diff --git a/s3api/utils/name_validate.go b/s3api/utils/name_validate.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f8250e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/s3api/utils/name_validate.go
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+// Copyright 2025 Versity Software
+// This file is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+// (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+// with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+// software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+// "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+// KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+// specific language governing permissions and limitations
+// under the License.
+
+package utils
+
+func IsObjectNameValid(name string) bool {
+	switch clean(name) {
+	case "", ".", "..", "/":
+		return false
+	}
+
+	return isObjectLocal(name)
+}
diff --git a/s3api/utils/path.go b/s3api/utils/path.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b49c80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/s3api/utils/path.go
@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+// Copyright 2024 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// code modified from golang std library src/internal/filepathlite/path.go
+// to support path separator '/' for all platforms.
+package utils
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+)
+
+const separator = '/'
+
+// isObjectLocal checks if the given path would result in an object
+// that is local to the bucket.
+func isObjectLocal(path string) bool {
+	if path == "" || path == "." {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	path = strings.Join([]string{".", path}, string(separator))
+
+	hasDots := false
+	for p := path; p != ""; {
+		var part string
+		part, p, _ = strings.Cut(p, "/")
+		if part == "." || part == ".." {
+			hasDots = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if hasDots {
+		path = clean(path)
+	}
+	if path == ".." || strings.HasPrefix(path, "../") {
+		return false
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+func clean(path string) string {
+	originalPath := path
+	if path == "" {
+		return originalPath + "."
+	}
+	rooted := isPathSeparator(path[0])
+
+	// Invariants:
+	//	reading from path; r is index of next byte to process.
+	//	writing to buf; w is index of next byte to write.
+	//	dotdot is index in buf where .. must stop, either because
+	//		it is the leading slash or it is a leading ../../.. prefix.
+	n := len(path)
+	out := lazybuf{path: path, volAndPath: originalPath, volLen: 0}
+	r, dotdot := 0, 0
+	if rooted {
+		out.append(separator)
+		r, dotdot = 1, 1
+	}
+
+	for r < n {
+		switch {
+		case isPathSeparator(path[r]):
+			// empty path element
+			r++
+		case path[r] == '.' && (r+1 == n || isPathSeparator(path[r+1])):
+			// . element
+			r++
+		case path[r] == '.' && path[r+1] == '.' && (r+2 == n || isPathSeparator(path[r+2])):
+			// .. element: remove to last separator
+			r += 2
+			switch {
+			case out.w > dotdot:
+				// can backtrack
+				out.w--
+				for out.w > dotdot && !isPathSeparator(out.index(out.w)) {
+					out.w--
+				}
+			case !rooted:
+				// cannot backtrack, but not rooted, so append .. element.
+				if out.w > 0 {
+					out.append(separator)
+				}
+				out.append('.')
+				out.append('.')
+				dotdot = out.w
+			}
+		default:
+			// real path element.
+			// add slash if needed
+			if rooted && out.w != 1 || !rooted && out.w != 0 {
+				out.append(separator)
+			}
+			// copy element
+			for ; r < n && !isPathSeparator(path[r]); r++ {
+				out.append(path[r])
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Turn empty string into "."
+	if out.w == 0 {
+		out.append('.')
+	}
+
+	return FromSlash(out.string())
+}
+
+func isPathSeparator(c uint8) bool {
+	return c == '/'
+}
+
+func FromSlash(path string) string {
+	if separator == '/' {
+		return path
+	}
+	return replaceStringByte(path, '/', separator)
+}
+
+func replaceStringByte(s string, old, new byte) string {
+	if strings.IndexByte(s, old) == -1 {
+		return s
+	}
+	n := []byte(s)
+	for i := range n {
+		if n[i] == old {
+			n[i] = new
+		}
+	}
+	return string(n)
+}
+
+// A lazybuf is a lazily constructed path buffer.
+// It supports append, reading previously appended bytes,
+// and retrieving the final string. It does not allocate a buffer
+// to hold the output until that output diverges from s.
+type lazybuf struct {
+	path       string
+	buf        []byte
+	w          int
+	volAndPath string
+	volLen     int
+}
+
+func (b *lazybuf) index(i int) byte {
+	if b.buf != nil {
+		return b.buf[i]
+	}
+	return b.path[i]
+}
+
+func (b *lazybuf) append(c byte) {
+	if b.buf == nil {
+		if b.w < len(b.path) && b.path[b.w] == c {
+			b.w++
+			return
+		}
+		b.buf = make([]byte, len(b.path))
+		copy(b.buf, b.path[:b.w])
+	}
+	b.buf[b.w] = c
+	b.w++
+}
+
+func (b *lazybuf) string() string {
+	if b.buf == nil {
+		return b.volAndPath[:b.volLen+b.w]
+	}
+	return b.volAndPath[:b.volLen] + string(b.buf[:b.w])
+}
diff --git a/s3api/utils/path_test.go b/s3api/utils/path_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68ee554
--- /dev/null
+++ b/s3api/utils/path_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+// Copyright 2025 Versity Software
+// This file is licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+// (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
+// with the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//   http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+// software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+// "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+// KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+// specific language governing permissions and limitations
+// under the License.
+
+package utils_test
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/versity/versitygw/s3api/utils"
+)
+
+func TestIsObjectNameValid(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name  string
+		input string
+		want  bool
+	}{
+		// valid names
+		{"simple file", "file.txt", true},
+		{"nested file", "dir/file.txt", true},
+		{"absolute nested file", "/dir/file.txt", true},
+		{"trailing slash", "dir/", true},
+		{"slash prefix", "/file.txt", true}, // treated as local after joined with bucket
+		{"dot slash prefix", "./file.txt", true},
+
+		// invalid names
+		{"dot dot only", "..", false},
+		{"dot only", ".", false},
+		{"dot slash", "./", false},
+		{"dot slash dot dot", "./..", false},
+		{"cleans to dot", "./../.", false},
+		{"empty", "", false},
+		{"file escapes 1", "../file.txt", false},
+		{"file escapes 2", "dir/../../file.txt", false},
+		{"file escapes 3", "../../../file.txt", false},
+		{"dir escapes 1", "../dir/", false},
+		{"dir escapes 2", "dir/../../dir/", false},
+		{"dir escapes 3", "../../../dir/", false},
+		{"dot escapes 1", "../.", false},
+		{"dot escapes 2", "dir/../../.", false},
+		{"dot escapes 3", "../../../.", false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := utils.IsObjectNameValid(tt.input)
+			if got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("%v: IsObjectNameValid(%q) = %v, want %v",
+					tt.name, tt.input, got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}