diff --git a/src/net/http/fs.go b/src/net/http/fs.go
index ce674c42ed..969ca65b69 100644
--- a/src/net/http/fs.go
+++ b/src/net/http/fs.go
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ func dirList(w ResponseWriter, f File) {
 		// part of the URL path, and not indicate the start of a query
 		// string or fragment.
 		url := url.URL{Path: name}
-		fmt.Fprintf(w, "<a href=\"./%s\">%s</a>\n", url.String(), htmlReplacer.Replace(name))
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "<a href=\"%s\">%s</a>\n", url.String(), htmlReplacer.Replace(name))
 	}
 	fmt.Fprintf(w, "</pre>\n")
 }
diff --git a/src/net/http/fs_test.go b/src/net/http/fs_test.go
index e39c3a83c7..bc40cc7a52 100644
--- a/src/net/http/fs_test.go
+++ b/src/net/http/fs_test.go
@@ -270,10 +270,11 @@ func TestFileServerEscapesNames(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name, escaped string
 	}{
-		{`simple_name`, `<a href="./simple_name">simple_name</a>`},
-		{`"'<>&`, `<a href="./%22%27%3C%3E&">&#34;&#39;&lt;&gt;&amp;</a>`},
-		{`?foo=bar#baz`, `<a href="./%3Ffoo=bar%23baz">?foo=bar#baz</a>`},
-		{`<combo>?foo`, `<a href="./%3Ccombo%3E%3Ffoo">&lt;combo&gt;?foo</a>`},
+		{`simple_name`, `<a href="simple_name">simple_name</a>`},
+		{`"'<>&`, `<a href="%22%27%3C%3E&">&#34;&#39;&lt;&gt;&amp;</a>`},
+		{`?foo=bar#baz`, `<a href="%3Ffoo=bar%23baz">?foo=bar#baz</a>`},
+		{`<combo>?foo`, `<a href="%3Ccombo%3E%3Ffoo">&lt;combo&gt;?foo</a>`},
+		{`foo:bar`, `<a href="./foo:bar">foo:bar</a>`},
 	}
 
 	// We put each test file in its own directory in the fakeFS so we can look at it in isolation.
@@ -349,7 +350,7 @@ func TestFileServerSortsNames(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("read Body: %v", err)
 	}
 	s := string(b)
-	if !strings.Contains(s, "<a href=\"./a\">a</a>\n<a href=\"./b\">b</a>") {
+	if !strings.Contains(s, "<a href=\"a\">a</a>\n<a href=\"b\">b</a>") {
 		t.Errorf("output appears to be unsorted:\n%s", s)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/net/url/url.go b/src/net/url/url.go
index fb70dbac0d..d77e9295dd 100644
--- a/src/net/url/url.go
+++ b/src/net/url/url.go
@@ -713,6 +713,17 @@ func (u *URL) String() string {
 		if path != "" && path[0] != '/' && u.Host != "" {
 			buf.WriteByte('/')
 		}
+		if buf.Len() == 0 {
+			// RFC 3986 §4.2
+			// A path segment that contains a colon character (e.g., "this:that")
+			// cannot be used as the first segment of a relative-path reference, as
+			// it would be mistaken for a scheme name. Such a segment must be
+			// preceded by a dot-segment (e.g., "./this:that") to make a relative-
+			// path reference.
+			if i := strings.IndexByte(path, ':'); i > -1 && strings.IndexByte(path[:i], '/') == -1 {
+				buf.WriteString("./")
+			}
+		}
 		buf.WriteString(path)
 	}
 	if u.ForceQuery || u.RawQuery != "" {
diff --git a/src/net/url/url_test.go b/src/net/url/url_test.go
index a48da73e4a..6eac198448 100644
--- a/src/net/url/url_test.go
+++ b/src/net/url/url_test.go
@@ -676,6 +676,44 @@ func TestParseRequestURI(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+var stringURLTests = []struct {
+	url  URL
+	want string
+}{
+	// No leading slash on path should prepend slash on String() call
+	{
+		url: URL{
+			Scheme: "http",
+			Host:   "www.google.com",
+			Path:   "search",
+		},
+		want: "http://www.google.com/search",
+	},
+	// Relative path with first element containing ":" should be prepended with "./", golang.org/issue/17184
+	{
+		url: URL{
+			Path: "this:that",
+		},
+		want: "./this:that",
+	},
+	// Relative path with second element containing ":" should not be prepended with "./"
+	{
+		url: URL{
+			Path: "here/this:that",
+		},
+		want: "here/this:that",
+	},
+	// Non-relative path with first element containing ":" should not be prepended with "./"
+	{
+		url: URL{
+			Scheme: "http",
+			Host:   "www.google.com",
+			Path:   "this:that",
+		},
+		want: "http://www.google.com/this:that",
+	},
+}
+
 func TestURLString(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range urltests {
 		u, err := Parse(tt.in)
@@ -693,15 +731,10 @@ func TestURLString(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// No leading slash on path should prepend
-	// slash on String() call
-	noslash := URL{
-		Scheme: "http",
-		Host:   "www.google.com",
-		Path:   "search",
-	}
-	if got, want := noslash.String(), "http://www.google.com/search"; got != want {
-		t.Errorf("No slash\ngot  %q\nwant %q", got, want)
+	for _, tt := range stringURLTests {
+		if got := tt.url.String(); got != tt.want {
+			t.Errorf("%+v.String() = %q; want %q", tt.url, got, tt.want)
+		}
 	}
 }