diff --git a/Library/Homebrew/test/unpack_strategy/directory_spec.rb b/Library/Homebrew/test/unpack_strategy/directory_spec.rb
index 232a8d4b31353..339066900b48b 100644
--- a/Library/Homebrew/test/unpack_strategy/directory_spec.rb
+++ b/Library/Homebrew/test/unpack_strategy/directory_spec.rb
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
 require_relative "shared_examples"
 
 RSpec.describe UnpackStrategy::Directory do
-  subject(:strategy) { described_class.new(path) }
-
   let(:path) do
     mktmpdir.tap do |path|
       FileUtils.touch path/"file"
@@ -17,33 +15,100 @@
 
   let(:unpack_dir) { mktmpdir }
 
-  it "does not follow symlinks" do
-    strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
-    expect(unpack_dir/"symlink").to be_a_symlink
-  end
+  shared_examples "extract directory" do |move:|
+    subject(:strategy) { described_class.new(path, move:) }
 
-  it "does not follow top level symlinks to directories" do
-    strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
-    expect(unpack_dir/"folderSymlink").to be_a_symlink
-  end
+    it "does not follow symlinks" do
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect(unpack_dir/"symlink").to be_a_symlink
+    end
 
-  it "preserves hardlinks" do
-    strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
-    expect((unpack_dir/"file").stat.ino).to eq (unpack_dir/"hardlink").stat.ino
-  end
+    it "does not follow top level symlinks to directories" do
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect(unpack_dir/"folderSymlink").to be_a_symlink
+    end
+
+    it "preserves permissions of contained files" do
+      FileUtils.chmod 0644, path/"file"
+
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect((unpack_dir/"file").stat.mode & 0777).to eq 0644
+    end
+
+    it "preserves permissions of contained subdirectories" do
+      FileUtils.mkdir unpack_dir/"folder"
+      FileUtils.chmod 0755, unpack_dir/"folder"
+      FileUtils.chmod 0700, path/"folder"
+
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect((unpack_dir/"folder").stat.mode & 0777).to eq 0700
+    end
 
-  it "preserves permissions of contained files" do
-    FileUtils.chmod 0644, path/"file"
+    it "preserves permissions of the destination directory" do
+      FileUtils.chmod 0700, path
+      FileUtils.chmod 0755, unpack_dir
 
-    strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
-    expect((unpack_dir/"file").stat.mode & 0777).to eq 0644
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect(unpack_dir.stat.mode & 0777).to eq 0755
+    end
+
+    it "preserves mtime of contained files and directories" do
+      FileUtils.mkdir unpack_dir/"folder"
+      FileUtils.touch path/"folder", mtime: Time.utc(2000, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 678999), nocreate: true
+      mtimes = path.children.to_h { |child| [child.basename, child.lstat.mtime] }
+
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect(unpack_dir.children.to_h { |child| [child.basename, child.lstat.mtime] }).to eq mtimes
+    end
+
+    it "preserves unrelated destination files and subdirectories" do
+      FileUtils.touch unpack_dir/"existing_file"
+      FileUtils.mkdir unpack_dir/"existing_folder"
+
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect(unpack_dir/"existing_file").to be_a_file
+      expect(unpack_dir/"existing_folder").to be_a_directory
+    end
+
+    it "overwrites destination files/symlinks with source files/symlinks" do
+      FileUtils.mkdir unpack_dir/"existing_folder"
+      FileUtils.ln_s unpack_dir/"existing_folder", unpack_dir/"symlink"
+      (unpack_dir/"file").write "existing contents"
+
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect((unpack_dir/"file").read).to be_empty
+      expect((unpack_dir/"symlink").readlink).to eq Pathname("file")
+    end
+
+    it "fails when overwriting a directory with a file" do
+      FileUtils.mkdir unpack_dir/"file"
+      expect { strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir) }.to raise_error(/Is a directory|cannot overwrite directory/i)
+    end
+
+    it "fails when overwriting a nested directory with a file" do
+      FileUtils.touch path/"folder/nested"
+      FileUtils.mkdir_p unpack_dir/"folder/nested"
+      expect { strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir) }.to raise_error(/Is a directory|cannot overwrite directory/i)
+    end
+  end
+
+  context "with `move: false`" do
+    include_examples "extract directory", move: false
   end
 
-  it "preserves the permissions of the destination directory" do
-    FileUtils.chmod 0700, path
-    FileUtils.chmod 0755, unpack_dir
+  context "with `move: true`" do
+    include_examples "extract directory", move: true
 
