diff --git a/files/file.go b/files/file.go
index 3b38f314..dc227a6c 100644
--- a/files/file.go
+++ b/files/file.go
@@ -217,7 +217,17 @@ func WithinScope(fsys afero.Fs, p string) (bool, error) {
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	return resolved == root || strings.HasPrefix(resolved, root+string(filepath.Separator)), nil
+	// Compare against root with a trailing separator so a sibling like
+	// "/srvother" is not treated as being inside "/srv". When root is itself
+	// the filesystem boundary (e.g. "/"), it already ends in a separator, so
+	// avoid producing "//" — which no path would match — and accept any path
+	// under it.
+	prefix := root
+	if !strings.HasSuffix(prefix, string(filepath.Separator)) {
+		prefix += string(filepath.Separator)
+	}
+
+	return resolved == root || strings.HasPrefix(resolved, prefix), nil
 }
 
 // Checksum checksums a given File for a given User, using a specific
diff --git a/files/file_test.go b/files/file_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0f89f572
--- /dev/null
+++ b/files/file_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+package files
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
+)
+
+func TestWithinScope(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("non-scoped filesystem is a no-op", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ok, err := WithinScope(afero.NewOsFs(), "/anything")
+		if err != nil || !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("expected (true, nil), got (%v, %v)", ok, err)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("path inside a nested scope is allowed", func(t *testing.T) {
+		scope := t.TempDir()
+		if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(scope, "file.txt"), []byte("x"), 0o644); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		bfs := afero.NewBasePathFs(afero.NewOsFs(), scope)
+
+		ok, err := WithinScope(bfs, "/file.txt")
+		if err != nil || !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("expected (true, nil), got (%v, %v)", ok, err)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("new file inside scope is allowed", func(t *testing.T) {
+		scope := t.TempDir()
+		bfs := afero.NewBasePathFs(afero.NewOsFs(), scope)
+
+		ok, err := WithinScope(bfs, "/does-not-exist-yet.txt")
+		if err != nil || !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("expected (true, nil), got (%v, %v)", ok, err)
+		}
+	})
+
+	// Regression for #5975: when the scope resolves to the filesystem root,
+	// root+separator used to be "//", which no path matched, so every write
+	// was rejected with os.ErrPermission (HTTP 403).
+	t.Run("filesystem root scope allows writes", func(t *testing.T) {
+		f := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "file.txt")
+		if err := os.WriteFile(f, []byte("x"), 0o644); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		bfs := afero.NewBasePathFs(afero.NewOsFs(), "/")
+
+		ok, err := WithinScope(bfs, f)
+		if err != nil || !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("expected (true, nil) for a path under root scope, got (%v, %v)", ok, err)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("sibling of a nested scope is rejected", func(t *testing.T) {
+		base := t.TempDir()
+		scope := filepath.Join(base, "srv")
+		sibling := filepath.Join(base, "srvother")
+		for _, d := range []string{scope, sibling} {
+			if err := os.MkdirAll(d, 0o755); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+		// A symlink lexically inside the scope pointing at a sibling directory
+		// must not be followed.
+		link := filepath.Join(scope, "escape")
+		if err := os.Symlink(sibling, link); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		bfs := afero.NewBasePathFs(afero.NewOsFs(), scope)
+
+		ok, err := WithinScope(bfs, "/escape")
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		if ok {
+			t.Fatal("expected escaping symlink to a sibling directory to be rejected")
+		}
+	})
+}