diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index e9fed03..612d5a7 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -42,15 +42,53 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Validate a user-supplied image name before it is used in a registry path.
+///
+/// The name becomes a directory under `$XDG_DATA_HOME/slim-rs/registry/`, so
+/// path separators and `.`/`..` would allow escaping that directory.
+/// Allow-list: ASCII alphanumerics plus `.`, `_`, `:`, `-` (covers image
+/// refs like `alpine:3.15`).
+fn validate_image_name(name: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    let valid = !name.is_empty()
+        && name != "."
+        && name != ".."
+        && name
+            .chars()
+            .all(|c| c.is_ascii_alphanumeric() || matches!(c, '.' | '_' | ':' | '-'));
+    if !valid {
+        bail!(
+            "invalid image name '{name}': must be non-empty and contain only \
+             alphanumerics, '.', '_', ':' and '-' (no path separators or '..')"
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 fn registry_dir(image: &str) -> Result<PathBuf> {
+    validate_image_name(image)?;
     let base = xdg::BaseDirectories::with_prefix("slim-rs");
     let initrd_path = base
-        .place_data_file(format!("registry/{}/initrd", image))
+        .place_data_file(format!("registry/{image}/initrd"))
         .context("Failed to write to XDG_DATA_HOME")?;
-    Ok(initrd_path
+    let reg_dir = initrd_path
         .parent()
         .expect("data file has a parent")
-        .to_owned())
+        .to_owned();
+
+    // Defense in depth: the constructed path must stay inside the registry.
+    let registry_root = base
+        .place_data_file("registry/.root-check")
+        .context("Failed to write to XDG_DATA_HOME")?
+        .parent()
+        .expect("data file has a parent")
+        .to_owned();
+    if !reg_dir.starts_with(&registry_root) {
+        bail!(
+            "invalid image name '{image}': registry path escapes {}",
+            registry_root.display()
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(reg_dir)
 }
 
 fn build(image: &str) -> Result<()> {
@@ -207,3 +245,44 @@ fn run(name: &str) -> Result<()> {
     }
     Ok(())
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::validate_image_name;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn accepts_valid_image_names() {
+        for name in [
+            "alpine:3.15",
+            "slim",
+            "mock-vm",
+            "my_vm",
+            "a.b.c",
+            "vm-1.2.3",
+        ] {
+            validate_image_name(name).unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("{name} rejected: {e}"));
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn rejects_traversal_and_separators() {
+        for name in [
+            "",
+            ".",
+            "..",
+            "../evil",
+            "../../tmp/evil",
+            "a/b",
+            "/abs",
+            "a\\b",
+            "foo bar",
+            "vm;rm",
+            "vm\n",
+        ] {
+            assert!(
+                validate_image_name(name).is_err(),
+                "{name:?} should be rejected"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}