diff -r 020082c44cdf -r 3f9f247b72bd src/hg-ssh
--- a/src/hg-ssh	Mon Apr 18 12:49:02 2011 +0100
+++ b/src/hg-ssh	Mon Apr 18 13:26:05 2011 +0100
@@ -27,12 +27,41 @@
     sys.stderr.write("mercurial-server: %s\n" % message)
     sys.exit(-1)
 
-def checkDots(path):
+config.initExe()
+
+for k,v in config.getEnv():
+    os.environ[k.upper()] = v
+
+if len(sys.argv) == 3 and sys.argv[1] == "--base64":
+    ruleset.rules.set(user = base64.b64decode(sys.argv[2]))
+elif len(sys.argv) == 2:
+    ruleset.rules.set(user = sys.argv[1])
+else:
+    fail("hg-ssh wrongly called, is authorized_keys corrupt? (%s)"
+        % sys.argv)
+
+os.chdir(config.getReposPath())
+
+for f in config.getAccessPaths():
+    if os.path.isfile(f):
+        ruleset.rules.readfile(f)
+
+alloweddots = config.getAllowedDots()
+
+def dotException(pathtail):
+    for ex in alloweddots:
+        splex = ex.split("/")
+        if len(pathtail) >= len(splex) and pathtail[:len(splex)] == splex:
+            return True
+    return False
+
+def checkDots(path, pathtail = []):
     head, tail = os.path.split(path)
-    if tail.startswith("."):
-        fail("paths cannot contain dot file components")
+    pathtail = [tail] + pathtail
+    if tail.startswith(".") and not dotException(pathtail):
+            fail("paths cannot contain dot file components")
     if head:
-        checkDots(head)
+        checkDots(head, pathtail)
 
 def getrepo(op, repo):
     # First canonicalise, then check the string, then the rules
@@ -47,25 +76,6 @@
         fail("access denied")
     return repo
 
-config.initExe()
-
-for k,v in config.getEnv():
-    os.environ[k.upper()] = v
-
-if len(sys.argv) == 3 and sys.argv[1] == "--base64":
-    ruleset.rules.set(user = base64.b64decode(sys.argv[2]))
-elif len(sys.argv) == 2:
-    ruleset.rules.set(user = sys.argv[1])
-else:
-    fail("hg-ssh wrongly called, is authorized_keys corrupt? (%s)" 
-        % sys.argv)
-
-os.chdir(config.getReposPath())
-
-for f in config.getAccessPaths():
-    if os.path.isfile(f):
-        ruleset.rules.readfile(f)
-
 cmd = os.environ.get('SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND', None)
 if cmd is None:
     fail("direct logins on the hg account prohibited")
@@ -84,4 +94,3 @@
     dispatch.dispatch(['init', repo])
 else:
     fail("illegal command %r" % cmd)
-