diff --git a/tools/linuxfs/preload/inputudev.c b/tools/linuxfs/preload/inputudev.c
index b3dffd1f3..5600538ea 100644
--- a/tools/linuxfs/preload/inputudev.c
+++ b/tools/linuxfs/preload/inputudev.c
@@ -131,6 +131,9 @@ static struct pad *pad_for_syslink(const char *path) {
 
 static void *next_symbol(const char *name) { return dlsym(RTLD_NEXT, name); }
 
+char *bl_cached_realpath(const char *path, char *resolved, char *(*real)(const char *, char *))
+    __attribute__((visibility("hidden")));
+
 /* Wine reaches libudev from its HID bus driver, which is the only caller these pads are for. */
 static int caller_is_winebus(void *caller) {
   Dl_info info;
@@ -152,7 +155,7 @@ char *realpath(const char *path, char *resolved) {
   }
   if (real_realpath == NULL) real_realpath = next_symbol("realpath");
   if (real_realpath == NULL) return NULL;
-  return real_realpath(path, resolved);
+  return bl_cached_realpath(path, resolved, real_realpath);
 }
 
 void *udev_device_new_from_syspath(void *udev, const char *syspath) {
diff --git a/tools/linuxfs/preload/pathcache.c b/tools/linuxfs/preload/pathcache.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2f2cfd3d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/linuxfs/preload/pathcache.c
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+/*
+ * Path lookups the Steam client repeats, answered from a short-lived cache.
+ *
+ * While it registers its compatibility tools after logon, the client resolves the same few
+ * directories - its local tools under compatibilitytools.d and its own platform directory - with
+ * realpath() and access() thousands of times a second. Each realpath() is one readlinkat() per
+ * path component, and under proot every one of those is a trapped syscall with a round trip
+ * through the tracer. Measured on an AYN Thor, that loop was 23 of the client's 31 seconds of
+ * startup, with proot busy for 16 of them.
+ *
+ * Only the client itself uses the cache, never a game or a helper. Only successful answers are
+ * kept, and only for a moment: a path that stops existing is noticed within PATH_CACHE_TTL_NS, and
+ * one that starts existing is never hidden, since failures always go to the filesystem.
+ * BL_NO_PATH_CACHE=1 turns it off.
+ */
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#include <limits.h>
+#include <pthread.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+
+#define PATH_CACHE_SLOTS 256
+#define PATH_CACHE_KEY_MAX 512
+#define PATH_CACHE_TTL_NS 2000000000LL
+
+enum { KIND_REALPATH, KIND_ACCESS };
+
+struct entry {
+  long long stamp;
+  unsigned hash;
+  int kind;
+  int mode;
+  int flags;
+  char key[PATH_CACHE_KEY_MAX];
+  char *value;
+};
+
+static struct entry table[PATH_CACHE_SLOTS];
+static pthread_mutex_t lock = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
+
+static long long now_ns(void) {
+  struct timespec t;
+
+  clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC_COARSE, &t);
+  return (long long)t.tv_sec * 1000000000LL + t.tv_nsec;
+}
+
+static int enabled(void) {
+  static int cached = -1;
+  const char *off;
+
+  if (cached >= 0) return cached;
+  off = getenv("BL_NO_PATH_CACHE");
+  cached = strcmp(program_invocation_short_name, "steam") == 0 &&
+           strstr(program_invocation_name, "steamrtarm64") != NULL &&
+           !(off != NULL && off[0] == '1');
+  return cached;
+}
+
+static unsigned hash_of(const char *s, int kind, int mode, int flags) {
+  unsigned h = 2166136261u ^ (unsigned)(kind * 31 + mode * 7 + flags);
+
+  while (*s) h = (h ^ (unsigned char)*s++) * 16777619u;
+  return h;
+}
+
+static int cacheable(const char *path) {
