diff --git a/src/acl/UrlPath.cc b/src/acl/UrlPath.cc
index ba5c7c19da4..8b894fbcc82 100644
--- a/src/acl/UrlPath.cc
+++ b/src/acl/UrlPath.cc
@@ -12,15 +12,19 @@
 #include "acl/FilledChecklist.h"
 #include "acl/UrlPath.h"
 #include "HttpRequest.h"
+#include "rfc1738.h"
 
 int
 Acl::UrlPathCheck::match(ACLChecklist * const ch)
 {
     const auto checklist = Filled(ch);
-    auto urlPath = checklist->request->url.path();
 
-    if (urlPath.isEmpty())
+    if (checklist->request->url.path().isEmpty())
         return -1;
 
-    return data->match(urlPath.c_str());
+    const auto esc_buf = SBufToCstring(checklist->request->url.path());
+    rfc1738_unescape(esc_buf);
+    const auto result = data->match(esc_buf);
+    xfree(esc_buf);
+    return result;
 }
diff --git a/src/anyp/Uri.cc b/src/anyp/Uri.cc
index 5263ba5752e..904bdb58106 100644
--- a/src/anyp/Uri.cc
+++ b/src/anyp/Uri.cc
@@ -50,25 +50,6 @@ UserInfoChars()
     return userInfoValid;
 }
 
-/// Characters which are valid within a URI path section
-static const CharacterSet &
-PathChars()
-{
-    /*
-     * RFC 3986 section 3.3
-     *
-     *   path          = path-abempty    ; begins with "/" or is empty
-     * ...
-     *   path-abempty  = *( "/" segment )
-     *   segment       = *pchar
-     *   pchar         = unreserved / pct-encoded / sub-delims / ":" / "@"
-     */
-    static const auto pathValid = CharacterSet("path", "/:@-._~%!$&'()*+,;=") +
-                                  CharacterSet::ALPHA +
-                                  CharacterSet::DIGIT;
-    return pathValid;
-}
-
 /**
  * Governed by RFC 3986 section 2.1
  */
@@ -776,7 +757,7 @@ AnyP::Uri::absolutePath() const
 {
     if (absolutePath_.isEmpty()) {
         // TODO: Encode each URI subcomponent in path_ as needed.
-        absolutePath_ = Encode(path(), PathChars());
+        absolutePath_ = path();
     }
 
     return absolutePath_;
diff --git a/src/clients/FtpGateway.cc b/src/clients/FtpGateway.cc
index 6352ce8c057..501f6c45c31 100644
--- a/src/clients/FtpGateway.cc
+++ b/src/clients/FtpGateway.cc
@@ -142,7 +142,6 @@ class Gateway : public Ftp::Client
 
     int checkAuth(const HttpHeader * req_hdr);
     void checkUrlpath();
-    std::optional<SBuf> decodedRequestUriPath() const;
     void buildTitleUrl();
     void writeReplyBody(const char *, size_t len);
     void completeForwarding() override;
@@ -2304,15 +2303,7 @@ ftpReadQuit(Ftp::Gateway * ftpState)
     ftpState->serverComplete();
 }
 
-/// absolute request URI path after successful decoding of all pct-encoding sequences
-std::optional<SBuf>
-Ftp::Gateway::decodedRequestUriPath() const
-{
-    return AnyP::Uri::Decode(request->url.absolutePath());
-}
-
 /// \prec !ftpState->flags.try_slash_hack
-/// \prec ftpState->decodedRequestUriPath()
 static void
 ftpTrySlashHack(Ftp::Gateway * ftpState)
 {
@@ -2325,9 +2316,10 @@ ftpTrySlashHack(Ftp::Gateway * ftpState)
         wordlistDestroy(&ftpState->pathcomps);
 
     /* Build the new path */
-    // XXX: Conversion to c-string effectively truncates where %00 was decoded
     safe_free(ftpState->filepath);
-    ftpState->filepath = SBufToCstring(ftpState->decodedRequestUriPath().value());
+    const auto path = SBufToCstring(ftpState->request->url.absolutePath());
+    rfc1738_unescape(path);
+    ftpState->filepath = path;
 
     /* And off we go */
     ftpGetFile(ftpState);
@@ -2382,15 +2374,13 @@ ftpFail(Ftp::Gateway *ftpState)
            " reply code " << code << "flags(" <<
            (ftpState->flags.isdir?"IS_DIR,":"") <<
            (ftpState->flags.try_slash_hack?"TRY_SLASH_HACK":"") << "), " <<
-           "decodable_filepath=" << bool(ftpState->decodedRequestUriPath()) << ' ' <<
            "mdtm=" << ftpState->mdtm << ", size=" << ftpState->theSize <<
            "slashhack=" << (slashHack? "T":"F"));
 
     /* Try the / hack to support "Netscape" FTP URL's for retrieving files */
     if (!ftpState->flags.isdir &&   /* Not a directory */
             !ftpState->flags.try_slash_hack && !slashHack && /* Not doing slash hack */
-            ftpState->mdtm <= 0 && ftpState->theSize < 0 && /* Not known as a file */
-            ftpState->decodedRequestUriPath()) {
+            ftpState->mdtm <= 0 && ftpState->theSize < 0) { /* Not known as a file */
 
         switch (ftpState->state) {