diff --git a/include/sdbusplus/message/native_types.hpp b/include/sdbusplus/message/native_types.hpp
index 1b5335b..d76604b 100644
--- a/include/sdbusplus/message/native_types.hpp
+++ b/include/sdbusplus/message/native_types.hpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include <string>
+#include <string_view>
 
 namespace sdbusplus
 {
@@ -144,18 +145,8 @@
 
     std::string filename() const;
     string_path_wrapper parent_path() const;
-    string_path_wrapper operator/(const char* extId) const;
-    string_path_wrapper& operator/=(const char* extId);
-
-    string_path_wrapper operator/(const std::string& extId) const
-    {
-        return this->operator/(extId.c_str());
-    }
-
-    string_path_wrapper& operator/=(const std::string& extId)
-    {
-        return this->operator/=(extId.c_str());
-    }
+    string_path_wrapper operator/(std::string_view) const;
+    string_path_wrapper& operator/=(std::string_view);
 };
 
 /** Typename for sdbus SIGNATURE types. */
diff --git a/src/message/native_types.cpp b/src/message/native_types.cpp
index 5e77cb5..cd0f010 100644
--- a/src/message/native_types.cpp
+++ b/src/message/native_types.cpp
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
-#include <systemd/sd-bus.h>
-
 #include <sdbusplus/message/native_types.hpp>
-#include <sdbusplus/utility/memory.hpp>
 
 #include <array>
+#include <cctype>
 
 namespace sdbusplus
 {
@@ -12,31 +10,81 @@
 namespace details
 {
 
+constexpr std::array<char, 16> hex{'0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7',
+                                   '8', '9', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f'};
+
+constexpr std::array<char, 256> unhex = [] {
+    std::array<char, 256> ret;
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < ret.size(); ++i)
+    {
+        ret[i] = -1;
+    }
+    for (char i = 0; i < 10; ++i)
+    {
+        ret['0' + i] = i;
+    }
+    for (char i = 0; i < 6; ++i)
+    {
+        ret['A' + i] = i + 10;
+        ret['a' + i] = i + 10;
+    }
+    return ret;
+}();
+
+inline bool pathShouldEscape(char c)
+{
+    return !std::isalnum(c);
+}
+
+inline void pathAppendEscape(std::string& s, char c)
+{
+    s.append(1, '_');
+    s.append(1, hex[(c >> 4) & 0xf]);
+    s.append(1, hex[c & 0xf]);
+}
+
 std::string string_path_wrapper::filename() const
 {
-    size_t firstIndex = str.rfind('/');
+    std::string_view strv(str);
+    size_t firstIndex = strv.rfind('/');
 
     // Dbus paths must start with /, if we don't find one, it's an error
     if (firstIndex == std::string::npos)
     {
         return "";
     }
-    firstIndex++;
+    auto filename = strv.substr(firstIndex + 1);
+
     // If we don't see that this was encoded by sdbusplus, return the naive
     // version of the filename path.
-    const char* filename = str.c_str() + firstIndex;
-    if (*filename != '_')
+    if (filename[0] != '_')
     {
         return std::string(filename);
     }
 
-    _cleanup_free_ char* out = nullptr;
-    int r = sd_bus_path_decode_many(filename, "%", &out);
-    if (r <= 0)
+    std::string out;
+    out.reserve(filename.size());
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < filename.size(); ++i)
     {
-        return "";
+        if (filename[i] != '_')
+        {
+            out.append(1, filename[i]);
+            continue;
+        }
+        if (i + 2 >= filename.size())
+        {
+            return "";
+        }
+        auto ch = unhex[filename[i + 1]];
+        auto cl = unhex[filename[i + 2]];
+        if (ch == -1 || cl == -1)
+        {
+            return "";
+        }
+        out.append(1, (ch << 4) | cl);
+        i += 2;
     }
-    return std::string(out);
+    return out;
 }
 
 string_path_wrapper string_path_wrapper::parent_path() const
@@ -54,50 +102,37 @@
     return str.substr(0, index);
 }
 
