diff --git a/src/Interpreters/Context.cpp b/src/Interpreters/Context.cpp
index 69f9518a912..9490c43203b 100644
--- a/src/Interpreters/Context.cpp
+++ b/src/Interpreters/Context.cpp
@@ -1971,6 +1971,9 @@ zkutil::ZooKeeperPtr Context::getAuxiliaryZooKeeper(const String & name) const
     auto zookeeper = shared->auxiliary_zookeepers.find(name);
     if (zookeeper == shared->auxiliary_zookeepers.end())
     {
+        if (name.find(':') != std::string::npos || name.find('/') != std::string::npos)
+            throw Exception(ErrorCodes::BAD_ARGUMENTS, "Invalid auxiliary ZooKeeper name {}: ':' and '/' are not allowed", name);
+
         const auto & config = shared->auxiliary_zookeepers_config ? *shared->auxiliary_zookeepers_config : getConfigRef();
         if (!config.has("auxiliary_zookeepers." + name))
             throw Exception(
diff --git a/src/Storages/StorageReplicatedMergeTree.cpp b/src/Storages/StorageReplicatedMergeTree.cpp
index c8ec9b91211..ff2676cd3e9 100644
--- a/src/Storages/StorageReplicatedMergeTree.cpp
+++ b/src/Storages/StorageReplicatedMergeTree.cpp
@@ -192,43 +192,54 @@ zkutil::ZooKeeperPtr StorageReplicatedMergeTree::getZooKeeper() const
     return res;
 }
 
-static std::string normalizeZooKeeperPath(std::string zookeeper_path)
+static std::string normalizeZooKeeperPath(std::string zookeeper_path, bool check_starts_with_slash, Poco::Logger * log = nullptr)
 {
     if (!zookeeper_path.empty() && zookeeper_path.back() == '/')
         zookeeper_path.resize(zookeeper_path.size() - 1);
     /// If zookeeper chroot prefix is used, path should start with '/', because chroot concatenates without it.
     if (!zookeeper_path.empty() && zookeeper_path.front() != '/')
+    {
+        /// Do not allow this for new tables, print warning for tables created in old versions
+        if (check_starts_with_slash)
+            throw Exception(ErrorCodes::BAD_ARGUMENTS, "ZooKeeper path must starts with '/', got '{}'", zookeeper_path);
+        if (log)
+            LOG_WARNING(log, "ZooKeeper path ('{}') does not start with '/'. It will not be supported in future releases");
         zookeeper_path = "/" + zookeeper_path;
+    }
 
     return zookeeper_path;
 }
 
 static String extractZooKeeperName(const String & path)
 {
+    static constexpr auto default_zookeeper_name = "default";
     if (path.empty())
-        throw Exception("ZooKeeper path should not be empty", ErrorCodes::ILLEGAL_TYPE_OF_ARGUMENT);
-    auto pos = path.find(':');
-    if (pos != String::npos)
+        throw Exception("ZooKeeper path should not be empty", ErrorCodes::BAD_ARGUMENTS);
+    if (path[0] == '/')
+        return default_zookeeper_name;
+    auto pos = path.find(":/");
+    if (pos != String::npos && pos < path.find('/'))
     {
         auto zookeeper_name = path.substr(0, pos);
         if (zookeeper_name.empty())
-            throw Exception("Zookeeper path should start with '/' or '<auxiliary_zookeeper_name>:/'", ErrorCodes::ILLEGAL_TYPE_OF_ARGUMENT);
+            throw Exception("Zookeeper path should start with '/' or '<auxiliary_zookeeper_name>:/'", ErrorCodes::BAD_ARGUMENTS);
         return zookeeper_name;
     }
-    static constexpr auto default_zookeeper_name = "default";
     return default_zookeeper_name;
 }
 
