diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index be1e999f9..c6092d7d8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@openrouter/spawn",
-  "version": "0.27.6",
+  "version": "0.27.7",
   "type": "module",
   "bin": {
     "spawn": "cli.js"
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/aws/aws.ts b/packages/cli/src/aws/aws.ts
index 2d96ec1dd..accea4a66 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/aws/aws.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/aws/aws.ts
@@ -1178,15 +1178,15 @@ export async function uploadFile(localPath: string, remotePath: string): Promise
 }
 
 export async function downloadFile(remotePath: string, localPath: string): Promise<void> {
-  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(remotePath, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~$-]+$/);
+  const expandedRemote = remotePath.replace(/^\$HOME\//, "~/");
+  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(expandedRemote, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~-]+$/);
   const keyOpts = getSshKeyOpts(await ensureSshKeys());
-  const expandedPath = normalizedRemote.replace(/^\$HOME/, "~");
   const proc = Bun.spawn(
     [
       "scp",
       ...SSH_BASE_OPTS,
       ...keyOpts,
-      `${SSH_USER}@${_state.instanceIp}:${expandedPath}`,
+      `${SSH_USER}@${_state.instanceIp}:${normalizedRemote}`,
       localPath,
     ],
     {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/digitalocean/digitalocean.ts b/packages/cli/src/digitalocean/digitalocean.ts
index 638114b99..ddd97d7d8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/digitalocean/digitalocean.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/digitalocean/digitalocean.ts
@@ -1448,17 +1448,17 @@ export async function uploadFile(localPath: string, remotePath: string, ip?: str
 
 export async function downloadFile(remotePath: string, localPath: string, ip?: string): Promise<void> {
   const serverIp = ip || _state.serverIp;
-  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(remotePath, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~$-]+$/);
+  const expandedRemote = remotePath.replace(/^\$HOME\//, "~/");
+  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(expandedRemote, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~-]+$/);
 
   const keyOpts = getSshKeyOpts(await ensureSshKeys());
-  const expandedPath = normalizedRemote.replace(/^\$HOME/, "~");
 
   const proc = Bun.spawn(
     [
       "scp",
       ...SSH_BASE_OPTS,
       ...keyOpts,
-      `root@${serverIp}:${expandedPath}`,
+      `root@${serverIp}:${normalizedRemote}`,
       localPath,
     ],
     {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/gcp/gcp.ts b/packages/cli/src/gcp/gcp.ts
index 4feef7e60..6d563177b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/gcp/gcp.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/gcp/gcp.ts
@@ -1028,10 +1028,9 @@ export async function uploadFile(localPath: string, remotePath: string): Promise
     logError(`Invalid local path: ${localPath}`);
     throw new Error("Invalid local path");
   }
-  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(remotePath, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~$-]+$/);
+  const expandedRemote = remotePath.replace(/^\$HOME\//, "~/");
+  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(expandedRemote, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~-]+$/);
   const username = resolveUsername();
-  // Expand $HOME on remote side
-  const expandedPath = normalizedRemote.replace(/^\$HOME/, "~");
   const keyOpts = getSshKeyOpts(await ensureSshKeys());
 
   const proc = Bun.spawn(
@@ -1040,7 +1039,7 @@ export async function uploadFile(localPath: string, remotePath: string): Promise
       ...SSH_BASE_OPTS,
       ...keyOpts,
       localPath,
-      `${username}@${_state.serverIp}:${expandedPath}`,
+      `${username}@${_state.serverIp}:${normalizedRemote}`,
     ],
     {
       stdio: [
@@ -1067,9 +1066,9 @@ export async function downloadFile(remotePath: string, localPath: string): Promi
     logError(`Invalid local path: ${localPath}`);
     throw new Error("Invalid local path");
   }
-  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(remotePath, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~$-]+$/);
+  const expandedRemote = remotePath.replace(/^\$HOME\//, "~/");
+  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(expandedRemote, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~-]+$/);
   const username = resolveUsername();
-  const expandedPath = normalizedRemote.replace(/^\$HOME/, "~");
   const keyOpts = getSshKeyOpts(await ensureSshKeys());
 
   const proc = Bun.spawn(
@@ -1077,7 +1076,7 @@ export async function downloadFile(remotePath: string, localPath: string): Promi
       "scp",
       ...SSH_BASE_OPTS,
       ...keyOpts,
-      `${username}@${_state.serverIp}:${expandedPath}`,
+      `${username}@${_state.serverIp}:${normalizedRemote}`,
       localPath,
     ],
     {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/hetzner/hetzner.ts b/packages/cli/src/hetzner/hetzner.ts
index f76c43aed..c38c497ae 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/hetzner/hetzner.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/hetzner/hetzner.ts
@@ -909,17 +909,17 @@ export async function uploadFile(localPath: string, remotePath: string, ip?: str
 
 export async function downloadFile(remotePath: string, localPath: string, ip?: string): Promise<void> {
   const serverIp = ip || _state.serverIp;
-  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(remotePath, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~$-]+$/);
+  const expandedRemote = remotePath.replace(/^\$HOME\//, "~/");
+  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(expandedRemote, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~-]+$/);
 
   const keyOpts = getSshKeyOpts(await ensureSshKeys());
-  const expandedPath = normalizedRemote.replace(/^\$HOME/, "~");
 
   const proc = Bun.spawn(
     [
       "scp",
       ...SSH_BASE_OPTS,
       ...keyOpts,
-      `root@${serverIp}:${expandedPath}`,
+      `root@${serverIp}:${normalizedRemote}`,
       localPath,
     ],
     {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/sprite/sprite.ts b/packages/cli/src/sprite/sprite.ts
index 047079622..f7284d18f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/sprite/sprite.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/sprite/sprite.ts
@@ -657,10 +657,10 @@ export async function uploadFileSprite(localPath: string, remotePath: string): P
 
 /** Download a file from the remote sprite by catting it to stdout. */
 export async function downloadFileSprite(remotePath: string, localPath: string): Promise<void> {
-  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(remotePath, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~$-]+$/);
+  const expandedRemote = remotePath.replace(/^\$HOME\//, "~/");
+  const normalizedRemote = validateRemotePath(expandedRemote, /^[a-zA-Z0-9/_.~-]+$/);
 
   const spriteCmd = getSpriteCmd()!;
-  const expandedPath = normalizedRemote.replace(/^\$HOME/, "~");
 
   await spriteRetry("sprite download", async () => {
     const proc = Bun.spawn(
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ export async function downloadFileSprite(remotePath: string, localPath: string):
         _state.name,
         "--",
         "cat",
-        expandedPath,
+        normalizedRemote,
       ],
       {
         stdio: [