diff --git a/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src-tauri/src/config.rs b/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src-tauri/src/config.rs
index 3240832c2..1dd22bc08 100644
--- a/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src-tauri/src/config.rs
+++ b/apps/ai-game-creator-shell/src-tauri/src/config.rs
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ fn user_selected_path_grants() -> &'static Mutex<HashMap<String, UserSelectedPat
 
 #[cfg(windows)]
 fn normalize_user_selected_path_key(path: &Path) -> Option<String> {
+    let path = normalize_windows_policy_path(path);
     if !path.is_absolute()
         || path
             .components()
@@ -42,6 +43,15 @@ fn normalize_user_selected_path_key(path: &Path) -> Option<String> {
     )
 }
 
+#[cfg(windows)]
+fn normalize_windows_policy_path(path: &Path) -> PathBuf {
+    let value = path.to_string_lossy();
+    if let Some(rest) = value.strip_prefix(r"\\?\UNC\") {
+        return PathBuf::from(format!(r"\\{rest}"));
+    }
+    PathBuf::from(value.strip_prefix(r"\\?\").unwrap_or(&value))
+}
+
 #[cfg(windows)]
 pub(crate) fn register_game_creator_user_selected_path(path: &Path, is_directory: bool) {
     let Some(key) = normalize_user_selected_path_key(path) else {
@@ -838,6 +848,7 @@ pub(crate) fn validate_game_creator_private_path_ancestors(
 /// separate, explicit user-selected scope below covers native picker/project
 /// root results, including projects stored outside the current profile.
 fn game_creator_private_path_allows_auto_elevation(path: &Path) -> bool {
+    let path = normalize_windows_policy_path(path);
     if !path.is_absolute()
         || path
             .components()
@@ -846,7 +857,10 @@ fn game_creator_private_path_allows_auto_elevation(path: &Path) -> bool {
         return false;
     }
 
-    let starts_with_path = |root: &Path| path == root || path.starts_with(root);
+    let starts_with_path = |root: &Path| {
+        let root = normalize_windows_policy_path(root);
+        path == root || path.starts_with(root)
+    };
     if game_creator_runtime_config_dir()
         .as_deref()
         .is_some_and(starts_with_path)
@@ -1056,6 +1070,7 @@ pub(crate) fn parse_windows_acl_repair_scope(value: &str) -> Result<WindowsAclRe
 
 #[cfg(windows)]
 fn game_creator_runtime_config_repair_scope(path: &Path) -> WindowsAclRepairScope {
+    let path = normalize_windows_policy_path(path);
     let is_builtin_root = |root: PathBuf| path == root || path.starts_with(root);
     if let Some(home) = std::env::var_os("USERPROFILE")
         .or_else(|| std::env::var_os("HOME"))
@@ -4506,6 +4521,23 @@ mod private_path_elevation_policy_tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[cfg(windows)]
+    #[test]
+    fn verbatim_packaged_appdata_path_keeps_managed_repair_scope() {
+        let root = std::env::var_os("LOCALAPPDATA")
+            .or_else(|| std::env::var_os("APPDATA"))
+            .map(PathBuf::from)
+            .expect("local appdata");
+        let packaged = root.join("world.genarrative.ai-game-creator");
+        let verbatim = PathBuf::from(format!(r"\\?\{}", packaged.display()));
+
+        assert!(game_creator_private_path_allows_auto_elevation(&verbatim));
+        assert_eq!(
+            game_creator_runtime_config_repair_scope(&verbatim),
+            WindowsAclRepairScope::Managed
+        );
+    }
+
     #[cfg(windows)]
     #[test]
     fn picker_grant_is_required_and_directory_grant_covers_descendants() {