diff --git a/core/src/main/java/com/google/adk/agents/ConfigAgentUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/com/google/adk/agents/ConfigAgentUtils.java
index 893353f27..d4c8a142f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/com/google/adk/agents/ConfigAgentUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/com/google/adk/agents/ConfigAgentUtils.java
@@ -247,12 +247,18 @@ private static BaseAgent resolveSubAgentFromConfigPath(
       BaseAgentConfig.AgentRefConfig subAgentConfig, Path configDir) throws ConfigurationException {
 
     String configPath = subAgentConfig.configPath().trim();
-    Path subAgentConfigPath;
 
     if (Path.of(configPath).isAbsolute()) {
-      subAgentConfigPath = Path.of(configPath);
-    } else {
-      subAgentConfigPath = configDir.resolve(configPath);
+      throw new ConfigurationException(
+          "Absolute paths are not allowed in AgentTool config_path: " + configPath);
+    }
+
+    Path subAgentConfigPath = configDir.resolve(configPath).normalize().toAbsolutePath();
+    Path canonicalConfigDir = configDir.normalize().toAbsolutePath();
+
+    if (!subAgentConfigPath.startsWith(canonicalConfigDir)) {
+      throw new ConfigurationException(
+          "Path traversal detected: config_path resolves outside agent directory: " + configPath);
     }
 
