diff --git a/builtin/worktree.c b/builtin/worktree.c
index 3f9907fcc9..b0266f2d44 100644
--- a/builtin/worktree.c
+++ b/builtin/worktree.c
@@ -275,6 +275,7 @@ static int add_worktree(const char *path, const char *refname,
 	struct strbuf symref = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct commit *commit = NULL;
 	int is_branch = 0;
+	struct strbuf sb_name = STRBUF_INIT;
 
 	validate_worktree_add(path, opts);
 
@@ -290,7 +291,13 @@ static int add_worktree(const char *path, const char *refname,
 		die(_("invalid reference: %s"), refname);
 
 	name = worktree_basename(path, &len);
-	git_path_buf(&sb_repo, "worktrees/%.*s", (int)(path + len - name), name);
+	strbuf_add(&sb, name, path + len - name);
+	sanitize_refname_component(sb.buf, &sb_name);
+	if (!sb_name.len)
+		BUG("How come '%s' becomes empty after sanitization?", sb.buf);
+	strbuf_reset(&sb);
+	name = sb_name.buf;
+	git_path_buf(&sb_repo, "worktrees/%s", name);
 	len = sb_repo.len;
 	if (safe_create_leading_directories_const(sb_repo.buf))
 		die_errno(_("could not create leading directories of '%s'"),
@@ -415,6 +422,7 @@ done:
 	strbuf_release(&symref);
 	strbuf_release(&sb_repo);
 	strbuf_release(&sb_git);
+	strbuf_release(&sb_name);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 142888a40a..94e8d461c7 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ static unsigned char refname_disposition[256] = {
  * not legal.  It is legal if it is something reasonable to have under
  * ".git/refs/"; We do not like it if:
  *
- * - any path component of it begins with ".", or
+ * - it begins with ".", or
  * - it has double dots "..", or
  * - it has ASCII control characters, or
  * - it has ":", "?", "[", "\", "^", "~", SP, or TAB anywhere, or
@@ -71,31 +71,63 @@ static unsigned char refname_disposition[256] = {
  * - it ends with a "/", or
  * - it ends with ".lock", or
  * - it contains a "@{" portion
+ *
+ * When sanitized is not NULL, instead of rejecting the input refname
+ * as an error, try to come up with a usable replacement for the input
+ * refname in it.
  */
-static int check_refname_component(const char *refname, int *flags)
+static int check_refname_component(const char *refname, int *flags,
+				   struct strbuf *sanitized)
 {
 	const char *cp;
 	char last = '\0';
+	size_t component_start = 0; /* garbage - not a reasonable initial value */
+
+	if (sanitized)
+		component_start = sanitized->len;
 
 	for (cp = refname; ; cp++) {
 		int ch = *cp & 255;
 		unsigned char disp = refname_disposition[ch];
+
+		if (sanitized && disp != 1)
+			strbuf_addch(sanitized, ch);
+
 		switch (disp) {
 		case 1:
 			goto out;
 		case 2:
-			if (last == '.')
-				return -1; /* Refname contains "..". */
+			if (last == '.') { /* Refname contains "..". */
+				if (sanitized)
+					/* collapse ".." to single "." */
+					strbuf_setlen(sanitized, sanitized->len - 1);
+				else
+					return -1;
+			}
 			break;
 		case 3:
-			if (last == '@')
-				return -1; /* Refname contains "@{". */
+			if (last == '@') { /* Refname contains "@{". */
+				if (sanitized)
+					sanitized->buf[sanitized->len-1] = '-';
+				else
+					return -1;
+			}
 			break;
 		case 4:
-			return -1;
+			/* forbidden char */
+			if (sanitized)
+				sanitized->buf[sanitized->len-1] = '-';
+			else
+				return -1;
+			break;
 		case 5:
-			if (!(*flags & REFNAME_REFSPEC_PATTERN))
-				return -1; /* refspec can't be a pattern */
+			if (!(*flags & REFNAME_REFSPEC_PATTERN)) {
+				/* refspec can't be a pattern */
+				if (sanitized)
+					sanitized->buf[sanitized->len-1] = '-';
+				else
+					return -1;
+			}
 
