diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions/SecretName.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions/SecretName.cs
index 3eef4f7..7a8a0b4 100644
--- a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions/SecretName.cs
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/src/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions/SecretName.cs
@@ -16,8 +16,9 @@ public readonly record struct SecretName
     /// <param name="value">The raw name to normalize and validate.</param>
     /// <exception cref="ArgumentException">
     /// The value is null, empty, or whitespace; contains the path-traversal sequence
-    /// <c>..</c>; or contains any character outside <c>[a-z0-9._/-]</c> (after trim and
-    /// lowercasing).
+    /// <c>..</c>; is rooted (starts or ends with <c>/</c>) or contains an empty path
+    /// segment (<c>//</c>); or contains any character outside <c>[a-z0-9._/-]</c> (after
+    /// trim and lowercasing).
     /// </exception>
     public SecretName(string value)
     {
@@ -37,6 +38,14 @@ public readonly record struct SecretName
                 nameof(value));
         }
 
+        if (normalized.StartsWith('/') || normalized.EndsWith('/') ||
+            normalized.Contains("//", StringComparison.Ordinal))
+        {
+            throw new ArgumentException(
+                $"Secret name must not be rooted or contain an empty path segment: it may not start or end with '/' or contain '//' (was '{value}').",
+                nameof(value));
+        }
+
         foreach (char c in normalized)
         {
             if (!AllowedChars.Contains(c, StringComparison.Ordinal))
@@ -47,17 +56,22 @@ public readonly record struct SecretName
             }
         }
 
-        Value = normalized;
+        _value = normalized;
     }
 
+    private readonly string? _value;
+
     /// <summary>The normalized secret name (trimmed, lowercased, allow-list validated).</summary>
-    public string Value { get; }
+    /// <exception cref="InvalidOperationException">The instance is the uninitialized <c>default</c> struct value.</exception>
+    public string Value => _value ?? throw new InvalidOperationException("SecretName is uninitialized (default struct value).");
 
     /// <summary>Returns the normalized <see cref="Value"/>.</summary>
     /// <returns>The normalized secret name.</returns>
+    /// <exception cref="InvalidOperationException">The instance is the uninitialized <c>default</c> struct value.</exception>
     public override string ToString() => Value;
 
     /// <summary>Implicitly converts a <see cref="SecretName"/> to its underlying string value.</summary>
     /// <param name="name">The secret name to convert.</param>
+    /// <exception cref="InvalidOperationException">The instance is the uninitialized <c>default</c> struct value.</exception>
     public static implicit operator string(SecretName name) => name.Value;
 }
diff --git a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/SecretNameTests.cs b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/SecretNameTests.cs
index 964f783..ff9c8c0 100644
--- a/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/SecretNameTests.cs
+++ b/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Tests/SecretNameTests.cs
@@ -18,4 +18,22 @@ public class SecretNameTests
     [InlineData("../escape")]
     public void RejectsInvalid(string input)
         => Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => new SecretName(input));
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("/etc/passwd")]  // rooted / absolute
+    [InlineData("/")]            // rooted (starts and ends with '/')
+    [InlineData("sql//foo")]     // empty path segment
+    [InlineData("sql/foo/")]     // trailing '/'
+    public void RejectsRootedOrEmptySegment(string input)
+        => Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => new SecretName(input));
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void DefaultInstance_ThrowsOnValue()
+        => Assert.Throws<InvalidOperationException>(() => _ = default(SecretName).Value);
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ValidNestedName_RoundTrips()
+        => Assert.Equal(
+            "sql/historiangw/historian-password",
+            new SecretName("sql/historiangw/historian-password").Value);
 }