diff --git a/tests/tools/test_hardline_blocklist.py b/tests/tools/test_hardline_blocklist.py
index e084e61fe8f..38f9d4d7a84 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_hardline_blocklist.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_hardline_blocklist.py
@@ -150,6 +150,16 @@ _HARDLINE_ALLOW = [
     "rm -rf $HOME/tmp",
     "rm foo.txt",
     "rm -rf some/path",
+    # Literal root-level directories that only LOOK like root-collapse
+    # spellings. Each inter-slash segment must be exactly "." or ".." to
+    # count as a collapse back to "/" — "/..." is a dir literally named
+    # "..." and "/.foo" is an ordinary root dotfile. These must NOT be
+    # swept into the "recursive delete of root filesystem" hardline rule
+    # (regression guard for the collapse-spelling tightening).
+    "rm -rf /...",
+    "rm -rf /....",
+    "rm -rf /.foo",
+    "rm -rf /.config/foo",
     # A dangerous-looking command embedded as a quoted *argument* to another
     # command must not trip the floor: the path is immediately followed by a
     # closing quote with no matching opening quote of its own, so the
@@ -401,7 +411,8 @@ def test_root_collapse_pattern_leaves_real_paths_alone(clean_session):
     be pulled onto the hardline floor by the "collapse to /" broadening.
     """
     for cmd in ["rm -rf /tmp", "rm -rf /home/user/x", "rm -rf /.ssh",
-                "rm -rf /.config", "rm -rf ./build", "rm -rf /opt/foo"]:
+                "rm -rf /.config", "rm -rf ./build", "rm -rf /opt/foo",
+                "rm -rf /...", "rm -rf /....", "rm -rf /.foo"]:
         is_hl, _ = detect_hardline_command(cmd)
         assert not is_hl, f"{cmd!r} must not be hardline-blocked (over-match)"
 
diff --git a/tools/approval.py b/tools/approval.py
index 6ad4b59bdf2..e01db823139 100644
--- a/tools/approval.py
+++ b/tools/approval.py
@@ -370,15 +370,16 @@ HARDLINE_PATTERNS = [
     #
     # The path token matches any root-anchored path whose components collapse
     # back to "/" in the shell: a bare "/", repeated slashes ("//"), and
-    # "."/".." current/parent segments ("/.", "/./", "/..") all resolve to
-    # root, optionally followed by a trailing glob ("/*", "//*"). The earlier
-    # "/|/\*|/ \*" form only caught the literal "/" / "/*" spellings, so
-    # `rm -rf //`, `rm -rf /.`, `rm -rf /./`, `rm -rf /..` and `rm -rf //*`
-    # silently slipped the hardline floor and executed under --yolo /
-    # approvals.mode=off / cron approve-mode. A trailing real segment
-    # (e.g. "/tmp", "/home", "/.ssh") still fails to match here and stays
-    # with the softer DANGEROUS_PATTERNS / system-directory rules.
-    (_RM_FLAG_PREFIX + _hardline_rm_path(r'/[/.]*\**'), "recursive delete of root filesystem"),
+    # "."/".." current/parent segments ("/.", "/./", "/..", "/../..") all
+    # resolve to root, optionally followed by a trailing glob ("/*", "//*").
+    # Each inter-slash segment must be exactly "." or "..", so a longer dot
+    # run or any real name is a literal directory, NOT root — "/tmp", "/home",
+    # "/.ssh", "/.config" and even "/..." (a dir literally named "...") fall
+    # through to the softer DANGEROUS_PATTERNS / system-directory rules
+    # instead of being unconditionally hardline-blocked. The explicit "/ \*"
+    # alt preserves the slash-space-glob spelling (`rm -rf / *`, which the
+    # shell sees as two args: "/" plus the "*" glob).
+    (_RM_FLAG_PREFIX + _hardline_rm_path(r'/(?:(?:\.\.?)?/)*(?:\.\.?)?\**|/ \*'), "recursive delete of root filesystem"),
     (_RM_FLAG_PREFIX + _hardline_rm_path(_HARDLINE_SYSTEM_DIRS), "recursive delete of system directory"),
     (_RM_FLAG_PREFIX + _hardline_rm_path(r'(?:~|\$\{?HOME\}?)(?:/?|/\*)?'), "recursive delete of home directory"),
     # Filesystem format