Preconditions - A linux host which you have ssh access to (192.168.1.105 in the example below) - An account on said host - SHELL on the remote host is /bin/bash (GNU bash, version 4.2.25(1)-release (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Reproduction steps $ ssh dana@192.168.1.105 'echo "some content" > /home/dana/t\$test.txt' # verify there's some content in the file $ ssh dana@192.168.1.105 'cat /home/dana/t\$test.txt' $ emacs -Q -nw # now we're in emacs C-x C-f DEL DEL /dana@192.168.1.105:/home/dana/t$test.txt RET Expected result - a new buffer called t$test.txt is opened visiting the remote file Actual result - a new buffer called t$test.txt is opened - the buffer is empty - The following is written to *Messages* buffer: File exists, but cannot be read This is a bug in tramp-sh-handle-file-truename. I've attached a patch. The current version of tramp-sh-handle-file-truename uses backticks inside a quoted string. Shell arguments used inside the backticks should be shell escaped twice, but they're not. I've changed the shell command to use a subshell ( $(...) ) Instead of backticks which removes the need for the double escaping. I've done my best to follow the guidelines for reporting a bug and submitting a patch. I'll be happy to fix up whatever is necessary to get this accepted. Dana P If Emacs crashed, and you have the Emacs process in the gdb debugger, please include the output from the following gdb commands: `bt full' and `xbacktrace'. For information about debugging Emacs, please read the file /Applications/Emacs.app/Contents/Resources/etc/DEBUG. In GNU Emacs 24.3.1 (x86_64-apple-darwin, NS apple-appkit-1038.36) of 2013-03-13 on bob.porkrind.org Windowing system distributor `Apple', version 10.3.1265 Configured using: `configure '--host=x86_64-apple-darwin' '--build=i686-apple-darwin' '--with-ns' 'build_alias=i686-apple-darwin' 'host_alias=x86_64-apple-darwin' 'CC=gcc -mmacosx-version-min=10.7 -isystem /Users/david/Xcode-10.7_4.5.2/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.7.sdk/usr/include/ -F/Users/david/Xcode-10.7_4.5.2/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.7.sdk/System/Library/Frameworks'' Important settings: value of $LANG: en_US.UTF-8 locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix default enable-multibyte-characters: t Major mode: Text Minor modes in effect: shell-dirtrack-mode: t tooltip-mode: t mouse-wheel-mode: t tool-bar-mode: t menu-bar-mode: t file-name-shadow-mode: t global-font-lock-mode: t font-lock-mode: t auto-composition-mode: t auto-encryption-mode: t auto-compression-mode: t buffer-read-only: t line-number-mode: t transient-mark-mode: t Recent input: ESC [ ? 1 ; 2 c C-x C-f DEL DEL / d a n a @ 1 9 2 . 1 6 8 . 1 . 1 0 1 DEL 5 : t DEL / h o m e / d a n a / t $ t e s t . t x t RET ESC x r e p o r t TAB RE T Recent messages: Tramp: Opening connection for dana@192.168.1.105 using scpc...done Tramp: Inserting `/scpc:dana@192.168.1.105:/home/dana/t$test.txt'...done File exists, but cannot be read Tramp: Checking `vc-registered' for /scpc:dana@192.168.1.105: /home/dana/t$test.txt...done File exists, but cannot be read Tramp: Checking `vc-registered' for /scpc:dana@192.168.1.105: /home/dana/t.txt...done File exists, but cannot be read current-kill: Kill ring is empty Load-path shadows: None found. Features: (shadow sort mail-extr emacsbug message rfc822 mml easymenu mml-sec mm-decode mm-bodies mm-encode mail-parse rfc2231 mailabbrev gmm-utils mailheader sendmail rfc2047 rfc2045 ietf-drums mail-utils tramp-cache tramp-sh tramp tramp-compat auth-source eieio byte-opt bytecomp byte-compile cconv gnus-util mm-util mail-prsvr password-cache tramp-loaddefs shell pcomplete comint ansi-color ring format-spec advice help-fns cl-lib advice-preload time-date tooltip ediff-hook vc-hooks lisp-float-type mwheel ns-win tool-bar dnd fontset image regexp-opt fringe tabulated-list newcomment lisp-mode register page menu-bar rfn-eshadow timer select scroll-bar mouse jit-lock font-lock syntax facemenu font-core frame cham georgian utf-8-lang misc-lang vietnamese tibetan thai tai-viet lao korean japanese hebrew greek romanian slovak czech european ethiopic indian cyrillic chinese case-table epa-hook jka-cmpr-hook help simple abbrev minibuffer loaddefs button faces cus-face macroexp files text-properties overlay sha1 md5 base64 format env code-pages mule custom widget hashtable-print-readable backquote make-network-process ns multi-tty emacs)