diff --git a/sr_config.c b/sr_config.c
index ec657d1..10cc087 100644
--- a/sr_config.c
+++ b/sr_config.c
@@ -873,6 +873,11 @@ int sr_config_parse_option(struct sr_config_s *sr_cfg, char *option, char *arg,
 		if (sr_cfg->post_baseDir)
 			free(sr_cfg->post_baseDir);
 		sr_cfg->post_baseDir = argument;
+		if (sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir) {
+			free(sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
+			sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = NULL;
+		}
+		sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = realpath(sr_cfg->post_baseDir, sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
 		argument = NULL;
 
 	} else if (!strcmp(option, "post_base_dir") || !strcmp(option, "pbd")
@@ -880,6 +885,11 @@ int sr_config_parse_option(struct sr_config_s *sr_cfg, char *option, char *arg,
 		if (sr_cfg->post_baseDir)
 			free(sr_cfg->post_baseDir);
 		sr_cfg->post_baseDir = argument;
+		if (sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir) {
+			free(sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
+			sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = NULL;
+		}
+		sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = realpath(sr_cfg->post_baseDir, sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
 		argument = NULL;
 		retval = 2;
 
@@ -1292,6 +1302,9 @@ void sr_config_free(struct sr_config_s *sr_cfg)
 	if (sr_cfg->post_baseDir)
 		free(sr_cfg->post_baseDir);
 	sr_cfg->post_baseDir = NULL;
+	if (sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir)
+		free(sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
+	sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = NULL;
 	if (sr_cfg->exchange)
 		free(sr_cfg->exchange);
 	sr_cfg->exchange = NULL;
@@ -1418,6 +1431,7 @@ void sr_config_init(struct sr_config_s *sr_cfg, const char *progname)
 	sr_cfg->delete = 0;
 	sr_cfg->directory = NULL;
 	sr_cfg->post_baseDir = NULL;
+	sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = NULL;
 	sr_cfg->durable = 1;
 	sr_cfg->events =
 	    (SR_EVENT_CREATE | SR_EVENT_MODIFY | SR_EVENT_DELETE | SR_EVENT_LINK | SR_EVENT_MKDIR |
@@ -1931,25 +1945,35 @@ int sr_config_finalize(struct sr_config_s *sr_cfg, const int is_consumer)
 			sr_cfg->to = strdup(sr_cfg->post_broker->hostname);
 		}
 		if (!(sr_cfg->post_baseDir)) {
-                    if (sr_cfg->post_baseUrl) {
- 			if (!strncmp(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl, "file:", 5)) {
-				sr_cfg->post_baseDir = strdup(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl + 5);
-                    	} else if (!strncmp(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl, "sftp:", 5)) {
-                            char *slash;
-                            char *at;
-                            slash = index(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl+7,'/');
-                            at = index(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl+7,'@');
-                            if (slash) {
-	                            while (at > slash) { // there is a slash in a password...
-       		                         slash = index(slash,'/');
-       		                    }
-                                    if (slash) {
-               		                 while (*(slash+1) == '/') slash++;
-                                         sr_cfg->post_baseDir = strdup(slash);
-                                    }
-                            }
-                        }
-        	    }
+			if (sr_cfg->post_baseUrl) {
+				if (!strncmp(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl, "file:", 5)) {
+					sr_cfg->post_baseDir = strdup(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl + 5);
+					if (sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir) {
+						free(sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
+						sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = NULL;
+					}
+					sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = realpath(sr_cfg->post_baseDir, sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
+				} else if (!strncmp(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl, "sftp:", 5)) {
+					char *slash;
+					char *at;
+					slash = index(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl+7,'/');
+					at = index(sr_cfg->post_baseUrl+7,'@');
+					if (slash) {
+						while (at > slash) { // there is a slash in a password...
+							slash = index(slash,'/');
+						}
+						if (slash) {
+							while (*(slash+1) == '/') slash++;
+							sr_cfg->post_baseDir = strdup(slash);
+							if (sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir) {
+								free(sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
+								sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = NULL;
+							}
+							sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir = realpath(sr_cfg->post_baseDir, sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
+						}
+					}
+				}
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	if (strcmp(sr_cfg->action, "sanity")) {
@@ -1958,8 +1982,8 @@ int sr_config_finalize(struct sr_config_s *sr_cfg, const int is_consumer)
 			   sr_cfg->message_ttl, sr_cfg->post_exchange, sr_cfg->post_exchangeSplit,
 			   sr_cfg->post_exchangeSuffix);
 		sr_log_msg(sr_cfg->logctx, ll,
-			   "\tsource=%s, to=%s, post_baseUrl=%s, post_baseDir=%s\n",
-			   sr_cfg->source, sr_cfg->to, sr_cfg->post_baseUrl, sr_cfg->post_baseDir );
+			   "\tsource=%s, to=%s, post_baseUrl=%s, post_baseDir=%s, realpath_post_baseDir=%s\n",
+			   sr_cfg->source, sr_cfg->to, sr_cfg->post_baseUrl, sr_cfg->post_baseDir, sr_cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
 		sr_log_msg(sr_cfg->logctx, ll,"\ttopicPrefix=%s, post_topicPrefix=%s, pid=%d\n", sr_cfg->topicPrefix,
 			   sr_cfg->post_topicPrefix, sr_cfg->pid);
 		sr_log_msg(sr_cfg->logctx, ll, "man sr3_cpost(1) for more information\n");
diff --git a/sr_config.h b/sr_config.h
index d548cf8..2b22eed 100644
--- a/sr_config.h
+++ b/sr_config.h
@@ -207,6 +207,7 @@ struct sr_config_s {
 			     /**< the list of configurations or files given on the command line.*/
 	int pipe;	     /**< pipe mode, read file names from standard input*/
 	char *post_baseDir;	     /**< the local directory at the root of the url tree.*/
+	char *realpath_post_baseDir; /**< the local directory at the root of the url tree (set from realpath of post_baseDir).*/
 	char *post_baseUrl;	     /**< the url that corresponds to the base directory.*/
 	struct sr_broker_s *post_broker;
 				   /**< the broker to post to.*/
diff --git a/sr_post.c b/sr_post.c
index 9763fcf..63cbd97 100644
--- a/sr_post.c
+++ b/sr_post.c
@@ -652,6 +652,7 @@ int sr_file2message_start(struct sr_context *sr_c, const char *pathspec,
 	char *c, *d;
 	int lasti;
 	int linklen;
+	int pbdlen = 0;
 	char linkstr[PATH_MAXNUL];
 	char tmprk[PATH_MAXNUL + 100];
 
