diff --git a/shepherd.js/src/components/shepherd-modal.ts b/shepherd.js/src/components/shepherd-modal.ts
index 033eb08db..465dfcb91 100644
--- a/shepherd.js/src/components/shepherd-modal.ts
+++ b/shepherd.js/src/components/shepherd-modal.ts
@@ -292,13 +292,16 @@ export function createShepherdModal(container: HTMLElement): ShepherdModalAPI {
       }
     }
 
-    const { overflowY } = style;
-
-    return (
-      overflowY !== 'hidden' &&
-      overflowY !== 'visible' &&
-      el.scrollHeight >= el.clientHeight
-    );
+    // Overflow does not apply to non-replaced inlines, whose rect is just the
+    // union of their line boxes, and `display: contents` generates no box at
+    // all (its rect is 0x0 at the origin). Neither crops anything, whatever
+    // their computed overflow says.
+    const { display, overflowY } = style;
+    if (display === 'inline' || display === 'contents') return false;
+
+    // `hidden` and `clip` crop exactly like `auto` and `scroll`; they only
+    // differ in whether the user can scroll the clipped content into view.
+    return overflowY !== 'visible';
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/shepherd.js/test/cypress/examples/overflow-clipping.html b/shepherd.js/test/cypress/examples/overflow-clipping.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bcf14e2a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shepherd.js/test/cypress/examples/overflow-clipping.html
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+<!doctype html>
+<html>
+  <head>
+    <link rel="stylesheet" href="../../../dist/css/shepherd.css" />
+    <script type="module">
+      import Shepherd from '../../../dist/js/shepherd.mjs';
+      window.Shepherd = Shepherd;
+    </script>
+  </head>
+
+  <body>
+    <style>
+      body {
+        margin: 0;
+        padding: 40px;
+      }
+
+      section {
+        margin-bottom: 40px;
+      }
+
+      .anchor {
+        width: 200px;
+        height: 40px;
+        background: #ccc;
+      }
+
+      /* A collapsed accordion: everything inside is cropped away. */
+      .collapsed {
+        height: 0;
+        overflow: hidden;
+      }
+
+      .collapsed-item {
+        height: 80px;
+        background: red;
+      }
+
+      /* Overflow does not apply to non-replaced inlines. */
+      .inline-hidden {
+        overflow: hidden;
+      }
+
+      .inline-item {
+        display: inline-block;
+        width: 120px;
+        height: 100px;
+        background: blue;
+      }
+
+      /* Generates no box, so cannot crop. */
+      .contents-hidden {
+        display: contents;
+        overflow: hidden;
+      }
+
+      .contents-item {
+        width: 120px;
+        height: 60px;
+        background: green;
+      }
+    </style>
+
+    <section>
+      <div class="anchor">Accordion header</div>
+      <div class="collapsed">
+        <div class="collapsed-item">Collapsed content</div>
+      </div>
+    </section>
+
+    <section>
+      <span class="inline-hidden"
+        >Inline <span class="inline-item">Inline block</span></span
+      >
+    </section>
+
+    <section>
+      <div class="contents-hidden">
+        <div class="contents-item">Inside display: contents</div>
+      </div>
+    </section>
+  </body>
+</html>
diff --git a/shepherd.js/test/cypress/integration/overflow-clipping.cy.js b/shepherd.js/test/cypress/integration/overflow-clipping.cy.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5c7f9444c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shepherd.js/test/cypress/integration/overflow-clipping.cy.js
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import setupTour from '../utils/setup-tour';
+import overlayOpenings from '../utils/overlay-openings';
+
+// End-to-end guard for #3484. Which ancestors crop a highlight depends on
+// layout (line boxes, box generation), which happy-dom does not implement, so
+// this is the only place the real behaviour is exercised.
+describe('modal overlay clipping by overflow ancestors', () => {
+  let Shepherd, tour;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    Shepherd = null;
+
+    cy.visit('/test/cypress/examples/overflow-clipping', {
+      onLoad(contentWindow) {
+        if (contentWindow.Shepherd) {
+          return (Shepherd = contentWindow.Shepherd);
+        }
+      }
+    });
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    tour?.complete();
+  });
+
+  const startTour = (stepOptions) => {
+    cy.document().then(() => {
+      tour = setupTour(
+        Shepherd,
+        { scrollTo: false },
+        () => [{ id: 'clipping', text: 'Clipping', ...stepOptions }],
+        { useModalOverlay: true }
+      );
+      tour.start();
+    });
+    cy.wait(250);
+  };
+
+  /** The opening cut for `selector`, matched by its left edge. */
+  const openingFor = (doc, selector) => {
+    const rect = doc.querySelector(selector).getBoundingClientRect();
+    return overlayOpenings(doc).find(({ x }) => Math.abs(x - rect.left) < 1);
+  };
+
+  it('crops a highlight inside a collapsed `overflow: hidden` ancestor', () => {
+    startTour({
+      attachTo: { element: '.anchor', on: 'bottom' },
+      extraHighlights: ['.collapsed-item']
+    });
+
+    cy.document().then((doc) => {
+      const [anchor, collapsed] = overlayOpenings(doc);
+
+      expect(anchor.height).to.be.closeTo(40, 1);
+      // Without treating `hidden` as cropping, this gets a full 80px hole
+      // over content the user cannot see.
