuilderOptions = {}): ICommonQueryProps<uri> {
-		let includeSearchPathsInfo: ISearchPathsInfo = {};
-		if (options.includePattern) {
-			const includePattern = normalizeSlashes(options.includePattern);
-			includeSearchPathsInfo = options.expandPatterns ?
-				this.parseSearchPaths(includePattern) :
-				{ pattern: patternListToIExpression(includePattern) };
+	private handleIncludeExclude(pattern: string | string[] | undefined, expandPatterns: boolean | undefined): ISearchPathsInfo {
+		if (!pattern) {
+			return {};
 		}
 
-		let excludeSearchPathsInfo: ISearchPathsInfo = {};
-		if (options.excludePattern) {
-			const excludePattern = normalizeSlashes(options.excludePattern);
-			excludeSearchPathsInfo = options.expandPatterns ?
-				this.parseSearchPaths(excludePattern) :
-				{ pattern: patternListToIExpression(excludePattern) };
-		}
+		pattern = Array.isArray(pattern) ? pattern.map(normalizeSlashes) : normalizeSlashes(pattern);
+		return expandPatterns ?
+			this.parseSearchPaths(pattern) :
+			{ pattern: patternListToIExpression(...(Array.isArray(pattern) ? pattern : [pattern])) };
+	}
+
+	private commonQuery(folderResources: IWorkspaceFolderData[] = [], options: ICommonQueryBuilderOptions = {}): ICommonQueryProps<uri> {
+		const includeSearchPathsInfo: ISearchPathsInfo = this.handleIncludeExclude(options.includePattern, options.expandPatterns);
+		const excludeSearchPathsInfo: ISearchPathsInfo = this.handleIncludeExclude(options.excludePattern, options.expandPatterns);
 
 		// Build folderQueries from searchPaths, if given, otherwise folderResources
 		const includeFolderName = folderResources.length > 1;
@@ -230,13 +228,14 @@ export class QueryBuilder {
 	 *
 	 * Public for test.
 	 */
-	parseSearchPaths(pattern: string): ISearchPathsInfo {
+	parseSearchPaths(pattern: string | string[]): ISearchPathsInfo {
 		const isSearchPath = (segment: string) => {
 			// A segment is a search path if it is an absolute path or starts with ./, ../, .\, or ..\
 			return path.isAbsolute(segment) || /^\.\.?([\/\\]|$)/.test(segment);
 		};
 
-		const segments = splitGlobPattern(pattern)
+		const patterns = Array.isArray(pattern) ? pattern : splitGlobPattern(pattern);
+		const segments = patterns
 			.map(segment => {
 				const userHome = this.pathService.resolvedUserHome;
 				if (userHome) {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/test/browser/queryBuilder.test.ts b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/test/browser/queryBuilder.test.ts
index 0271760eaf9..6aae8a9309b 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/test/browser/queryBuilder.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/contrib/search/test/browser/queryBuilder.test.ts
@@ -93,7 +93,27 @@ suite('QueryBuilder', () => {
 			});
 	});
 
-	test('does not split glob pattern when expandPatterns disabled', () => {
+	test('splits include pattern when expandPatterns enabled', () => {
+		assertEqualQueries(
+			queryBuilder.file(
+				[ROOT_1_NAMED_FOLDER],
+				{ includePattern: '**/foo, **/bar', expandPatterns: true },
+			),
+			{
+				folderQueries: [{
+					folder: ROOT_1_URI
+				}],
+				type: QueryType.File,
+				includePattern: {
+					'**/foo': true,
+					'**/foo/**': true,
+					'**/bar': true,
+					'**/bar/**': true,
+				}
+			});
+	});
+
+	test('does not split include pattern when expandPatterns disabled', () => {
 		assertEqualQueries(
 			queryBuilder.file(
 				[ROOT_1_NAMED_FOLDER],
@@ -110,6 +130,44 @@ suite('QueryBuilder', () => {
 			});
 	});
 
+	test('includePattern array', () => {
+		assertEqualQueries(
+			queryBuilder.file(
+				[ROOT_1_NAMED_FOLDER],
+				{ includePattern: ['**/foo', '**/bar'] },
+			),
+			{
+				folderQueries: [{
+					folder: ROOT_1_URI
+				}],
+				type: QueryType.File,
+				includePattern: {
+					'**/foo': true,
+					'**/bar': true
+				}
+			});
+	});
+
+	test('includePattern array with expandPatterns', () => {
+		assertEqualQueries(
+			queryBuilder.file(
+				[ROOT_1_NAMED_FOLDER],
+				{ includePattern: ['**/foo', '**/bar'], expandPatterns: true },
+			),
+			{
+				folderQueries: [{
+					folder: ROOT_1_URI
+				}],
+				type: QueryType.File,
+				includePattern: {
+					'**/foo': true,
+					'**/foo/**': true,
+					'**/bar': true,
+					'**/bar/**': true,
+				}
+			});
+	});
+
 	test('folderResources', () => {
 		assertEqualTextQueries(
 			queryBuilder.text(