diff --git a/bin/telebitd.js b/bin/telebitd.js
index 3fa160f..a5933c0 100755
--- a/bin/telebitd.js
+++ b/bin/telebitd.js
@@ -571,11 +571,13 @@ function serveControlsHelper() {
   // mask is so that processes owned by other users
   // can speak to this process, which is probably root-owned
   var oldUmask = process.umask(0x0000);
-  require('mkdirp').sync(path.resolve(state._ipc.path, '..'));
+  if ('socket' === state._ipc.type) {
+    require('mkdirp').sync(path.dirname(state._ipc.path));
+  }
   controlServer.listen({
-    path: state._ipc.path
+    path: state._ipc.path || null
   , host: 'localhost'
-  //, port: 0
+  , port: state._ipc.port || null
   , writableAll: true
   , readableAll: true
   , exclusive: false
diff --git a/lib/cli-common.js b/lib/cli-common.js
index 728dc36..72424ee 100644
--- a/lib/cli-common.js
+++ b/lib/cli-common.js
@@ -81,7 +81,9 @@ common.pipename = function (config) {
   , type: (/^win/i.test(os.platform()) ? 'pipe' : 'socket')
   };
   if ('pipe' === _ipc.type) {
-    _ipc.path = '\\\\?\\pipe' + _ipc.path.replace(/\//, '\\');
+    // https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/desktop/ipc/pipe-names
+    // Allows all characters accept backslash as part of the name
+    _ipc.path = '\\\\.\\pipe\\' + _ipc.path.replace(/\\/g, '/');
   }
   return _ipc;
 };