diff --git a/functions/__fzf_preview_file.fish b/functions/__fzf_preview_file.fish
index 8f7247ea..275cb0b3 100644
--- a/functions/__fzf_preview_file.fish
+++ b/functions/__fzf_preview_file.fish
@@ -23,6 +23,6 @@ function __fzf_preview_file --argument-names file_path --description "Print a pr
     else if test -p "$file_path"
         __fzf_report_file_type "$file_path" "named pipe"
     else
-        echo "File doesn't exist." >&2
+        echo "File doesn't exist or is empty." >&2
     end
 end
diff --git a/functions/__fzf_search_current_dir.fish b/functions/__fzf_search_current_dir.fish
index 38f0306e..76401d36 100644
--- a/functions/__fzf_search_current_dir.fish
+++ b/functions/__fzf_search_current_dir.fish
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ function __fzf_search_current_dir --description "Search the current directory. R
 
     set fd_arguments --hidden --color=always --exclude=.git
     set fzf_arguments --multi --ansi
-    set token (commandline --current-token | string unescape)
+    set current_token (commandline --current-token)
+    set token (string unescape $current_token)
     # need to expand ~ in the directory name since fd can't expand it
     set expanded_token (string replace --regex -- "^~/" $HOME/ $token)
 
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ function __fzf_search_current_dir --description "Search the current directory. R
         set --append fd_arguments --base-directory=$expanded_token
         # use the directory name as fzf's prompt to indicate the search is limited to that directory
         set --append fzf_arguments --prompt=$token --preview="__fzf_preview_file $token{}"
-        set file_paths_selected $token(fd $fd_arguments 2>/dev/null | fzf $fzf_arguments)
+        set file_paths_selected $expanded_token(fd $fd_arguments 2>/dev/null | fzf $fzf_arguments)
     else
         set --append fzf_arguments --query=$token --preview='__fzf_preview_file {}'
         set file_paths_selected (fd $fd_arguments 2>/dev/null | fzf $fzf_arguments)
@@ -23,14 +24,17 @@ function __fzf_search_current_dir --description "Search the current directory. R
 
 
     if test $status -eq 0
-        # If the user was in the middle of inputting the first token and only one path is selected,
-        # then prepend ./ to the selected path so that
-        # - if the path is an executable, the user can hit Enter one more time to immediately execute it
-        # - if the path is a directory, the user can hit Enter one more time to immediately cd into it (fish will
-        #   attempt to cd implicitly if a directory name starts with a dot)
-        if test (count $file_paths_selected) = 1
+        # Fish will implicitly take action on a path when a path is provided as the first token and it
+        # begins with a dot or slash. If the path is a directory, Fish will cd into it. If the path is
+        # an executable, Fish will execute it. To help users harness this convenient behavior, we
+        # automatically prepend ./ to the selected path if
+        # - only one path was selected,
+        # - the user was in the middle of inputting the first token,
+        # - and the path doesn't already begin with a dot or slash
+        # Then, the user only needs to hit Enter once more to potentially cd into or execute that path.
+        if test (count $file_paths_selected) = 1 \
+                && not string match --quiet --regex "^[.|/]" $file_paths_selected
             set commandline_tokens (commandline --tokenize)
-            set current_token (commandline --current-token)
             if test "$commandline_tokens" = "$current_token"
                 set file_paths_selected ./$file_paths_selected
             end
diff --git a/tests/search_current_dir/no_dot_slash_if_unneeded.fish b/tests/search_current_dir/no_dot_slash_if_unneeded.fish
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3e3e1e21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/search_current_dir/no_dot_slash_if_unneeded.fish
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# set everything up so that a path starting with / is outputted by fzf
+mock commandline \* ""
+mock commandline "--current-token --replace --" "echo \$argv"
+mock fd \* ""
+mock fzf \* "echo /Users/patrickf"
+
+# since there is already a /, no ./ should be prepended
+set result (__fzf_search_current_dir)
+@test "doesn't prepend ./ if path already starts with /" $result = "/Users/patrickf"