Background and aims <p>Climate change-induced droughts are likely to alter soil aggregate composition, thereby influencing the persistence of soil organic carbon and carbon sequestration capacity. However, the complex interactive mechanisms of abiotic and biotic controlling factors underlying drought effects on soil aggregate stability remain poorly understood.</p> Methods <p>We performed a manipulative drought experiment to explore the impacts of fine root length density and production, root exudation, and Fe oxides on soil aggregate stability in a warm-temperature natural oak (<i>Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata</i>) forest by identifying key controlling factors and its regulation pathways.</p> Results <p>Our results showed that drought weakened soil aggregate stability, as evidenced by reductions in the geometric mean diameter and mean weight diameter, as well as the mass percentage of macroaggregates. Drought significantly enhanced fine root length density, root production, and root exudate carbon as well, while significantly reducing the concentrations of amorphous Fe oxide and free Fe oxides, which jointly contributed to the reduction of soil aggregate stability. Under drought conditions, the adverse impacts of enhanced fine root length density and fine root production on soil aggregate stability exceeded the positive impacts of elevated root exudate carbon.</p> Conclusion <p>We demonstrated that fine root length density and production were the dominant factors shaping the consequences of drought on soil aggregate stability in a warm-temperate natural oak forest, followed by Fe oxides and root exudate carbon.</p>