@@ -722,19 +723,30 @@ int sr_file2message_start(struct sr_context *sr_c, const char *pathspec,
 	}
 	*c = '\0';
 
+	// build relPath that gets posted by removing (realpath_)post_baseDir from fn
 	if (sr_c->cfg->post_baseDir && (strlen(sr_c->cfg->post_baseDir) > 1 ) ) {
+		// first try post_baseDir
 		// the +1 is to because baseDir is always absolute, and relPath is always relative
 		drfound = strstr(fn, (sr_c->cfg->post_baseDir)+1);
-
-		// replace only if at the beginning of the string.
+		// replace post_baseDir only if at the beginning of the string.
 		if (drfound==fn+1) {
-			drfound += strlen(sr_c->cfg->post_baseDir);
+			pbdlen = strlen(sr_c->cfg->post_baseDir);
+			drfound += (sr_c->cfg->post_baseDir[pbdlen-1] == '/') ? pbdlen - 1 : pbdlen; //adjust for trailing /
 			strcpy(m->relPath, drfound);
-		} else if (absolute_path) {
-		   	sr_log_msg(sr_c->cfg->logctx,LOG_ERROR, "%s posting outside of post_baseDir (%s) invalid path: %s\n", 
-					sr_c->cfg->progname, sr_c->cfg->post_baseDir, fn );
- 			return(0);
-                }
+
+		// if post_baseDir didn't match, try realpath_post_baseDir
+		} else {
+			drfound = strstr(fn, (sr_c->cfg->realpath_post_baseDir)+1);
+			if (drfound==fn+1) {
+				pbdlen = strlen(sr_c->cfg->realpath_post_baseDir);
+				drfound += (sr_c->cfg->realpath_post_baseDir[pbdlen-1] == '/') ? pbdlen - 1 : pbdlen; //adjust for trailing /
+				strcpy(m->relPath, drfound);
+			} else if (absolute_path) {
+				sr_log_msg(sr_c->cfg->logctx,LOG_ERROR, "%s invalid path: %s is outside of post_baseDir (%s)\n",
+						sr_c->cfg->progname, fn, sr_c->cfg->post_baseDir);
+				return(0);
+			}
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Strip option: remove prefix from path according to / #