diff --git a/src/core/outlet_set.ts b/src/core/outlet_set.ts
index b8ca77b4..e6035ef8 100644
--- a/src/core/outlet_set.ts
+++ b/src/core/outlet_set.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,10 @@ export class OutletSet {
 
   getSelectorForOutletName(outletName: string) {
     const attributeName = this.schema.outletAttributeForScope(this.identifier, outletName)
-    return this.controllerElement.getAttribute(attributeName)
+    const hasSelector = this.controllerElement.hasAttribute(attributeName)
+    const selector = this.controllerElement.getAttribute(attributeName)
+
+    return hasSelector ? selector : this.getControllerSelectorForOutletName(outletName)
   }
 
   private findOutlet(outletName: string) {
@@ -65,7 +68,11 @@ export class OutletSet {
   }
 
   private matchesElement(element: Element, selector: string, outletName: string): boolean {
-    const controllerAttribute = element.getAttribute(this.scope.schema.controllerAttribute) || ""
-    return element.matches(selector) && controllerAttribute.split(" ").includes(outletName)
+    const controllerSelector = this.getControllerSelectorForOutletName(outletName)
+    return element.matches(selector) && element.matches(controllerSelector)
+  }
+
+  private getControllerSelectorForOutletName(outletName: string) {
+    return `[${this.schema.controllerAttribute}~="${outletName}"]`
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/tests/controllers/outlet_controller.ts b/src/tests/controllers/outlet_controller.ts
index 261a4734..354ce265 100644
--- a/src/tests/controllers/outlet_controller.ts
+++ b/src/tests/controllers/outlet_controller.ts
@@ -31,6 +31,12 @@ export class OutletController extends BaseOutletController {
   betaOutletElements!: Element[]
   hasBetaOutlet!: boolean
 
+  gammaOutlet!: Controller | null
+  gammaOutlets!: Controller[]
+  gammaOutletElement!: Element | null
+  gammaOutletElements!: Element[]
+  hasGammaOutlet!: boolean
+
   namespacedEpsilonOutlet!: Controller | null
   namespacedEpsilonOutlets!: Controller[]
   namespacedEpsilonOutletElement!: Element | null
@@ -76,6 +82,11 @@ export class OutletController extends BaseOutletController {
     this.gammaOutletConnectedCallCountValue++
   }
 