+      expect(collapsed.height).to.equal(0);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('does not crop by an inline `overflow: hidden` ancestor', () => {
+    startTour({ attachTo: { element: '.inline-item', on: 'bottom' } });
+
+    cy.document().then((doc) => {
+      expect(openingFor(doc, '.inline-item').height).to.be.closeTo(100, 1);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('does not crop by a `display: contents` ancestor', () => {
+    startTour({ attachTo: { element: '.contents-item', on: 'bottom' } });
+
+    cy.document().then((doc) => {
+      expect(openingFor(doc, '.contents-item').height).to.be.closeTo(60, 1);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/shepherd.js/test/cypress/integration/root-overflow.cy.js b/shepherd.js/test/cypress/integration/root-overflow.cy.js
index eb89584ec..303b84cc0 100644
--- a/shepherd.js/test/cypress/integration/root-overflow.cy.js
+++ b/shepherd.js/test/cypress/integration/root-overflow.cy.js
@@ -60,6 +60,20 @@ describe('modal overlay with overflow set on the root elements', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it('keeps the opening when a propagated body overflow is `hidden`', () => {
+    // #3484: body's computed overflow-y reads `hidden`, but it applies to the
+    // viewport, which `scrollIntoView` can still scroll.
+    startTour('body { height: 100vh; overflow: hidden; }', true);
+
+    cy.document().then((doc) => {
+      const target = doc.querySelector('.target').getBoundingClientRect();
+      const [opening] = overlayOpenings(doc);
+
+      expect(opening.y).to.be.closeTo(target.top, 1);
+      expect(opening.height).to.be.closeTo(40, 1);
+    });
+  });
+
   it('still clips by body when body is a scroll container of its own', () => {
     // With <html> no longer `visible`, body keeps its overflow and is a real
     // scroll container whose rect crops the target below its fold.
diff --git a/shepherd.js/test/unit/components/shepherd-modal.spec.js b/shepherd.js/test/unit/components/shepherd-modal.spec.js
index ded3e1e43..11539e6b6 100644
--- a/shepherd.js/test/unit/components/shepherd-modal.spec.js
+++ b/shepherd.js/test/unit/components/shepherd-modal.spec.js
@@ -529,12 +529,14 @@ describe('components/ShepherdModal', () => {
       // listed reports 'static', matching an ordinary element. `contains`
       // maps an element to its `contain` value; anything else reports 'none'.
       // `overflowXs` maps an element to its `overflowX`; anything else reports
-      // 'visible'.
+      // 'visible'. `displays` maps an element to the `display` it should
+      // report; anything not listed reports 'block'.
       function mockOverflow(
         overflows,
         positions = new Map(),
         contains = new Map(),
-        overflowXs = new Map()
+        overflowXs = new Map(),
+        displays = new Map()
       ) {
         const spy = vi
           .spyOn(window, 'getComputedStyle')
@@ -542,7 +544,8 @@ describe('components/ShepherdModal', () => {
             overflowX: overflowXs.get(el) ?? 'visible',
             overflowY: overflows.get(el) ?? 'visible',
             position: positions.get(el) ?? 'static',
-            contain: contains.get(el) ?? 'none'
+            contain: contains.get(el) ?? 'none',
+            display: displays.get(el) ?? 'block'
           }));
         restoreComputedStyle = () => spy.mockRestore();
         return spy;
@@ -985,6 +988,73 @@ describe('components/ShepherdModal', () => {
         modal.hide();
       });
 
+      // Regression coverage for https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/issues/3484
+      describe('which overflow ancestors crop', () => {
+        // The ancestor is collapsed to zero height at y 100; its child is laid out
+        // at y 100-180 underneath it.
+        function buildCroppingCase(overflowY, display) {
+          const targetEl = makeChild(container, {
+            x: 10,
+            y: 10,
+            width: 100,
+            height: 50
+          });
+          const ancestor = makeChild(container, {
+            x: 0,
+            y: 100,
+            width: 500,
+            height: 0
+          });
+          const extraEl = makeChild(ancestor, {
+            x: 200,
+            y: 100,
+            width: 100,
+            height: 80
+          });
+
+          mockOverflow(
+            new Map([[ancestor, overflowY]]),
+            new Map(),
+            new Map(),
+            new Map(),
+            new Map([[ancestor, display]])
+          );
+
+          return { targetEl, extraEl };
+        }
+
+        const openingFor = (overflowY, display = 'block') => {
+          const modal = createShepherdModal(container);
+          const { targetEl, extraEl } = buildCroppingCase(overflowY, display);
+          modal.positionModal(0, 0, 0, 0, null, targetEl, [extraEl]);
+          return modal.getElement().querySelector('path').getAttribute('d');
+        };
+
+        it('crops by an `overflow: hidden` ancestor', () => {
+          expect(openingFor('hidden')).not.toContain('V180');
+        });
+
+        it('crops by an `overflow: clip` ancestor', () => {
+          expect(openingFor('clip')).not.toContain('V180');
+        });
+
+        it('crops by an `overflow: auto` ancestor', () => {
+          expect(openingFor('auto')).not.toContain('V180');
+        });
+
+        it('does not crop by an `overflow: visible` ancestor', () => {
+          expect(openingFor('visible')).toContain('V180');
+        });
+
+        it('does not crop by an inline ancestor, whatever its overflow', () => {
+          expect(openingFor('hidden', 'inline')).toContain('V180');
+        });
+
+        it('does not crop by a `display: contents` ancestor', () => {
+          expect(openingFor('hidden', 'contents')).toContain('V180');
+        });
+      });
+
       // Regression coverage for https://github.com/shipshapecode/shepherd/issues/1984
       // The root element's overflow, and body's whenever <html> is
       // `overflow: visible`, applies to the viewport rather than to the