diff --git a/codeCore/src/prog8/code/source/ImportFileSystem.kt b/codeCore/src/prog8/code/source/ImportFileSystem.kt
index 5b7525103..27eee1561 100644
--- a/codeCore/src/prog8/code/source/ImportFileSystem.kt
+++ b/codeCore/src/prog8/code/source/ImportFileSystem.kt
@@ -4,17 +4,30 @@ import prog8.code.core.Position
 import java.nio.file.Path
 import java.util.TreeMap
 import kotlin.io.path.Path
+import kotlin.io.path.absolute
 
 
 // Resource caching "filesystem".
 // Note that it leaves the decision to load a resource or an actual disk file to the caller.
 
 object ImportFileSystem {
+
+    fun expandTilde(path: String): String = if (path.startsWith("~")) {
+        val userHome = System.getProperty("user.home")
+        userHome + path.drop(1)
+    } else {
+        path
+    }
+
+    fun expandTilde(path: Path): Path = Path(expandTilde(path.toString()))
+
     fun getFile(path: Path): SourceCode {
-        val cached = cache[path.toString()]
-        if (cached != null) return cached
-        val file = SourceCode.File(path)
-        cache[path.toString()] = file
+        val normalized = path.absolute().normalize()
+        val cached = cache[normalized.toString()]
+        if (cached != null)
+            return cached
+        val file = SourceCode.File(normalized)
+        cache[normalized.toString()] = file
         return file
     }
 
@@ -35,7 +48,7 @@ object ImportFileSystem {
         val cached = cache[position.file]
         if(cached != null)
             return getLine(cached, position.line)
-        val path = Path(position.file).toAbsolutePath().normalize()
+        val path = Path(position.file).absolute().normalize()
         val cached2 = cache[path.toString()]
         if(cached2 != null)
             return getLine(cached2, position.line)
diff --git a/codeCore/src/prog8/code/source/SourceCode.kt b/codeCore/src/prog8/code/source/SourceCode.kt
index e7eb86028..eb635594a 100644
--- a/codeCore/src/prog8/code/source/SourceCode.kt
+++ b/codeCore/src/prog8/code/source/SourceCode.kt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import java.io.IOException
 import java.nio.file.Path
 import java.text.Normalizer
 import kotlin.io.path.Path
+import kotlin.io.path.absolute
 import kotlin.io.path.readText
 
 /**
@@ -52,8 +53,8 @@ sealed class SourceCode {
          */
         private const val LIBRARYFILEPREFIX = "library:"
         private const val STRINGSOURCEPREFIX = "string:"
-        val curdir: Path = Path(".").toAbsolutePath()
-        fun relative(path: Path): Path = curdir.relativize(path.toAbsolutePath())
+        val curdir: Path = Path(".").absolute()
+        fun relative(path: Path): Path = curdir.relativize(path.absolute())
         fun isRegularFilesystemPath(pathString: String) = !isLibraryResource(pathString) && !isStringResource(pathString)
         fun isLibraryResource(path: String) = path.startsWith(LIBRARYFILEPREFIX)
         fun isStringResource(path: String) = path.startsWith(STRINGSOURCEPREFIX)
diff --git a/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/AsmGen.kt b/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/AsmGen.kt
index 14589b5e0..04ca49ebd 100644
--- a/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/AsmGen.kt
+++ b/codeGenCpu6502/src/prog8/codegen/cpu6502/AsmGen.kt
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import prog8.code.source.SourceCode
 import prog8.code.target.Cx16Target
 import prog8.codegen.cpu6502.assignment.*
 import kotlin.io.path.Path
+import kotlin.io.path.absolute
 import kotlin.io.path.writeLines
 
