diff --git a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/filesystem.scrbl b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/filesystem.scrbl
index a5d5279f0d..7a4e377198 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/filesystem.scrbl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/filesystem.scrbl
@@ -256,13 +256,14 @@ by @racket[kind], which must be one of the following:
          (listof (or/c path? 'same))]{
 
 Parses a string or byte string containing a list of paths, and returns
-a list of path strings. On @|AllUnix|, paths in a path list are
+a list of paths. On @|AllUnix|, paths in a path-list string are
 separated by a @litchar{:}; on Windows, paths are separated by a
 @litchar{;}, and all @litchar{"}s in the string are discarded. Whenever the path 
 list contains an empty path, the list
 @racket[default-path-list] is spliced into the returned list of
 paths. Parts of @racket[str] that do not form a valid path are not
-included in the returned list.
+included in the returned list. The given @racket[str] must not contain
+a nul character or nul byte.
 
 @history[#:changed "8.0.0.10" @elem{Changed to allow @racket['same] in
                                     @racket[default-path-list].}]}
diff --git a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/paths.scrbl b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/paths.scrbl
index a1e891ad86..a7c03088a5 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/paths.scrbl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-doc/scribblings/reference/paths.scrbl
@@ -87,8 +87,8 @@ on how strings encode paths.
          path?]{
 
 Produces a path (for some platform) whose byte-string encoding is
-@racket[bstr]. The optional @racket[type] specifies the convention to
-use for the path.
+@racket[bstr], where @racket[bstr] must not contain a nul byte. The
+optional @racket[type] specifies the convention to use for the path.
 
 For converting relative @tech{path elements} from literals, use instead
 @racket[bytes->path-element], which applies a suitable encoding for
diff --git a/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/path.rktl b/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/path.rktl
index 85cc96ca54..99a577d5f5 100644
--- a/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/path.rktl
+++ b/pkgs/racket-test-core/tests/racket/path.rktl
@@ -1043,6 +1043,18 @@
   (test "\\\\?\\q:\\tmp\\b\\UNC\\machine\\path\\x/y\\z" 
         reroot-path/w "\\\\?\\UNC\\machine\\path\\x/y\\z" "q:/tmp/b"))
 
+;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
+;; make sure `path-list-string->path-list` can deal with
+;; bytes that (likely) don't fit into the current locale's encoding
+
+(test (list (bytes->path #"a\200c")
+            (bytes->path #"def"))
+      path-list-string->path-list
+      (if (eq? (system-type) 'windows)
+          #"a\200c;def"
+          #"a\200c:def")
+      null)
+
 ;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
 
 (report-errs)
diff --git a/racket/collects/racket/private/executable-path.rkt b/racket/collects/racket/private/executable-path.rkt
index 1959177287..2cc2f12da7 100644
--- a/racket/collects/racket/private/executable-path.rkt
+++ b/racket/collects/racket/private/executable-path.rkt
@@ -39,14 +39,14 @@
          (if (and (relative-path? program)
                   (let-values ([(base name dir?) (split-path program)])
                     (eq? base 'relative)))
-             (let ([paths-str (environment-variables-ref (current-environment-variables)
-                                                         #"PATH")]
+             (let ([paths-bstr (environment-variables-ref (current-environment-variables)
+                                                          #"PATH")]
                    [win-add (lambda (s) (if (eq? (system-type) 'windows) 
                                        (cons (bytes->path #".") s) 
                                        s))])
                (let loop ([paths (win-add 
-                                  (if paths-str
-                                      (path-list-string->path-list (bytes->string/locale paths-str #\?)
+                                  (if paths-bstr
+                                      (path-list-string->path-list paths-bstr
                                                                    null)
                                       null))])
                  (if (null? paths)
diff --git a/racket/collects/racket/private/path-list.rkt b/racket/collects/racket/private/path-list.rkt
index 2283d702fb..58fa08c30f 100644
--- a/racket/collects/racket/private/path-list.rkt
+++ b/racket/collects/racket/private/path-list.rkt
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@
     (unless (or (bytes? s)
                 (string? s))
       (raise-argument-error 'path-list-string->path-list "(or/c bytes? string?)" s))
+    (when (regexp-match? #rx"\0" s)
+      (let ([label (if (bytes? s) "byte string" "string")])
+        (raise-arguments-error 'path-list-string->path-list
+                               (format "given ~a contains a nul character" label)
+                               label s)))
     (unless (and (list? default)
                  (andmap (lambda (p) (or (eq? p 'same) path?)) default))
       (raise-argument-error 'path-list-string->path-list "(listof path?)" default))