diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/dialog-select-directory-v2.tsx b/packages/app/src/components/dialog-select-directory-v2.tsx
index 30d6012b0b0..4417e32001e 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/dialog-select-directory-v2.tsx
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/dialog-select-directory-v2.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import {
   nextSuggestionIndex,
   nextTreeScrollTop,
   pickerFileSearchQuery,
+  pickerAbsoluteInput,
   pickerMode,
   preloadTreeDirectories,
 } from "./directory-tree"
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ export function DialogSelectDirectoryV2(props: DialogSelectDirectoryV2Props) {
   }
 
   async function navigate(path: string) {
-    const value = cleanInput(path)
+    const value = policy.navigation(pickerAbsoluteInput(cleanInput(path), home()))
     if (!value) return
     const token = ++navigation
     setLoading(true)
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/directory-tree.test.ts b/packages/app/src/components/directory-tree.test.ts
index c75819022c1..abc3e16e3ea 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/directory-tree.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/directory-tree.test.ts
@@ -52,11 +52,14 @@ test("centralizes file and directory selection policy", () => {
   expect(file.selection("/repo/src", "index.ts")).toBe("src/index.ts")
   expect(file.selection("/repo", "src/")).toBeUndefined()
   expect(file.result("/repo", "src/index.ts")).toBe("src/index.ts")
-  expect(file.selection("/tmp", "example.txt")).toBe("/tmp/example.txt")
+  expect(file.selection("/tmp", "example.txt")).toBeUndefined()
+  expect(file.navigation("/repo/src")).toBe("/repo/src")
+  expect(file.navigation("/tmp")).toBeUndefined()
 
   const directory = pickerMode("directory")
   expect(directory.includeFiles).toBeFalse()
   expect(directory.selection("/repo", "src/")).toBe("/repo/src")
+  expect(directory.navigation("/tmp")).toBe("/tmp")
   expect(directory.result("/repo", "")).toBe("/repo")
   expect(directory.result("/repo", "", false)).toBeUndefined()
 })
diff --git a/packages/app/src/components/directory-tree.ts b/packages/app/src/components/directory-tree.ts
index 140b65e7885..32387b497be 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/components/directory-tree.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/components/directory-tree.ts
@@ -29,10 +29,14 @@ export function pickerMode(mode: "directory" | "file", base?: string) {
       entries(parent: string, nodes: ReadonlyArray<{ name: string; type: "file" | "directory" }>) {
         return treeEntries(parent, nodes)
       },
+      navigation(path: string) {
+        return treePathWithin(base, path) ? path : undefined
+      },
       result(root: string, selected: string) {
         return selected || undefined
       },
       selection(root: string, path: string) {
+        if (!treePathWithin(base, root)) return
         return selectedTreePath(root, path, "file", base)
       },
     }
@@ -46,6 +50,9 @@ export function pickerMode(mode: "directory" | "file", base?: string) {
         nodes.filter((node) => node.type === "directory"),
       )
     },
+    navigation(path: string) {
+      return path
+    },
     result(root: string, selected: string, valid = true) {
       if (!valid) return
       return selected || root || undefined
@@ -64,6 +71,17 @@ export function pickerFileSearchQuery(root: string, input: string, home: string)
   return value
 }
 
+export function pickerAbsoluteInput(input: string, home: string) {
+  return input.replace(/\\/g, "/").replace(/^~(?=\/|$)/, home).replace(/\/+$/, "") || "/"
+}
+
+export function treePathWithin(base: string | undefined, path: string) {
+  if (!base) return false
+  const root = absoluteTreePath(base, "").toLowerCase()
+  const target = absoluteTreePath(path, "").toLowerCase()
+  return target === root || target.startsWith(root + "/")
+}
+
 export function preloadTreeDirectories(
   parent: string,
   nodes: ReadonlyArray<{ name: string; type: "file" | "directory" }>,