+  return path != NULL && path[0] == '/' && strlen(path) < PATH_CACHE_KEY_MAX && enabled();
+}
+
+static struct entry *find(const char *path, int kind, int mode, int flags, unsigned h) {
+  struct entry *e = &table[h % PATH_CACHE_SLOTS];
+
+  if (e->stamp == 0 || e->hash != h || e->kind != kind || e->mode != mode || e->flags != flags) return NULL;
+  if (now_ns() - e->stamp > PATH_CACHE_TTL_NS || strcmp(e->key, path) != 0) return NULL;
+  return e;
+}
+
+static void store(const char *path, int kind, int mode, int flags, unsigned h, const char *value) {
+  struct entry *e = &table[h % PATH_CACHE_SLOTS];
+  char *copy = value != NULL ? strdup(value) : NULL;
+
+  if (value != NULL && copy == NULL) return;
+  free(e->value);
+  e->value = copy;
+  e->hash = h;
+  e->kind = kind;
+  e->mode = mode;
+  e->flags = flags;
+  memcpy(e->key, path, strlen(path) + 1);
+  e->stamp = now_ns();
+}
+
+__attribute__((visibility("hidden")))
+char *bl_cached_realpath(const char *path, char *resolved, char *(*real)(const char *, char *)) {
+  char out[PATH_MAX];
+  unsigned h;
+  struct entry *e;
+
+  if (!cacheable(path)) return real(path, resolved);
+  h = hash_of(path, KIND_REALPATH, 0, 0);
+  pthread_mutex_lock(&lock);
+  e = find(path, KIND_REALPATH, 0, 0, h);
+  if (e != NULL && e->value != NULL) {
+    size_t n = strlen(e->value) + 1;
+    char *result = resolved != NULL ? resolved : malloc(n);
+    if (result != NULL) memcpy(result, e->value, n);
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&lock);
+    return result;
+  }
+  pthread_mutex_unlock(&lock);
+  if (real(path, out) == NULL) return NULL;
+  pthread_mutex_lock(&lock);
+  store(path, KIND_REALPATH, 0, 0, h, out);
+  pthread_mutex_unlock(&lock);
+  if (resolved != NULL) {
+    memcpy(resolved, out, strlen(out) + 1);
+    return resolved;
+  }
+  return strdup(out);
+}
+
+static int cached_access(const char *path, int mode, int flags, int (*check)(const char *, int, int)) {
+  unsigned h;
+  int hit;
+  int result;
+
+  if (!cacheable(path)) return check(path, mode, flags);
+  h = hash_of(path, KIND_ACCESS, mode, flags);
+  pthread_mutex_lock(&lock);
+  hit = find(path, KIND_ACCESS, mode, flags, h) != NULL;
+  pthread_mutex_unlock(&lock);
+  if (hit) return 0;
+  result = check(path, mode, flags);
+  if (result == 0) {
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&lock);
+    store(path, KIND_ACCESS, mode, flags, h, NULL);
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&lock);
+  }
+  return result;
+}
+
+static int (*next_faccessat(void))(int, const char *, int, int) {
+  static int (*real)(int, const char *, int, int);
+
+  if (real == NULL) real = (int (*)(int, const char *, int, int))dlsym(RTLD_NEXT, "faccessat");
+  return real;
+}
+
+static int check_cwd(const char *path, int mode, int flags) {
+  int (*real)(int, const char *, int, int) = next_faccessat();
+
+  if (real == NULL) {
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return -1;
+  }
+  return real(AT_FDCWD, path, mode, flags);
+}
+
+int access(const char *path, int mode) {
+  return cached_access(path, mode, 0, check_cwd);
+}
+
+int euidaccess(const char *path, int mode) {
+  return cached_access(path, mode, AT_EACCESS, check_cwd);
+}
+
+int eaccess(const char *path, int mode) {
+  return cached_access(path, mode, AT_EACCESS, check_cwd);
+}
+
+int faccessat(int dirfd, const char *path, int mode, int flags) {
+  int (*real)(int, const char *, int, int);
+
+  if (dirfd == AT_FDCWD) {
+    return cached_access(path, mode, flags, check_cwd);
+  }
+  real = next_faccessat();
+  if (real == NULL) {
+    errno = ENOSYS;
+    return -1;
+  }
+  return real(dirfd, path, mode, flags);
+}