diff --git a/cmd/room-semgrep/adapter.go b/cmd/room-semgrep/adapter.go
index a3dc60d..9710d10 100644
--- a/cmd/room-semgrep/adapter.go
+++ b/cmd/room-semgrep/adapter.go
@@ -29,10 +29,6 @@ func newAdapter(semgrepCore, config, repositoryRoot string, covered []string) (*
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s must be an absolute path", name)
 		}
 	}
-	configInfo, err := os.Stat(config)
-	if err != nil || !configInfo.Mode().IsRegular() {
-		return nil, errors.New("Semgrep config must be a regular file")
-	}
 	rootInfo, err := os.Stat(repositoryRoot)
 	if err != nil || !rootInfo.IsDir() {
 		return nil, errors.New("repository root must be a directory")
@@ -48,9 +44,9 @@ func newAdapter(semgrepCore, config, repositoryRoot string, covered []string) (*
 		}
 		coveredSet[signal] = true
 	}
-	configData, err := os.ReadFile(config)
+	configData, err := readRegularFile(config)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("read Semgrep config")
+		return nil, errors.New("Semgrep config must be a regular file")
 	}
 	if err := validateRuleCoverage(configData, coveredSet); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -235,7 +231,7 @@ func failed(response analyzerResponse, code string) analyzerResponse {
 }
 
 func (a *adapter) configMatches(expected string) bool {
-	config, err := os.ReadFile(a.config)
+	config, err := readRegularFile(a.config)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/room-semgrep/main_test.go b/cmd/room-semgrep/main_test.go
index fb114ff..0d0eeec 100644
--- a/cmd/room-semgrep/main_test.go
+++ b/cmd/room-semgrep/main_test.go
@@ -272,6 +272,41 @@ func TestAdapterRejectsSymlinkTargets(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAdapterRejectsSymlinkedConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	_, repository := workspace(t)
+	target := writeFile(t, "real-rules.yml", testRules)
+	linked := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "rules.yml")
+	if err := os.Symlink(target, linked); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := newAdapter("/missing/semgrep", linked, repository, []string{sqlSignal}); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected symlinked config to be rejected")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAdapterFailsClosedWhenConfigBecomesSymlink(t *testing.T) {
+	_, repository := workspace(t)
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(repository, "main.go"), []byte("package main\n"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	config := writeFile(t, "rules.yml", testRules)
+	adapter, err := newAdapter("/missing/semgrep", config, repository, []string{sqlSignal})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	request := requestFor(repository, config, []byte("diff --git a/main.go b/main.go\n--- /dev/null\n+++ b/main.go\n@@ -0,0 +1 @@\n+package main\n"))
+	target := writeFile(t, "same-rules.yml", testRules)
+	if err := os.Remove(config); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.Symlink(target, config); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if response := adapter.analyze(t.Context(), request); response.FailureCode != "config_digest_mismatch" {
+		t.Fatalf("response = %+v", response)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAdapterRejectsUnimplementedCoverageAndTraversalDiff(t *testing.T) {
 	_, repository := workspace(t)
 	emptyConfig := writeFile(t, "empty.yml", "rules: []\n")
diff --git a/cmd/room-semgrep/snapshot.go b/cmd/room-semgrep/snapshot.go
index 3dafbdc..a39d69a 100644
--- a/cmd/room-semgrep/snapshot.go
+++ b/cmd/room-semgrep/snapshot.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ func (a *adapter) createSnapshot(request analyzerRequest, artifact diffArtifact)
 	if unix.Fstat(rootFD, &rootStat) != nil || unix.Fstat(workingFD, &workingStat) != nil || rootStat.Dev != workingStat.Dev || rootStat.Ino != workingStat.Ino {
 		return snapshot{}, errors.New("working directory does not match repository root")
 	}
-	config, err := os.ReadFile(a.config)
+	config, err := readRegularFile(a.config)
 	if err != nil {
 		return snapshot{}, err
 	}
@@ -138,18 +139,32 @@ func readRegularBeneath(rootFD int, path string) ([]byte, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errors.New("diff target cannot be opened safely")
 	}
+	return readRegularFD(fileFD, path, "diff target")
+}
+
+// readRegularFile reads an operator-owned absolute path without following a
+// symlink at its final component.
+func readRegularFile(path string) ([]byte, error) {
+	fileFD, err := unix.Open(path, unix.O_RDONLY|unix.O_CLOEXEC|unix.O_NOFOLLOW|unix.O_NONBLOCK, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return readRegularFD(fileFD, path, path)
+}
+
+func readRegularFD(fileFD int, path, what string) ([]byte, error) {
 	file := os.NewFile(uintptr(fileFD), path)
 	defer file.Close()
 	var before, after unix.Stat_t
 	if err := unix.Fstat(fileFD, &before); err != nil || before.Mode&unix.S_IFMT != unix.S_IFREG || before.Size < 0 || before.Size > 64<<20 {
-		return nil, errors.New("diff target must be a regular file of at most 64 MiB")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s must be a regular file of at most 64 MiB", what)
 	}
 	data, err := io.ReadAll(io.LimitReader(file, before.Size+1))
 	if err != nil || int64(len(data)) != before.Size {
-		return nil, errors.New("diff target changed while being read")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s changed while being read", what)
 	}
 	if err := unix.Fstat(fileFD, &after); err != nil || before.Ino != after.Ino || before.Size != after.Size || before.Mtim != after.Mtim || before.Ctim != after.Ctim {
-		return nil, errors.New("diff target changed while being read")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s changed while being read", what)
 	}
 	return data, nil
 }