-string_path_wrapper string_path_wrapper::operator/(const char* extId) const
+string_path_wrapper string_path_wrapper::operator/(std::string_view extId) const
 {
     string_path_wrapper out;
-    _cleanup_free_ char* encOut = nullptr;
-    int ret = sd_bus_path_encode(str.c_str(), extId, &encOut);
-    if (ret < 0)
-    {
-        return out;
-    }
-    out.str = encOut;
-
-    size_t firstIndex = str.size();
-    if (str != "/")
-    {
-        firstIndex++;
-    }
-
-    // Attempt to encode the first character of the path.  This allows the
-    // filename() method to "detect" that this is a path that's been encoded
-    // and to decode it properly.  This was needed to support a number of
-    // paths that currently dont' have any encoding, and utilize underscores
-    // Ideally this, and the equivalent code in filename() would go away
-    // when all paths are being encoded per systemds methods.
-    if (out.str[firstIndex] == '_')
-    {
-        return out;
-    }
-
-    constexpr std::array<char, 16> hex{'0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7',
-                                       '8', '9', 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f'};
-    uint8_t firstChar = static_cast<uint8_t>(*extId);
-    out.str[firstIndex] = '_';
-    std::array<char, 2> encoded{hex[(firstChar >> 4) & 0xF],
-                                hex[firstChar & 0xF]};
-    out.str.insert(out.str.begin() + firstIndex + 1, encoded.begin(),
-                   encoded.end());
-
-    return out;
+    out.str.reserve(str.size() + 1 + extId.size() * 3);
+    out.str.append(str);
+    return out /= extId;
 }
 
-string_path_wrapper& string_path_wrapper::operator/=(const char* extId)
+string_path_wrapper& string_path_wrapper::operator/=(std::string_view extId)
 {
-    string_path_wrapper out = this->operator/(extId);
-    this->str = std::move(out.str);
+    str.reserve(str.size() + 1 + extId.size() * 3);
+    if (!str.empty() && str[str.size() - 1] != '/')
+    {
+        str.append(1, '/');
+    }
+    if (extId.empty())
+    {
+        return *this;
+    }
+    pathAppendEscape(str, extId[0]);
+    for (auto c : extId.substr(1))
+    {
+        if (pathShouldEscape(c))
+        {
+            pathAppendEscape(str, c);
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            str.append(1, c);
+        }
+    }
     return *this;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/message/types.cpp b/test/message/types.cpp
index 3bbd937..5e4e982 100644
--- a/test/message/types.cpp
+++ b/test/message/types.cpp
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_2d").filename(), "-");
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_20").filename(), " ");
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_2F").filename(), "/");
+    EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_").filename(), "");
+    EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_2").filename(), "");
+    EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_2y").filename(), "");
+    EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_y2").filename(), "");
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/bios_active").filename(),
               "bios_active");
 }
@@ -73,6 +77,8 @@
 {
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/") / "abc",
               sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_61bc"));
+    EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/") / "abc",
+              sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_61bc"));
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc") / "def",
               sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc/_64ef"));
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc") / "-",
@@ -83,6 +89,10 @@
               sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc/_2f"));
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc") / "ab_cd",
               sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc/_61b_5fcd"));
+    EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc") / "_ab_cd",
+              sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc/_5fab_5fcd"));
+    EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc") / "ab-c_d",
+              sdbusplus::message::object_path("/abc/_61b_2dc_5fd"));
 
     // Test the std::string overload.  This is largely just for coverage
     EXPECT_EQ(sdbusplus::message::object_path("/") / std::string("abc"),
@@ -96,8 +106,8 @@
     EXPECT_EQ(path, sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_61bc"));
 
     sdbusplus::message::object_path path2("/");
-    path2 /= std::string("def");
-    EXPECT_EQ(path2, sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_64ef"));
+    path2 /= std::string("d-ef");
+    EXPECT_EQ(path2, sdbusplus::message::object_path("/_64_2def"));
 }
 
 TEST(MessageTypes, Signature)