diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index e35af947ef..f1c8dbc810 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2102,6 +2102,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "mongodb",
  "mysql_async",
  "mysql_common",
+ "nix",
  "notify",
  "openssl",
  "pageant",
diff --git a/agents/drivers/duckdb/Cargo.lock b/agents/drivers/duckdb/Cargo.lock
index f66e33c3b8..ed514f3981 100644
--- a/agents/drivers/duckdb/Cargo.lock
+++ b/agents/drivers/duckdb/Cargo.lock
@@ -1257,6 +1257,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "minijinja",
  "mongodb",
  "mysql_async",
+ "nix",
  "notify",
  "openssl",
  "pageant",
diff --git a/crates/dbx-core/Cargo.toml b/crates/dbx-core/Cargo.toml
index 136670e70c..ec4e350875 100644
--- a/crates/dbx-core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/dbx-core/Cargo.toml
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@ iana-time-zone = "0.1"
 [target.'cfg(windows)'.dependencies]
 windows-sys = { version = "0.61", features = ["Win32_Storage_FileSystem", "Win32_Foundation", "Win32_Security"] }
 
+[target.'cfg(all(unix, not(target_os = "redox")))'.dependencies]
+nix = { version = "0.31.3", features = ["user"] }
+
 [dev-dependencies]
 mysql_common = { git = "https://github.com/t8y2/rust_mysql_common.git", rev = "47740d85a8277167a5717afac785d37b46a36296", default-features = false }
 tokio = { version = "1", features = ["test-util"] }
diff --git a/crates/dbx-core/src/db/file_validator.rs b/crates/dbx-core/src/db/file_validator.rs
index 0899ead0d1..771eece5df 100644
--- a/crates/dbx-core/src/db/file_validator.rs
+++ b/crates/dbx-core/src/db/file_validator.rs
@@ -122,9 +122,8 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn test_tilde_without_slash_not_expanded() {
-        // ~user form is not expanded, treated literally
-        let result = validate_file_path("~nonexistentuser", is_network_path_test);
+    fn test_unknown_named_user_path_remains_literal() {
+        let result = validate_file_path("~dbx-user-that-must-not-exist-7088", is_network_path_test);
         assert!(result.is_err());
         assert!(result.unwrap_err().contains('~'));
     }
diff --git a/crates/dbx-core/src/db/ssh_tunnel.rs b/crates/dbx-core/src/db/ssh_tunnel.rs
index d89c6aa202..d13556bdd0 100644
--- a/crates/dbx-core/src/db/ssh_tunnel.rs
+++ b/crates/dbx-core/src/db/ssh_tunnel.rs
@@ -1913,10 +1913,18 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(resolve_ssh_agent_socket_path("/tmp/agent.sock"), "/tmp/agent.sock");
     }
 
-    #[cfg(unix)]
+    #[cfg(all(unix, not(target_os = "redox")))]
     #[test]
-    fn ssh_agent_socket_path_preserves_named_user_path() {
-        assert_eq!(resolve_ssh_agent_socket_path("~other/.ssh/agent.sock"), "~other/.ssh/agent.sock");
+    fn ssh_agent_socket_path_expands_named_user_home() {
+        let user = nix::unistd::User::from_uid(nix::unistd::getuid())
+            .expect("current Unix user lookup should succeed")
+            .expect("current Unix user should exist in the account database");
+        let home = user.dir.into_os_string().into_string().expect("current Unix user home should be valid UTF-8");
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            resolve_ssh_agent_socket_path(&format!("~{}/.ssh/agent.sock", user.name)),
+            format!("{home}/.ssh/agent.sock")
+        );
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/crates/dbx-core/src/path_utils.rs b/crates/dbx-core/src/path_utils.rs
index f5e5f9bdab..a5b40670b7 100644
--- a/crates/dbx-core/src/path_utils.rs
+++ b/crates/dbx-core/src/path_utils.rs
@@ -1,19 +1,106 @@
 pub fn expand_tilde(path: &str) -> String {
+    expand_tilde_with(path, home_dir, named_user_home)
+}
+
+fn expand_tilde_with(
+    path: &str,
+    current_home: impl FnOnce() -> Option<String>,
+    named_home: impl FnOnce(&str) -> Option<String>,
+) -> String {
     if !path.starts_with('~') {
         return path.to_string();
     }
     if path.len() == 1 {
-        return home_dir().unwrap_or_else(|| path.to_string());
+        return current_home().unwrap_or_else(|| path.to_string());
     }
     if path.as_bytes().get(1) == Some(&b'/') {
-        return match home_dir() {
+        return match current_home() {
             Some(home) => home + &path[1..],
             None => path.to_string(),
         };
     }
-    path.to_string()
+
+    let named_path = &path[1..];
+    let (username, suffix) =
+        named_path.find('/').map_or((named_path, ""), |index| (&named_path[..index], &named_path[index..]));
+
+    named_home(username).map_or_else(|| path.to_string(), |home| home + suffix)
 }
 
 fn home_dir() -> Option<String> {
     std::env::var("HOME").or_else(|_| std::env::var("USERPROFILE")).ok()
 }
+
+#[cfg(all(unix, not(target_os = "redox")))]
+fn named_user_home(username: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    nix::unistd::User::from_name(username).ok().flatten().and_then(|user| user.dir.into_os_string().into_string().ok())
+}
+
+#[cfg(any(not(unix), target_os = "redox"))]
+fn named_user_home(_username: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    None
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::expand_tilde_with;
+
+    fn no_named_user(_username: &str) -> Option<String> {
+        None
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn preserves_paths_without_a_leading_tilde() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            expand_tilde_with(
+                "relative/file",
+                || panic!("ordinary paths must not resolve the current home"),
+                |_| panic!("ordinary paths must not resolve a named home")
+            ),
+            "relative/file"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            expand_tilde_with(
+                "/absolute/file",
+                || panic!("ordinary paths must not resolve the current home"),
+                |_| panic!("ordinary paths must not resolve a named home")
+            ),
+            "/absolute/file"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn expands_current_user_home_forms() {
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~", || Some("/home/current".into()), no_named_user), "/home/current");
+        assert_eq!(
+            expand_tilde_with(
+                "~/.ssh/config",
+                || Some("/home/current".into()),
+                |_| panic!("current-user paths must not resolve a named home")
+            ),
+            "/home/current/.ssh/config"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn preserves_current_user_forms_when_home_is_unavailable() {
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~", || None, no_named_user), "~");
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~/.ssh/config", || None, no_named_user), "~/.ssh/config");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn expands_named_user_home_forms() {
+        let named_home = |username: &str| (username == "alice").then(|| "/Users/alice".to_string());
+
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~alice", || None, named_home), "/Users/alice");
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~alice/.ssh/agent.sock", || None, named_home), "/Users/alice/.ssh/agent.sock");
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~alice/", || None, named_home), "/Users/alice/");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn preserves_unresolved_or_non_posix_named_user_forms() {
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~missing/.ssh/agent.sock", || None, no_named_user), "~missing/.ssh/agent.sock");
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~alice\\.ssh\\agent.sock", || None, no_named_user), "~alice\\.ssh\\agent.sock");
+        assert_eq!(expand_tilde_with("~~/.ssh/agent.sock", || None, no_named_user), "~~/.ssh/agent.sock");
+    }
+}