diff --git a/mercurial/hgweb/webutil.py b/mercurial/hgweb/webutil.py
--- a/mercurial/hgweb/webutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/hgweb/webutil.py
@@ -320,7 +320,8 @@ def branchentries(repo, stripecount, lim
 
 def cleanpath(repo, path):
     path = path.lstrip('/')
-    return pathutil.canonpath(repo.root, '', path)
+    auditor = pathutil.pathauditor(repo.root, realfs=False)
+    return pathutil.canonpath(repo.root, '', path, auditor=auditor)
 
 def changectx(repo, req):
     changeid = "tip"
diff --git a/tests/test-hgwebdir.t b/tests/test-hgwebdir.t
--- a/tests/test-hgwebdir.t
+++ b/tests/test-hgwebdir.t
@@ -1231,14 +1231,15 @@ Test subrepositories inside intermediate
   
   f2
 
-Test accessing file that is shadowed by another repository
+Test accessing file that could be shadowed by another repository if the URL
+path were audited as a working-directory path:
 
   $ get-with-headers.py localhost:$HGPORT1 'rcoll/notrepo/f/file/tip/f3/file?style=raw'
-  403 Forbidden
-  
+  200 Script output follows
   
-  error: path 'f3/file' is inside nested repo 'f3'
-  [1]
+  f3/file
+
+Test accessing working-directory file that is shadowed by another repository
 
   $ get-with-headers.py localhost:$HGPORT1 'rcoll/notrepo/f/file/ffffffffffff/f3/file?style=raw'
   403 Forbidden