 			/*
 			 * Unset the pattern flag so that we only accept
@@ -109,26 +141,48 @@ static int check_refname_component(const char *refname, int *flags)
 out:
 	if (cp == refname)
 		return 0; /* Component has zero length. */
-	if (refname[0] == '.')
-		return -1; /* Component starts with '.'. */
+
+	if (refname[0] == '.') { /* Component starts with '.'. */
+		if (sanitized)
+			sanitized->buf[component_start] = '-';
+		else
+			return -1;
+	}
 	if (cp - refname >= LOCK_SUFFIX_LEN &&
-	    !memcmp(cp - LOCK_SUFFIX_LEN, LOCK_SUFFIX, LOCK_SUFFIX_LEN))
-		return -1; /* Refname ends with ".lock". */
+	    !memcmp(cp - LOCK_SUFFIX_LEN, LOCK_SUFFIX, LOCK_SUFFIX_LEN)) {
+		if (!sanitized)
+			return -1;
+		/* Refname ends with ".lock". */
+		while (strbuf_strip_suffix(sanitized, LOCK_SUFFIX)) {
+			/* try again in case we have .lock.lock */
+		}
+	}
 	return cp - refname;
 }
 
-int check_refname_format(const char *refname, int flags)
+static int check_or_sanitize_refname(const char *refname, int flags,
+				     struct strbuf *sanitized)
 {
 	int component_len, component_count = 0;
 
-	if (!strcmp(refname, "@"))
+	if (!strcmp(refname, "@")) {
 		/* Refname is a single character '@'. */
-		return -1;
+		if (sanitized)
+			strbuf_addch(sanitized, '-');
+		else
+			return -1;
+	}
 
 	while (1) {
+		if (sanitized && sanitized->len)
+			strbuf_complete(sanitized, '/');
+
 		/* We are at the start of a path component. */
-		component_len = check_refname_component(refname, &flags);
-		if (component_len <= 0)
+		component_len = check_refname_component(refname, &flags,
+							sanitized);
+		if (sanitized && component_len == 0)
+			; /* OK, omit empty component */
+		else if (component_len <= 0)
 			return -1;
 
 		component_count++;
@@ -138,13 +192,29 @@ int check_refname_format(const char *refname, int flags)
 		refname += component_len + 1;
 	}
 
-	if (refname[component_len - 1] == '.')
-		return -1; /* Refname ends with '.'. */
+	if (refname[component_len - 1] == '.') {
+		/* Refname ends with '.'. */
+		if (sanitized)
+			; /* omit ending dot */
+		else
+			return -1;
+	}
 	if (!(flags & REFNAME_ALLOW_ONELEVEL) && component_count < 2)
 		return -1; /* Refname has only one component. */
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int check_refname_format(const char *refname, int flags)
+{
+	return check_or_sanitize_refname(refname, flags, NULL);
+}
+
+void sanitize_refname_component(const char *refname, struct strbuf *out)
+{
+	if (check_or_sanitize_refname(refname, REFNAME_ALLOW_ONELEVEL, out))
+		BUG("sanitizing refname '%s' check returned error", refname);
+}
+
 int refname_is_safe(const char *refname)
 {
 	const char *rest;
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index 308fa1f03b..4d8c5465c3 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -460,6 +460,12 @@ int for_each_reflog(each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
  */
 int check_refname_format(const char *refname, int flags);
 
+/*
+ * Apply the rules from check_refname_format, but mutate the result until it
+ * is acceptable, and place the result in "out".
+ */
+void sanitize_refname_component(const char *refname, struct strbuf *out);
+
 const char *prettify_refname(const char *refname);
 
 char *shorten_unambiguous_ref(const char *refname, int strict);
diff --git a/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh b/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
index 286bba35d8..c989dbe321 100755
--- a/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
+++ b/t/t2400-worktree-add.sh
@@ -570,4 +570,9 @@ test_expect_success '"add" an existing locked but missing worktree' '
 	git worktree add --force --force --detach gnoo
 '
 
+test_expect_success FUNNYNAMES 'sanitize generated worktree name' '
+	git worktree add --detach ".  weird*..?.lock.lock" &&
+	test -d .git/worktrees/---weird-.-
+'
+
 test_done