diff --git a/src/skillspector/input_handler.py b/src/skillspector/input_handler.py
index 6468bbf3..04a72f07 100644
--- a/src/skillspector/input_handler.py
+++ b/src/skillspector/input_handler.py
@@ -443,6 +443,41 @@ def _windows_last_error() -> OSError:
     return cast(OSError, ctypes.WinError(ctypes.get_last_error()))  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
 
 
+def _windows_long_path_name(path: str) -> str:
+    """Expand any 8.3 short components of a Windows path to their long form.
+
+    ``GetFinalPathNameByHandleW`` always answers with long components, while the
+    requested path may carry short ones: Windows keeps an 8.3 alias for a
+    directory whose name holds a space, so a profile directory such as
+    ``C:\\Users\\Hoang Pham`` reaches the scanner as ``C:\\Users\\HOANGP~1`` by way
+    of ``%TEMP%``. Comparing the two spellings without expanding them first
+    rejects every file below such a path.
+
+    The short name is an alias the filesystem keeps for one directory entry, so
+    expanding it names that same entry and does not resolve symlinks or
+    junctions; the reparse-point checks around the caller keep their meaning. A
+    path that no longer resolves comes back unchanged, which leaves that caller
+    fail-closed.
+    """
+    import ctypes
+    from ctypes import wintypes
+
+    kernel32 = ctypes.WinDLL("kernel32", use_last_error=True)  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+    get_long_path_name = kernel32.GetLongPathNameW
+    get_long_path_name.argtypes = [wintypes.LPCWSTR, wintypes.LPWSTR, wintypes.DWORD]
+    get_long_path_name.restype = wintypes.DWORD
+
+    buffer_size = 260
+    while True:
+        buffer = ctypes.create_unicode_buffer(buffer_size)
+        result = cast(int, get_long_path_name(path, buffer, buffer_size))
+        if result == 0:
+            return path
+        if result < buffer_size:
+            return buffer.value
+        buffer_size = result + 1
+
+
 def _windows_normalized_path(path: str) -> str:
     """Normalize a Windows DOS path for an exact opened-handle comparison."""
     long_path_prefix = "\\\\?\\"
@@ -451,7 +486,8 @@ def _windows_normalized_path(path: str) -> str:
         path = "\\\\" + path[len(long_unc_prefix) :]
     elif path.startswith(long_path_prefix):
         path = path[len(long_path_prefix) :]
-    return os.path.normcase(os.path.normpath(os.path.abspath(path)))
+    absolute = os.path.normpath(os.path.abspath(path))
+    return os.path.normcase(_windows_long_path_name(absolute))
 
 
 def _close_fd_safely(fd: int) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_input_handler.py b/tests/unit/test_input_handler.py
index ec52b678..bce9b243 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_input_handler.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_input_handler.py
@@ -40,8 +40,13 @@ def _mock_windows_secure_open(
     handle: int = 1,
     attributes: int = 0,
     final_path: str | None = None,
+    long_names: dict[str, str] | None = None,
 ) -> None:
-    """Install a handle-level Windows open simulation on any platform."""
+    """Install a handle-level Windows open simulation on any platform.
+
+    ``long_names`` stands in for ``GetLongPathNameW``: it maps a path spelled
+    with an 8.3 short component to the long spelling the filesystem aliases.
+    """
 
     def get_file_information(_handle: int, information: object) -> bool:
         information._obj.dwFileAttributes = attributes  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
@@ -52,10 +57,16 @@ def get_final_path(_handle: int, buffer: object, _size: int, _flags: int) -> int
         buffer.value = opened_path  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
         return len(opened_path)
 
+    def get_long_path_name(path: str, buffer: object, _size: int) -> int:
+        expanded = (long_names or {}).get(path, path)
+        buffer.value = expanded  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+        return len(expanded)
+
     kernel32 = SimpleNamespace(
         CreateFileW=lambda *_args: handle,
         GetFileInformationByHandle=get_file_information,
         GetFinalPathNameByHandleW=get_final_path,
+        GetLongPathNameW=get_long_path_name,
         CloseHandle=lambda _handle: True,
     )
     msvcrt = SimpleNamespace(open_osfhandle=lambda _handle, _flags: os.open(source, os.O_RDONLY))
@@ -307,6 +318,37 @@ def test_windows_no_follow_open_rejects_reparse_point(
         _open_regular_file_from_windows_handle(source)
 
 
+def test_windows_no_follow_open_accepts_a_short_dos_name(
+    tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    """A path spelled with an 8.3 short component opens the entry it aliases."""
+    source = tmp_path / "SKILL.md"
+    source.write_text("# Skill", encoding="utf-8")
+    short = tmp_path / "SHORTN~1.MD"
+    _mock_windows_secure_open(
+        monkeypatch,
+        source,
+        final_path=str(source),
+        long_names={str(short): str(source)},
+    )
+
+    with _open_regular_file_from_windows_handle(short) as opened:
+        assert opened.read() == b"# Skill"
+
+
+def test_windows_no_follow_open_rejects_an_unresolvable_short_name(
+    tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    """A short name that no longer expands leaves the comparison fail-closed."""
+    source = tmp_path / "SKILL.md"
+    source.write_text("# Skill", encoding="utf-8")
+    short = tmp_path / "SHORTN~1.MD"
+    _mock_windows_secure_open(monkeypatch, source, final_path=str(source))
+
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Could not safely open"):
+        _open_regular_file_from_windows_handle(short)
+
+
 def test_windows_no_follow_open_rejects_canonical_path_mismatch(
     tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None: