diff --git a/src/components/provider-gateway/package.json b/src/components/provider-gateway/package.json
index bafc518c..3aea6591 100644
--- a/src/components/provider-gateway/package.json
+++ b/src/components/provider-gateway/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@unidesk/provider-gateway",
-  "version": "0.2.31",
+  "version": "0.2.32",
   "private": true,
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/src/components/provider-gateway/scripts/host-ssh-shell.sh b/src/components/provider-gateway/scripts/host-ssh-shell.sh
index 3a12d410..dca34883 100755
--- a/src/components/provider-gateway/scripts/host-ssh-shell.sh
+++ b/src/components/provider-gateway/scripts/host-ssh-shell.sh
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ port="${HOST_SSH_PORT}"
 user="${HOST_SSH_USER}"
 key="${HOST_SSH_KEY}"
 fallback_cwd="${HOST_REMOTE_CWD}"
+explicit_cwd=0
+if [ "${UNIDESK_REQUESTED_CWD+x}" = x ]; then
+  explicit_cwd=1
+fi
 requested_cwd="${UNIDESK_REQUESTED_CWD:-$fallback_cwd}"
 login_shell="${HOST_LOGIN_SHELL}"
 
@@ -16,7 +20,12 @@ quote() {
 q_requested=$(quote "$requested_cwd")
 q_fallback=$(quote "$fallback_cwd")
 q_shell=$(quote "$login_shell")
-remote_cmd="cd $q_requested 2>/dev/null || cd $q_fallback 2>/dev/null || cd; export UNIDESK_BRIDGE=host-ssh; exec $q_shell -l"
+if [ "$explicit_cwd" = 1 ]; then
+  q_error=$(quote "UNIDESK_SSH_CWD_FAILED {\"code\":\"ssh-cwd-failed\",\"failureKind\":\"cwd-failed\",\"cwd\":\"$requested_cwd\",\"message\":\"requested host ssh cwd does not exist or is not accessible\"}")
+  remote_cmd="cd $q_requested 2>/dev/null || { printf '%s\n' $q_error >&2; exit 1; }; export UNIDESK_BRIDGE=host-ssh; exec $q_shell -l"
+else
+  remote_cmd="cd $q_requested 2>/dev/null || cd $q_fallback 2>/dev/null || cd; export UNIDESK_BRIDGE=host-ssh; exec $q_shell -l"
+fi
 tty_arg="-T"
 if [ -t 0 ] && [ -t 1 ]; then
   tty_arg="-tt"
diff --git a/src/components/provider-gateway/src/index.ts b/src/components/provider-gateway/src/index.ts
index 04389c7e..014dcdfe 100644
--- a/src/components/provider-gateway/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/components/provider-gateway/src/index.ts
@@ -1757,15 +1757,30 @@ async function runHostSsh(payload: Record<string, JsonValue>): Promise<JsonValue
   };
 }
 
+function hostSshCwdFailureLine(cwd: string): string {
+  return `UNIDESK_SSH_CWD_FAILED ${JSON.stringify({
+    code: "ssh-cwd-failed",
+    failureKind: "cwd-failed",
+    cwd,
+    message: "requested host ssh cwd does not exist or is not accessible",
+  })}`;
+}
+
+function hostSshEnterCwdScript(requestedCwd: string, fallbackCwd: string, explicitCwd: boolean): string {
+  if (!explicitCwd) return `cd ${shellQuote(requestedCwd)} 2>/dev/null || cd ${shellQuote(fallbackCwd)} 2>/dev/null || cd`;
+  return `cd ${shellQuote(requestedCwd)} 2>/dev/null || { printf '%s\\n' ${shellQuote(hostSshCwdFailureLine(requestedCwd))} >&2; exit 1; }`;
+}
+
 function hostSshRemoteScript(command: string | null, cwd: string | null, allocateTty: boolean, cols?: number, rows?: number): string {
   const fallbackCwd = config.hostRemoteCwd ?? `/home/${config.hostSshUser ?? "root"}`;
+  const explicitCwd = cwd !== null;
   const requestedCwd = cwd ?? fallbackCwd;
   if (command !== null && command.length > 0) assertHostSshCommandAllowed(command, requestedCwd);
   const loginShell = config.hostLoginShell ?? "/bin/bash";
   const resize = allocateTty && Number.isFinite(cols) && Number.isFinite(rows)
     ? `stty rows ${Math.max(8, Math.min(120, Math.floor(rows ?? 30)))} cols ${Math.max(20, Math.min(300, Math.floor(cols ?? 100)))} 2>/dev/null || true`
     : "true";
-  const enterCwd = `cd ${shellQuote(requestedCwd)} 2>/dev/null || cd ${shellQuote(fallbackCwd)} 2>/dev/null || cd`;
+  const enterCwd = hostSshEnterCwdScript(requestedCwd, fallbackCwd, explicitCwd);
   const exports = `export UNIDESK_BRIDGE=host.ssh; export UNIDESK_PROVIDER_ID=${shellQuote(config.providerId)}`;
   const execPart = command === null || command.length === 0
     ? `exec ${shellQuote(loginShell)} -l`