diff --git a/lib/commands/ls.js b/lib/commands/ls.js
index bc8beb007e809..9c46b21ff4cb1 100644
--- a/lib/commands/ls.js
+++ b/lib/commands/ls.js
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ class LS extends ArboristWorkspaceCmd {
       ...this.npm.flatOptions,
       legacyPeerDeps: false,
       path,
+      forceActual: long && !json && !parseable && !packageLockOnly,
     })
     const tree = await this.initTree({ arb, args, packageLockOnly })
 
@@ -339,7 +340,7 @@ const getHumanOutputItem = (node, { args, chalk, global, long }) => {
     ) +
     (isGitNode(node) ? ` (${node.resolved})` : '') +
     (node.isLink ? ` -> ${relativePrefix}${targetLocation}` : '') +
-    (long ? `\n${node.package.description || ''}` : '')
+    (long && !node[_missing] ? `\n${node.package.description || ''}` : '')
 
   return augmentItemWithIncludeMetadata(node, { label, nodes: [] })
 }
diff --git a/tap-snapshots/test/lib/commands/ls.js.test.cjs b/tap-snapshots/test/lib/commands/ls.js.test.cjs
index fc7fbdf8a906f..26bcbcf4b68f5 100644
--- a/tap-snapshots/test/lib/commands/ls.js.test.cjs
+++ b/tap-snapshots/test/lib/commands/ls.js.test.cjs
@@ -18,6 +18,32 @@ Array [
 ]
 `
 
+exports[`test/lib/commands/ls.js TAP ignore missing optional deps --long human output > ls --long result 1`] = `
+test-npm-ls-ignore-missing-optional@1.2.3
+| {CWD}/prefix
+| 
++-- UNMET OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY optional-missing@1
++-- optional-ok@1.2.3
+|   
++-- optional-wrong@3.2.1 invalid: "1" from the root project
+|   
++-- UNMET DEPENDENCY peer-missing@1
++-- peer-ok@1.2.3
+|   
++-- UNMET OPTIONAL DEPENDENCY peer-optional-missing@1
++-- peer-optional-ok@1.2.3 extraneous
+|   
++-- peer-optional-wrong@3.2.1 invalid: "1" from the root project extraneous
+|   
++-- peer-wrong@3.2.1 invalid: "1" from the root project
+|   
++-- UNMET DEPENDENCY prod-missing@1
++-- prod-ok@1.2.3
+|   
+\`-- prod-wrong@3.2.1 invalid: "1" from the root project
+    
+`
+
 exports[`test/lib/commands/ls.js TAP ignore missing optional deps --parseable > ls --parseable result 1`] = `
 {CWD}/prefix
 {CWD}/prefix/node_modules/optional-ok
diff --git a/test/lib/commands/ls.js b/test/lib/commands/ls.js
index c876af9e83ddf..f84212ea68900 100644
--- a/test/lib/commands/ls.js
+++ b/test/lib/commands/ls.js
@@ -2663,6 +2663,11 @@ t.test('ignore missing optional deps', async t => {
     const result = await mock(t)
     t.matchSnapshot(result, 'ls result')
   })
+
+  t.test('--long human output', async t => {
+    const result = await mock(t, { long: true })
+    t.matchSnapshot(result, 'ls --long result')
+  })
 })
 
 t.test('ls --json', async t => {