diff --git a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/printer.scrbl b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/printer.scrbl
index 847e4044b4..3f4ef2be72 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/printer.scrbl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/printer.scrbl
@@ -593,14 +593,14 @@ not normally printed in a way that can be read back in, path literals
 can be written and read as part of compiled code. The
 @racket[current-write-relative-directory] parameter is used to convert
 the path to a relative path as is it written, and then
-@racket[current-load-relative-directory] parameter is used to convert
-any relative path back as it is read. The relative-path conversion
-applies on reading whether the path was originally relative or not.
+@racket[current-load-relative-directory] parameter (falling back to
+@racket[current-directory]) is used to convert
+any relative path back as it is read.
 
 For a path in a syntax object's source, if the
-@racket[current-load-relative-directory] parameter is not set of the
+@racket[current-write-relative-directory] parameter is not set or the
 path is not relative to the value of the
-@racket[current-load-relative-directory] parameter, then the path is
+@racket[current-write-relative-directory] parameter, then the path is
 coerced to a string that preserves only part of the path (an in effort
 to make it less tied to the build-time filesystem, which can be
 different than the run-time filesystem).
diff --git a/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/serialize.rktl b/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/serialize.rktl
index e6f2a1b298..4b1025ee06 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/serialize.rktl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/serialize.rktl
@@ -717,7 +717,7 @@
    (deserialize (serialize root #:relative-directory (build-path root "a"))))
 
   (test
-   (build-path 'same)
+   (build-path (current-directory) 'same)
    'this-dir-path
    (parameterize ([current-load-relative-directory #f])
      (deserialize (serialize (build-path root 'same) #:relative-directory root)))))
diff --git a/racket/collects/racket/private/relative-path.rkt b/racket/collects/racket/private/relative-path.rkt
index 7b38259b89..f5738a27fe 100644
--- a/racket/collects/racket/private/relative-path.rkt
+++ b/racket/collects/racket/private/relative-path.rkt
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
          make-path->relative-path-elements)
 
 (define (relative-path-elements->path elems)
-  (define wrt-dir (current-load-relative-directory))
+  (define wrt-dir (or (current-load-relative-directory)
+                      (current-directory)))
   (define rel-elems (for/list ([p (in-list elems)])
                       (if (bytes? p) (bytes->path-element p) p)))
   (cond
diff --git a/racket/src/cs/schemified/schemify.scm b/racket/src/cs/schemified/schemify.scm
index d91a21716e..0a5874610c 100644
--- a/racket/src/cs/schemified/schemify.scm
+++ b/racket/src/cs/schemified/schemify.scm
@@ -48042,7 +48042,9 @@
     (lambda (e_0) (xify_0 e_0 hash2610))))
 (define relative-path-elements->path
   (lambda (elems_0)
-    (let ((wrt-dir_0 (current-load-relative-directory)))
+    (let ((wrt-dir_0
+           (let ((or-part_0 (current-load-relative-directory)))
+             (if or-part_0 or-part_0 (current-directory)))))
       (let ((rel-elems_0
              (reverse$1
               (begin