diff --git a/opencloud/pkg/command/posixfs.go b/opencloud/pkg/command/posixfs.go
index 01bab8b75b..63ea146eaa 100644
--- a/opencloud/pkg/command/posixfs.go
+++ b/opencloud/pkg/command/posixfs.go
@@ -107,12 +107,16 @@ the command is aborted with an error before performing any scanning.`,
 							path = v
 						}
 					}
-					// not ensuring whether the path is under the storage root here, will be done when iterating over them
+					// checkStorageRoot below makes sure the path is in the configured storage
 					path = filepath.Clean(path)
 					paths = append(paths, path)
 				}
 			}
 
+			if err := checkStorageRoot(storageRoot, paths); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
 			var scan func(path string) error = nil
 			{
 				// We want to initialize the driver but disable scanfs on boot, so we can trigger it manually afterwards
@@ -225,6 +229,16 @@ The provided arguments determines the scope of the check:
 			if len(args) == 0 {
 				args = []string{cfg.Drivers.Posix.Root}
 			}
+			for i, arg := range args {
+				abs, err := filepath.Abs(arg)
+				if err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("failed to make the path %q absolute: %w", arg, err)
+				}
+				args[i] = abs
+			}
+			if err := checkStorageRoot(cfg.Drivers.Posix.Root, args); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
 			log := logger("posixfs")
 			recalculateChecksums, err := cmd.Flags().GetBool("fix-checksums")
 			if err != nil {
@@ -281,6 +295,35 @@ func findStorageRoot(path string) (string, error) {
 	}
 }
 
+// checkStorageRoot returns an error if a path is not inside the configured
+// posixfs storage, spelled the way the configuration spells it. The commands
+// build their ignore rules and the driver from the configured root, and those
+// compare plain path strings. A path in another storage, or one reached through
+// a symlink, would not have its internal directories (.Trash, .oc-nodes,
+// .oc-tmp) recognised, and node attributes would be written onto them. Paths
+// must be absolute. Paths outside any storage are left to the caller, which
+// reports them.
+func checkStorageRoot(configured string, paths []string) error {
+	if _, err := os.Stat(configured); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("the configured posixfs root '%s' is not accessible: %w", configured, err)
+	}
+	configured = filepath.Clean(configured)
+	for _, path := range paths {
+		if !filepath.IsAbs(path) {
+			return fmt.Errorf("'%s' is not an absolute path", path)
+		}
+		root, err := findStorageRoot(path)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if filepath.Clean(root) != configured {
+			return fmt.Errorf("'%s' is not under the configured posixfs root '%s' (it looks like part of a storage at '%s'). "+
+				"Pass a path under '%s', or set STORAGE_USERS_POSIX_ROOT to the storage you mean", path, configured, root, configured)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // isSpaceRoot reports whether the given path is a space root, which is
 // identified by the presence of the space ID attribute.
 func isSpaceRoot(path string) bool {
diff --git a/opencloud/pkg/command/posixfs_test.go b/opencloud/pkg/command/posixfs_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..780dd5ebb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/opencloud/pkg/command/posixfs_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+package command
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/test-go/testify/require"
+)
+
+func newStorage(t *testing.T, root string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	for _, dir := range []string{"indexes", "users/space1/docs"} {
+		require.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(root, dir), 0o700))
+	}
+	return root
+}
+
+func TestCheckStorageRoot(t *testing.T) {
+	configured := newStorage(t, t.TempDir())
+	other := newStorage(t, t.TempDir())
+	nested := newStorage(t, filepath.Join(configured, "users/space1/docs/nested"))
+	link := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "link")
+	require.NoError(t, os.Symlink(configured, link))
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		configured string
+		paths      []string
+		wantErr    string
+	}{
+		{"path in the configured storage", configured, []string{filepath.Join(configured, "users/space1/docs")}, ""},
+		{"the configured root itself", configured, []string{configured}, ""},
+		{"path outside any storage", configured, []string{t.TempDir()}, ""},
+		{"path in another storage", configured, []string{filepath.Join(other, "users/space1")}, "not under the configured posixfs root"},
+		{"a later path in another storage", configured, []string{configured, filepath.Join(other, "users")}, other},
+		{"path in a storage nested inside the configured one", configured, []string{filepath.Join(nested, "users")}, nested},
+		// the ignore rules compare strings, so a symlink in either path must be refused
+		{"configured root through a symlink", link, []string{filepath.Join(configured, "users/space1")}, "not under the configured posixfs root"},
+		{"path through a symlink", configured, []string{filepath.Join(link, "users/space1")}, "not under the configured posixfs root"},
+		{"relative path", configured, []string{"users/space1"}, "not an absolute path"},
+		{"configured root that doesn't exist", filepath.Join(configured, "missing"), []string{configured}, "not accessible"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := checkStorageRoot(tc.configured, tc.paths)
+			if tc.wantErr == "" {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				return
+			}
+			require.Error(t, err)
+			require.Contains(t, err.Error(), tc.wantErr)
+		})
+	}
+}