-    strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
-    expect(unpack_dir.stat.mode & 0777).to eq 0755
+    it "preserves hardlinks" do
+      strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir)
+      expect((unpack_dir/"file").stat.ino).to eq (unpack_dir/"hardlink").stat.ino
+    end
+
+    # NOTE: We don't test `move: false` because system cp behaviour is inconsistent,
+    # e.g. Ventura cp does not error but Sequoia and Linux cp will error
+    it "fails when overwriting a file with a directory" do
+      FileUtils.touch unpack_dir/"folder"
+      expect { strategy.extract(to: unpack_dir) }.to raise_error(/cannot overwrite non-directory/i)
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/Library/Homebrew/unpack_strategy.rb b/Library/Homebrew/unpack_strategy.rb
index 5faede3948356..55c856e24eb7b 100644
--- a/Library/Homebrew/unpack_strategy.rb
+++ b/Library/Homebrew/unpack_strategy.rb
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ def extract_nestedly(to: nil, basename: nil, verbose: false, prioritize_extensio
         FileUtils.chmod "u+w", path, verbose:
       end
 
-      Directory.new(tmp_unpack_dir).extract(to:, verbose:)
+      Directory.new(tmp_unpack_dir, move: true).extract(to:, verbose:)
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/Library/Homebrew/unpack_strategy/directory.rb b/Library/Homebrew/unpack_strategy/directory.rb
index 8db0bc9fde4db..fc1763a2d20a7 100644
--- a/Library/Homebrew/unpack_strategy/directory.rb
+++ b/Library/Homebrew/unpack_strategy/directory.rb
@@ -16,33 +16,56 @@ def self.can_extract?(path)
       path.directory?
     end
 
+    sig {
+      params(
+        path:         T.any(String, Pathname),
+        ref_type:     T.nilable(Symbol),
+        ref:          T.nilable(String),
+        merge_xattrs: T::Boolean,
+        move:         T::Boolean,
+      ).void
+    }
+    def initialize(path, ref_type: nil, ref: nil, merge_xattrs: false, move: false)
+      super(path, ref_type:, ref:, merge_xattrs:)
+      @move = move
+    end
+
     private
 
     sig { override.params(unpack_dir: Pathname, basename: Pathname, verbose: T::Boolean).void }
     def extract_to_dir(unpack_dir, basename:, verbose:)
+      move_to_dir(unpack_dir, verbose:) if @move
       path_children = path.children
       return if path_children.empty?
 
-      existing = unpack_dir.children
-
-      # We run a few cp attempts in the following order:
-      #
-      # 1. Start with `-al` to create hardlinks rather than copying files if the source and
-      #    target are on the same filesystem. On macOS, this is the only cp option that can
-      #    preserve hardlinks but it is only available since macOS 12.3 (file_cmds-353.100.22).
-      # 2. Try `-a` as GNU `cp -a` preserves hardlinks. macOS `cp -a` is identical to `cp -pR`.
-      # 3. Fall back on `-pR` to handle the case where GNU `cp -a` failed. This may happen if
-      #    installing into a filesystem that doesn't support hardlinks like an exFAT USB drive.
-      cp_arg_attempts = ["-a", "-pR"]
-      cp_arg_attempts.unshift("-al") if path.stat.dev == unpack_dir.stat.dev
-
-      cp_arg_attempts.each do |arg|
-        args = [arg, *path_children, unpack_dir]
-        must_succeed = print_stderr = (arg == cp_arg_attempts.last)
-        result = system_command("cp", args:, verbose:, must_succeed:, print_stderr:)
-        break if result.success?
-
-        FileUtils.rm_r(unpack_dir.children - existing)
+      system_command!("cp", args: ["-pR", *path_children, unpack_dir], verbose:)
+    end
+
+    # Move all files from source `path` to target `unpack_dir`. Any existing
+    # subdirectories are not modified and only the contents are moved.
+    #
+    # @raise [RuntimeError] on unsupported `mv` operation, e.g. overwriting a file with a directory
+    sig { params(unpack_dir: Pathname, verbose: T::Boolean).void }
+    def move_to_dir(unpack_dir, verbose:)
+      path.find do |src|
+        next if src == path
+
+        dst = unpack_dir/src.relative_path_from(path)
+        if dst.exist?
+          dst_real_dir = dst.directory? && !dst.symlink?
+          src_real_dir = src.directory? && !src.symlink?
+          # Avoid moving a directory over an existing non-directory and vice versa.
+          # This outputs the same error message as GNU mv which is more readable than macOS mv.
+          raise "mv: cannot overwrite non-directory '#{dst}' with directory '#{src}'" if src_real_dir && !dst_real_dir
+          raise "mv: cannot overwrite directory '#{dst}' with non-directory '#{src}'" if !src_real_dir && dst_real_dir
+          # Defer writing over existing directories. Handle this later on to copy attributes
+          next if dst_real_dir
+
+          FileUtils.rm(dst, verbose:)
+        end
+
+        FileUtils.mv(src, dst, verbose:)
+        Find.prune
       end
     end
   end