     if (!Files.exists(subAgentConfigPath)) {
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/com/google/adk/agents/ConfigAgentUtilsTest.java b/core/src/test/java/com/google/adk/agents/ConfigAgentUtilsTest.java
index 4f6ea6104..62f931d41 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/com/google/adk/agents/ConfigAgentUtilsTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/com/google/adk/agents/ConfigAgentUtilsTest.java
@@ -1381,6 +1381,176 @@ public void testCallbackRefAccessors() {
     assertThat(callbackRef.name()).isEqualTo("updated-name");
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void resolveSubAgents_withAbsoluteConfigPath_throwsConfigurationException()
+      throws IOException {
+    // A secret file outside the agent directory that an attacker might try to read.
+    File secretFile = tempFolder.newFile("secret.yaml");
+    Files.writeString(
+        secretFile.toPath(),
+        """
+        agent_class: LlmAgent
+        name: secret_agent
+        description: A secret agent that should not be loadable via absolute path
+        instruction: secret instruction
+        """);
+    String absoluteConfigPath = secretFile.getAbsolutePath();
+
+    File mainAgentFile = tempFolder.newFile("main_agent_absolute.yaml");
+    Files.writeString(
+        mainAgentFile.toPath(),
+        String.format(
+            """
+            agent_class: LlmAgent
+            name: main_agent
+            description: Main agent referencing an absolute config_path
+            instruction: You are a main agent
+            sub_agents:
+              - name: secret_agent
+                config_path: %s
+            """,
+            absoluteConfigPath));
+
+    ConfigurationException exception =
+        assertThrows(
+            ConfigurationException.class,
+            () -> ConfigAgentUtils.fromConfig(mainAgentFile.getAbsolutePath()));
+
+    assertThat(exception).hasMessageThat().contains("Failed to create agent from config");
+    StringBuilder messages = new StringBuilder();
+    Throwable t = exception.getCause();
+    while (t != null) {
+      messages.append(t.getMessage()).append("\n");
+      t = t.getCause();
+    }
+    assertThat(messages.toString())
+        .contains("Absolute paths are not allowed in AgentTool config_path: " + absoluteConfigPath);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void resolveSubAgents_withTraversalConfigPath_throwsConfigurationException()
+      throws IOException {
+    // The agent config lives in a nested subdirectory so that "../../" escapes the agent
+    // directory. The traversal target is a real file to prove the rejection happens before any
+    // file read.
+    File secretFile = tempFolder.newFile("outside_secret.yaml");
+    Files.writeString(
+        secretFile.toPath(),
+        """
+        agent_class: LlmAgent
+        name: outside_secret_agent
+        description: A file outside the agent directory
+        instruction: secret instruction
+        """);
+
+    File agentDir = tempFolder.newFolder("nested", "agents");
+    File mainAgentFile = new File(agentDir, "main_agent_traversal.yaml");
+    Files.writeString(
+        mainAgentFile.toPath(),
+        """
+        agent_class: LlmAgent
+        name: main_agent
+        description: Main agent referencing a traversal config_path
+        instruction: You are a main agent
+        sub_agents:
+          - name: outside_secret_agent
+            config_path: ../../outside_secret.yaml
+        """);
+
+    ConfigurationException exception =
+        assertThrows(
+            ConfigurationException.class,
+            () -> ConfigAgentUtils.fromConfig(mainAgentFile.getAbsolutePath()));
+
+    assertThat(exception).hasMessageThat().contains("Failed to create agent from config");
+    StringBuilder messages = new StringBuilder();
+    Throwable t = exception.getCause();
+    while (t != null) {
+      messages.append(t.getMessage()).append("\n");
+      t = t.getCause();
+    }
+    assertThat(messages.toString())
+        .contains(
+            "Path traversal detected: config_path resolves outside agent directory:"
+                + " ../../outside_secret.yaml");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void resolveSubAgents_withRelativeConfigPathWithinAgentDir_resolvesSuccessfully()
+      throws IOException, ConfigurationException {
+    // A normal relative config_path that stays within the agent directory must still work.
+    File subAgentFile = tempFolder.newFile("normal_sub_agent.yaml");
+    Files.writeString(
+        subAgentFile.toPath(),
+        """
+        agent_class: LlmAgent
+        name: normal_sub_agent
+        description: A normal subagent
+        instruction: You are a helpful subagent
+        """);
+
+    File mainAgentFile = tempFolder.newFile("main_agent_relative.yaml");
+    Files.writeString(
+        mainAgentFile.toPath(),
+        """
+        agent_class: LlmAgent
+        name: main_agent
+        description: Main agent with a normal relative config_path
+        instruction: You are a main agent
+        sub_agents:
+          - name: normal_sub_agent
+            config_path: normal_sub_agent.yaml
+        """);
+
+    BaseAgent mainAgent = ConfigAgentUtils.fromConfig(mainAgentFile.getAbsolutePath());
+
+    assertThat(mainAgent.name()).isEqualTo("main_agent");
+    assertThat(mainAgent.subAgents()).hasSize(1);
+    BaseAgent subAgent = mainAgent.subAgents().get(0);
+    assertThat(subAgent.name()).isEqualTo("normal_sub_agent");
+    assertThat(subAgent).isInstanceOf(LlmAgent.class);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void resolveSubAgents_withTraversalThatStaysWithinAgentDir_resolvesSuccessfully()
+      throws IOException, ConfigurationException {
+    // A config_path containing ".." that still normalizes to a location inside the agent
+    // directory must be accepted (the containment check is on the normalized path, not a naive
+    // ".." substring match).
+    File childDir = tempFolder.newFolder("child");
+    File subAgentFile = new File(childDir, "nested_sub_agent.yaml");
+    Files.writeString(
+        subAgentFile.toPath(),
+        """
+        agent_class: LlmAgent
+        name: nested_sub_agent
+        description: A nested subagent reached via an in-bounds relative path
+        instruction: You are a helpful subagent
+        """);
+
+    File mainAgentFile = tempFolder.newFile("main_agent_inbounds_traversal.yaml");
+    // child/../child/nested_sub_agent.yaml normalizes back into the agent directory.
+    Files.writeString(
+        mainAgentFile.toPath(),
+        """
+        agent_class: LlmAgent
+        name: main_agent
+        description: Main agent with an in-bounds traversal config_path
+        instruction: You are a main agent
+        sub_agents:
+          - name: nested_sub_agent
+            config_path: child/../child/nested_sub_agent.yaml
+        """);
+
+    BaseAgent mainAgent = ConfigAgentUtils.fromConfig(mainAgentFile.getAbsolutePath());
+
+    assertThat(mainAgent.name()).isEqualTo("main_agent");
+    assertThat(mainAgent.subAgents()).hasSize(1);
+    BaseAgent subAgent = mainAgent.subAgents().get(0);
+    assertThat(subAgent.name()).isEqualTo("nested_sub_agent");
+    assertThat(subAgent).isInstanceOf(LlmAgent.class);
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void fromConfig_validYamlLoopAgent_createsLoopAgent()
       throws IOException, ConfigurationException {