 
@@ -1083,8 +1084,8 @@ $repeatLabel""")
         val sourcePath = Path(incbin.definingBlock()!!.source.origin)
         val includedPath = sourcePath.resolveSibling(incbin.file)
         val pathForAssembler = options.outputDir // #54: 64tass needs the path *relative to the .asm file*
-            .toAbsolutePath()
-            .relativize(includedPath.toAbsolutePath())
+            .absolute()
+            .relativize(includedPath.absolute())
             .normalize() // avoid assembler warnings (-Wportable; only some, not all)
             .toString().replace('\\', '/')
         out("  .binary \"$pathForAssembler\" $offset $length")
diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/CompilerMain.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/CompilerMain.kt
index 3fe1615f3..ebb571986 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/CompilerMain.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/CompilerMain.kt
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package prog8
 import kotlinx.cli.*
 import prog8.ast.AstException
 import prog8.code.core.CbmPrgLauncherType
+import prog8.code.source.ImportFileSystem
 import prog8.code.target.CompilationTargets
 import prog8.code.target.Cx16Target
 import prog8.code.target.getCompilationTargetByName
@@ -95,8 +96,8 @@ private fun compileMain(args: Array<String>): Boolean {
         return false
     }
 
-    val srcdirs = sourceDirs.toMutableList()
-    if(srcdirs.firstOrNull()!=".")
+    val srcdirs = sourceDirs.map { ImportFileSystem.expandTilde(it) }.toMutableList()
+    if(sourceDirs.firstOrNull()!=".")
         srcdirs.add(0, ".")
 
     if(startVm==null) {
diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/ModuleImporter.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/ModuleImporter.kt
index 7aac1cb5f..2c0c395e6 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/ModuleImporter.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/ModuleImporter.kt
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ class ModuleImporter(private val program: Program,
             if (importingModule == null) { // <=> imported from library module
                 sourcePaths
             } else {
-                val pathFromImportingModule = (Path(importingModule.position.file).parent ?: Path("")).absolute()
+                val pathFromImportingModule = (Path(importingModule.position.file).parent ?: Path("")).absolute().normalize()
                 listOf(pathFromImportingModule) + sourcePaths
             }
 
diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/IntermediateAstMaker.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/IntermediateAstMaker.kt
index 3750d4d27..c56e04bb5 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/IntermediateAstMaker.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/compiler/astprocessing/IntermediateAstMaker.kt
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import prog8.code.source.SourceCode
 import prog8.compiler.builtinFunctionReturnType
 import java.io.File
 import kotlin.io.path.Path
+import kotlin.io.path.absolute
 import kotlin.io.path.isRegularFile
 
 
@@ -257,10 +258,10 @@ class IntermediateAstMaker(private val program: Program, private val errors: IEr
                 val offset: UInt? = if(directive.args.size>=2) directive.args[1].int!! else null
                 val length: UInt? = if(directive.args.size>=3) directive.args[2].int!! else null
                 val abspath = if(File(filename).isFile) {
-                    Path(filename).toAbsolutePath()
+                    Path(filename).absolute()
                 } else {
                     val sourcePath = Path(directive.definingModule.source.origin)
-                    sourcePath.resolveSibling(filename).toAbsolutePath()
+                    sourcePath.resolveSibling(filename).absolute()
                 }
                 if(abspath.toFile().isFile)
                     PtIncludeBinary(abspath, offset, length, directive.position)
diff --git a/compiler/test/TestCompilerOnExamples.kt b/compiler/test/TestCompilerOnExamples.kt
index f5f0c83e3..7cc8fc24d 100644
--- a/compiler/test/TestCompilerOnExamples.kt
+++ b/compiler/test/TestCompilerOnExamples.kt
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ private fun prepareTestFiles(source: String, optimize: Boolean, target: ICompila
     }
     val filepath = searchIn.asSequence()
         .map { it.resolve("$source.p8") }
-        .map { it.normalize().absolute() }
+        .map { it.absolute().normalize() }
         .map { workingDir.relativize(it) }
         .first { it.exists() }
     val displayName = "${examplesDir.relativize(filepath.absolute())}: ${target.name}, optimize=$optimize"
diff --git a/compiler/test/TestCompilerOnImportsAndIncludes.kt b/compiler/test/TestCompilerOnImportsAndIncludes.kt
index 0e5e65931..33ee6861e 100644
--- a/compiler/test/TestCompilerOnImportsAndIncludes.kt
+++ b/compiler/test/TestCompilerOnImportsAndIncludes.kt
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import prog8.ast.statements.FunctionCallStatement
 import prog8.ast.statements.Label
 import prog8.code.target.Cx16Target
 import prog8tests.helpers.*
+import kotlin.io.path.absolute
 import kotlin.io.path.name
 