-static String extractZooKeeperPath(const String & path)
+static String extractZooKeeperPath(const String & path, bool check_starts_with_slash, Poco::Logger * log = nullptr)
 {
     if (path.empty())
-        throw Exception("ZooKeeper path should not be empty", ErrorCodes::ILLEGAL_TYPE_OF_ARGUMENT);
-    auto pos = path.find(':');
-    if (pos != String::npos)
+        throw Exception("ZooKeeper path should not be empty", ErrorCodes::BAD_ARGUMENTS);
+    if (path[0] == '/')
+        return path;
+    auto pos = path.find(":/");
+    if (pos != String::npos && pos < path.find('/'))
     {
-        return normalizeZooKeeperPath(path.substr(pos + 1, String::npos));
+        return normalizeZooKeeperPath(path.substr(pos + 1, String::npos), check_starts_with_slash, log);
     }
-    return normalizeZooKeeperPath(path);
+    return normalizeZooKeeperPath(path, check_starts_with_slash, log);
 }
 
 static MergeTreePartInfo makeDummyDropRangeForMovePartitionOrAttachPartitionFrom(const String & partition_id)
@@ -275,7 +286,7 @@ StorageReplicatedMergeTree::StorageReplicatedMergeTree(
                     attach,
                     [this] (const std::string & name) { enqueuePartForCheck(name); })
     , zookeeper_name(extractZooKeeperName(zookeeper_path_))
-    , zookeeper_path(extractZooKeeperPath(zookeeper_path_))
+    , zookeeper_path(extractZooKeeperPath(zookeeper_path_, /* check_starts_with_slash */ !attach, log))
     , replica_name(replica_name_)
     , replica_path(fs::path(zookeeper_path) / "replicas" / replica_name_)
     , reader(*this)
@@ -5425,7 +5436,7 @@ void StorageReplicatedMergeTree::fetchPartition(
     info.table_id.uuid = UUIDHelpers::Nil;
     auto expand_from = query_context->getMacros()->expand(from_, info);
     String auxiliary_zookeeper_name = extractZooKeeperName(expand_from);
-    String from = extractZooKeeperPath(expand_from);
+    String from = extractZooKeeperPath(expand_from, /* check_starts_with_slash */ true);
     if (from.empty())
         throw Exception("ZooKeeper path should not be empty", ErrorCodes::ILLEGAL_TYPE_OF_ARGUMENT);
 
@@ -6490,7 +6501,7 @@ void StorageReplicatedMergeTree::movePartitionToShard(
     if (!move_part)
         throw Exception("MOVE PARTITION TO SHARD is not supported, use MOVE PART instead", ErrorCodes::NOT_IMPLEMENTED);
 
-    if (normalizeZooKeeperPath(zookeeper_path) == normalizeZooKeeperPath(to))
+    if (normalizeZooKeeperPath(zookeeper_path, /* check_starts_with_slash */ true) == normalizeZooKeeperPath(to, /* check_starts_with_slash */ true))
         throw Exception("Source and destination are the same", ErrorCodes::BAD_ARGUMENTS);
 
     auto zookeeper = getZooKeeper();
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_replicated_merge_tree_with_auxiliary_zookeepers/test.py b/tests/integration/test_replicated_merge_tree_with_auxiliary_zookeepers/test.py
index a9dcce1b9d4..4644790ff94 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_replicated_merge_tree_with_auxiliary_zookeepers/test.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_replicated_merge_tree_with_auxiliary_zookeepers/test.py
@@ -101,3 +101,13 @@ def test_drop_replicated_merge_tree_with_auxiliary_zookeeper(started_cluster):
     assert zk.exists('/clickhouse/tables/test/test_auxiliary_zookeeper')
     drop_table([node1, node2], "test_auxiliary_zookeeper")
     assert zk.exists('/clickhouse/tables/test/test_auxiliary_zookeeper') is None
+
+def test_path_ambiguity(started_cluster):
+    drop_table([node1, node2], "test_path_ambiguity1")
+    drop_table([node1, node2], "test_path_ambiguity2")
+    node1.query("create table test_path_ambiguity1 (n int) engine=ReplicatedMergeTree('/test:bad:/path', '1') order by n")
+    assert "Invalid auxiliary ZooKeeper name" in node1.query_and_get_error("create table test_path_ambiguity2 (n int) engine=ReplicatedMergeTree('test:bad:/path', '1') order by n")
+    assert "ZooKeeper path must starts with '/'" in node1.query_and_get_error("create table test_path_ambiguity2 (n int) engine=ReplicatedMergeTree('test/bad:/path', '1') order by n")
+    node1.query("create table test_path_ambiguity2 (n int) engine=ReplicatedMergeTree('zookeeper2:/bad:/path', '1') order by n")
+    drop_table([node1, node2], "test_path_ambiguity1")
+    drop_table([node1, node2], "test_path_ambiguity2")