+  gammaOutletDisconnected(_outlet: Controller, element: Element) {
+    if (this.hasDisconnectedClass) element.classList.add(this.disconnectedClass)
+    this.gammaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue++
+  }
+
   namespacedEpsilonOutletConnected(_outlet: Controller, element: Element) {
     if (this.hasConnectedClass) element.classList.add(this.connectedClass)
     this.namespacedEpsilonOutletConnectedCallCountValue++
diff --git a/src/tests/modules/core/outlet_fallback_selector_tests.ts b/src/tests/modules/core/outlet_fallback_selector_tests.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c4c333f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/modules/core/outlet_fallback_selector_tests.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+import { ControllerTestCase } from "../../cases/controller_test_case"
+import { OutletController } from "../../controllers/outlet_controller"
+
+export default class OutletFallbackSelectorTests extends ControllerTestCase(OutletController) {
+  fixtureHTML = `
+    <div id="container">
+      <div data-controller="alpha" id="alpha1"></div>
+
+      <div data-controller="beta" id="beta1">
+        <div data-controller="alpha beta" id="mixed"></div>
+        <div data-controller="beta" id="beta2"></div>
+      </div>
+
+      <div
+        data-controller="${this.identifier}"
+        data-${this.identifier}-connected-class="connected"
+        data-${this.identifier}-disconnected-class="disconnected"
+      >
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  `
+  get identifiers() {
+    return ["test", "alpha", "beta", "gamma"]
+  }
+
+  "test OutletSet#find"() {
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.outlets.find("alpha"), this.findElement("#alpha1"))
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.outlets.find("beta"), this.findElement("#beta1"))
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.outlets.find("gamma"), undefined)
+  }
+
+  "test OutletSet#findAll"() {
+    this.assert.deepEqual(this.controller.outlets.findAll("alpha"), this.findElements("#alpha1", "#mixed"))
+    this.assert.deepEqual(this.controller.outlets.findAll("beta"), this.findElements("#beta1", "#mixed", "#beta2"))
+    this.assert.deepEqual(this.controller.outlets.findAll("gamma"), [])
+  }
+
+  "test OutletSet#findAll with multiple arguments"() {
+    this.assert.deepEqual(
+      this.controller.outlets.findAll("alpha", "beta"),
+      this.findElements("#alpha1", "#mixed", "#beta1", "#mixed", "#beta2")
+    )
+  }
+
+  "test OutletSet#has"() {
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.outlets.has("alpha"), true)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.outlets.has("beta"), true)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.outlets.has("gamma"), false)
+  }
+
+  async "test OutletSet#has when no element with selector exists"() {
+    const element = document.createElement("div")
+    element.setAttribute("data-controller", "gamma")
+
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.outlets.has("gamma"), false)
+
+    this.controller.element.appendChild(element)
+    await this.nextFrame
+
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.outlets.has("gamma"), true)
+
+    const gammaOutlets = this.controller.gammaOutletElements.filter((outlet) => outlet.classList.contains("connected"))
+    this.assert.equal(gammaOutlets.length, 1)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.gammaOutletConnectedCallCountValue, 1)
+  }
+
+  "test singular linked outlet property throws an error when no outlet is found"() {
+    this.findElements("#alpha1", "#mixed", "#beta1", "#mixed", "#beta2").forEach((e) => e.remove())
+
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.hasAlphaOutlet, false)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutlets.length, 0)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletElements.length, 0)
+    this.assert.throws(() => this.controller.alphaOutlet)
+    this.assert.throws(() => this.controller.alphaOutletElement)
+
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.hasBetaOutlet, false)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.betaOutlets.length, 0)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.betaOutletElements.length, 0)
+    this.assert.throws(() => this.controller.betaOutlet)
+    this.assert.throws(() => this.controller.betaOutletElement)
+  }
+
+  "test outlet connected callback fires"() {
+    const alphaOutlets = this.controller.alphaOutletElements.filter((outlet) => outlet.classList.contains("connected"))
+    const betaOutlets = this.controller.betaOutletElements.filter((outlet) => outlet.classList.contains("connected"))
+    const gammaOutlets = this.controller.gammaOutletElements.filter((outlet) => outlet.classList.contains("connected"))
+
+    this.assert.equal(alphaOutlets.length, 2)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletConnectedCallCountValue, 2)
+
+    this.assert.equal(betaOutlets.length, 3)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.betaOutletConnectedCallCountValue, 3)
+
+    this.assert.equal(gammaOutlets.length, 0)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.gammaOutletConnectedCallCountValue, 0)
+  }
+
+  async "test outlet disconnect callback fires"() {
+    this.findElements("#alpha1", "#mixed", "#beta1", "#mixed", "#beta2").forEach((e) => e.remove())
+
+    await this.nextFrame
+
+    const alphaOutlets = this.controller.alphaOutletElements.filter((outlet) => outlet.classList.contains("connected"))
+    const betaOutlets = this.controller.betaOutletElements.filter((outlet) => outlet.classList.contains("connected"))
+    const gammaOutlets = this.controller.gammaOutletElements.filter((outlet) => outlet.classList.contains("connected"))
+
+    this.assert.equal(alphaOutlets.length, 0)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue, 2)
+
+    this.assert.equal(betaOutlets.length, 0)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.betaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue, 3)
+
+    this.assert.equal(gammaOutlets.length, 0)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.gammaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue, 0)
+  }
+
+  async "test outlet disconnected callback shouldn't fire when selector is removed from controller element but fallback selector still covers the outlet"() {
+    const alpha1 = this.findElement("#alpha1")
+    const mixed = this.findElement("#mixed")
+
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue, 0)
+
+    await this.removeAttribute(this.controller.element, `data-${this.identifier}-alpha-outlet`)
+
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue, 0)
+    this.assert.ok(alpha1.isConnected, "#alpha1 is still present in document")
+    this.assert.ok(mixed.isConnected, "#mixed is still present in document")
+    this.assert.notOk(
+      alpha1.classList.contains("disconnected"),
+      `expected "${alpha1.className}" to contain "disconnected"`
+    )
+    this.assert.notOk(
+      mixed.classList.contains("disconnected"),
+      `expected "${mixed.className}" to contain "disconnected"`
+    )
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/tests/modules/core/outlet_tests.ts b/src/tests/modules/core/outlet_tests.ts
index fb87ba12..57d335eb 100644
--- a/src/tests/modules/core/outlet_tests.ts
+++ b/src/tests/modules/core/outlet_tests.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ export default class OutletTests extends ControllerTestCase(OutletController) {
         data-${this.identifier}-alpha-outlet="#alpha1,#alpha2"
         data-${this.identifier}-beta-outlet=".beta"
         data-${this.identifier}-delta-outlet=".delta"
+        data-${this.identifier}-gamma-outlet="#gamma-doesnt-exist"
         data-${this.identifier}-namespaced--epsilon-outlet=".epsilon"
       >
         <div data-controller="gamma" class="gamma" id="gamma2"></div>
@@ -348,15 +349,44 @@ export default class OutletTests extends ControllerTestCase(OutletController) {
     )
   }
 
-  async "test outlet disconnected callback when the controlled element's outlet attribute is removed"() {
+  async "test outlet disconnected callback when the controlled element's outlet attribute is emptied"() {
     const alpha1 = this.findElement("#alpha1")
     const alpha2 = this.findElement("#alpha2")
 
-    await this.removeAttribute(this.controller.element, `data-${this.identifier}-alpha-outlet`)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletConnectedCallCountValue, 2)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue, 0)
+
+    await this.setAttribute(this.controller.element, `data-${this.identifier}-alpha-outlet`, "")
+
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletConnectedCallCountValue, 2)
+    this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue, 2)
+
+    this.assert.ok(alpha1.isConnected, "alpha1 is still present in document")
+    this.assert.ok(alpha2.isConnected, "alpha2 is still present in document")
+
+    this.assert.ok(
+      alpha1.classList.contains("disconnected"),
+      `expected "${alpha1.className}" to contain "disconnected"`
+    )
+    this.assert.ok(
+      alpha2.classList.contains("disconnected"),
+      `expected "${alpha2.className}" to contain "disconnected"`
+    )
+  }
+
+  async "test outlet disconnected callback when the controlled element's outlet attribute and referenced elements are removed"() {
+    const alpha1 = this.findElement("#alpha1")
+    const alpha2 = this.findElement("#alpha2")
+
+    this.controller.element.removeAttribute(`data-${this.identifier}-alpha-outlet`)
+    alpha1.removeAttribute(`data-controller`)
+    alpha2.remove()
+
+    await this.nextFrame
 
     this.assert.equal(this.controller.alphaOutletDisconnectedCallCountValue, 2)
     this.assert.ok(alpha1.isConnected, "#alpha1 is still present in document")
-    this.assert.ok(alpha2.isConnected, "#alpha2 is still present in document")
+    this.assert.notOk(alpha2.isConnected, "#alpha2 shouldn't be present in document anymore")
     this.assert.ok(
       alpha1.classList.contains("disconnected"),
       `expected "${alpha1.className}" to contain "disconnected"`