 
@@ -97,7 +98,7 @@ class TestCompilerOnImportsAndIncludes: FunSpec({
 
                 // the bug we're testing for (#54) was hidden if outputDir == workingDir
                 withClue("sanity check: workingDir and outputDir should not be the same folder") {
-                    outputDir.normalize().toAbsolutePath() shouldNotBe workingDir.normalize().toAbsolutePath()
+                    outputDir.absolute().normalize() shouldNotBe workingDir.absolute().normalize()
                 }
 
                 withClue("argument to assembler directive .binary " +
diff --git a/compiler/test/ast/TestProg8Parser.kt b/compiler/test/ast/TestProg8Parser.kt
index 6182a2e15..506925dea 100644
--- a/compiler/test/ast/TestProg8Parser.kt
+++ b/compiler/test/ast/TestProg8Parser.kt
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ class TestProg8Parser: FunSpec( {
             val nlUnix = "\n"
             val nlMac = "\r"
 
-            //parseModule(Paths.get("test", "fixtures", "mac_newlines.p8").toAbsolutePath())
+            //parseModule(Paths.get("test", "fixtures", "mac_newlines.p8").absolute())
 
             // a good mix of all kinds of newlines:
             val srcText =
diff --git a/intermediate/src/prog8/intermediate/IRFileWriter.kt b/intermediate/src/prog8/intermediate/IRFileWriter.kt
index d0199da9a..d7f1bca4f 100644
--- a/intermediate/src/prog8/intermediate/IRFileWriter.kt
+++ b/intermediate/src/prog8/intermediate/IRFileWriter.kt
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import prog8.code.source.ImportFileSystem
 import java.nio.file.Path
 import javax.xml.stream.XMLOutputFactory
 import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamWriter
+import kotlin.io.path.absolute
 import kotlin.io.path.bufferedWriter
 import kotlin.io.path.div
 
@@ -198,7 +199,7 @@ class IRFileWriter(private val irProgram: IRProgram, outfileOverride: Path?) {
         }
         xml.writeCharacters("loadAddress=${irProgram.options.loadAddress.toHex()}\n")
         xml.writeCharacters("optimize=${irProgram.options.optimize}\n")
-        xml.writeCharacters("outputDir=${irProgram.options.outputDir.toAbsolutePath()}\n")
+        xml.writeCharacters("outputDir=${irProgram.options.outputDir.absolute()}\n")
         // other options not yet useful here?
         xml.writeEndElement()
         xml.writeCharacters("\n\n")
diff --git a/virtualmachine/src/prog8/vm/SysCalls.kt b/virtualmachine/src/prog8/vm/SysCalls.kt
index 970a8be59..9f141ad9d 100644
--- a/virtualmachine/src/prog8/vm/SysCalls.kt
+++ b/virtualmachine/src/prog8/vm/SysCalls.kt
@@ -538,7 +538,7 @@ object SysCalls {
             Syscall.DIRECTORY -> {
                 // no arguments
                 val directory = Path("")
-                println("Directory listing for ${directory.toAbsolutePath().normalize()}")
+                println("Directory listing for ${directory.absolute().normalize()}")
                 directory.listDirectoryEntries().sorted().forEach {
                     println("${it.toFile().length()}\t${it.normalize()}")
                 }
@@ -574,7 +574,7 @@ object SysCalls {
             }
 
             Syscall.CURDIR -> {
-                val curdir = Path("").toAbsolutePath().toString()
+                val curdir = Path("").absolute().toString()
                 vm.memory.setString(0xfe00, curdir, true)
                 return returnValue(callspec.returns.single(), 0xfe00, vm)
             }