diff --git a/safeopen_nix.go b/safeopen_nix.go
index d1963ba..7dea9c9 100644
--- a/safeopen_nix.go
+++ b/safeopen_nix.go
@@ -31,6 +31,14 @@ func unixRelativePathDoesntTraverse(path string) bool {
 	if path == "" {
 		return false
 	}
+
+	// Strip leading slashes so an absolute-looking input is treated as relative
+	// to the base directory, matching the Linux implementation
+	// (canTraverseUnixRelPath). Without this, filepath.Clean("/../x") == "/x"
+	// hides the leading "../", so a traversal such as "/../x" is accepted here
+	// and escapes the base directory in openFileBeneath.
+	path = strings.TrimLeft(path, "/")
+
 	hasDots := false
 	for p := path; p != ""; {
 		var part string
diff --git a/safeopen_nix_test.go b/safeopen_nix_test.go
index 2e57876..1726faf 100644
--- a/safeopen_nix_test.go
+++ b/safeopen_nix_test.go
@@ -166,3 +166,47 @@ func TestUnixDirTraversal(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("io.ReadAll() = %v, want = %v", string(actualData), fileContent)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestUnixBeneathLeadingSlashTraversal(t *testing.T) {
+	// The base directory is a subdirectory; a secret file lives in its parent,
+	// outside the base. A leading-slash argument must not escape the base
+	// directory, for either reads or writes. Regression test for a missing
+	// strings.TrimLeft in unixRelativePathDoesntTraverse: filepath.Clean("/../x")
+	// == "/x" hid the leading "../", so "/../x" was accepted and escaped base.
+	parent := t.TempDir()
+	base := path.Join(parent, "base")
+	if err := os.Mkdir(base, 0777); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.Mkdir(path.Join(base, "d"), 0777); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path.Join(parent, "secret.txt"), []byte("outside"), 0600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	escapes := []string{
+		"/../secret.txt",
+		"/./../secret.txt",
+		"/d/../../secret.txt",
+	}
+	for _, file := range escapes {
+		if fd, err := OpenBeneath(base, file); err == nil {
+			fd.Close()
+			t.Errorf("OpenBeneath(%q, %q) = nil error; want rejection (escaped the base directory)", base, file)
+		}
+		if err := WriteFileBeneath(base, file, []byte("pwn"), 0600); err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("WriteFileBeneath(%q, %q) = nil error; want rejection (escaped the base directory)", base, file)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// A legitimate leading-slash path that stays within base must still succeed.
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path.Join(base, "ok.txt"), []byte("in"), 0600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if fd, err := OpenBeneath(base, "/ok.txt"); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("OpenBeneath(%q, %q) = %v; want success (in-base leading slash)", base, "/ok.txt", err)
+	} else {
+		fd.Close()
+	}
+}