diff --git a/libtransmission/open-files.cc b/libtransmission/open-files.cc
index 163a167fb..dbd8612d9 100644
--- a/libtransmission/open-files.cc
+++ b/libtransmission/open-files.cc
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ std::optional<tr_sys_file_t> tr_open_files::get(
     tr_torrent_id_t tor_id,
     tr_file_index_t file_num,
     bool writable,
-    std::string_view filename_in,
+    std::string_view const filename,
     Preallocation allocation,
     uint64_t file_size)
 {
@@ -158,13 +158,10 @@ std::optional<tr_sys_file_t> tr_open_files::get(
     }
 
     // create subfolders, if any
-    auto const filename = tr_pathbuf{ filename_in };
     auto error = tr_error{};
     if (writable)
     {
-        auto dir = tr_pathbuf{ filename.sv() };
-        dir.popdir();
-        if (!tr_sys_dir_create(dir, TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0777, &error))
+        if (auto const dir = tr_sys_path_dirname(filename); !tr_sys_dir_create(dir, TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0777, &error))
         {
             tr_logAddError(
                 fmt::format(
diff --git a/libtransmission/torrent.cc b/libtransmission/torrent.cc
index 93ad75592..d4f831642 100644
--- a/libtransmission/torrent.cc
+++ b/libtransmission/torrent.cc
@@ -1799,9 +1799,7 @@ void tr_torrent::create_empty_files() const
         filename.assign(base, '/', subpath);
 
         // create subfolders, if any
-        auto dir = tr_pathbuf{ filename.sv() };
-        dir.popdir();
-        tr_sys_dir_create(dir, TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0777);
+        tr_sys_dir_create(tr_sys_path_dirname(filename), TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0777);
 
         // create the file
         if (auto const fd = tr_sys_file_open(filename, TR_SYS_FILE_WRITE | TR_SYS_FILE_CREATE | TR_SYS_FILE_SEQUENTIAL, 0666);
diff --git a/libtransmission/tr-strbuf.h b/libtransmission/tr-strbuf.h
index 824badb29..2819a57e4 100644
--- a/libtransmission/tr-strbuf.h
+++ b/libtransmission/tr-strbuf.h
@@ -263,28 +263,6 @@ public:
         return c_str();
     }
 
-    bool popdir() noexcept
-    {
-        // NOLINTNEXTLINE(readability-redundant-declaration): P.S. This looks like some dark magic
-        std::string_view tr_sys_path_dirname(std::string_view path);
-        auto const parent = tr_sys_path_dirname(sv());
-        auto const changed = parent != sv();
-
-        if (changed)
-        {
-            if (std::data(parent) == std::data(*this))
-            {
-                resize(std::size(parent));
-            }
-            else
-            {
-                assign(parent);
-            }
-        }
-
-        return changed;
-    }
-
 private:
     /**
      * Ensure that the buffer's string is zero-terminated, e.g. for
diff --git a/libtransmission/utils.cc b/libtransmission/utils.cc
index b496f2fa4..f2567d058 100644
--- a/libtransmission/utils.cc
+++ b/libtransmission/utils.cc
@@ -588,9 +588,7 @@ bool tr_file_move(std::string_view oldpath, std::string_view newpath, bool allow
     }
 
     // ensure the target directory exists
-    auto newdir = tr_pathbuf{ newpath };
-    newdir.popdir();
-    if (!tr_sys_dir_create(newdir, TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0777, error))
+    if (!tr_sys_dir_create(tr_sys_path_dirname(newpath), TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0777, error))
     {
         error->prefix_message("Unable to create directory for new file: ");
         return false;
diff --git a/tests/libtransmission/file-test.cc b/tests/libtransmission/file-test.cc
index e903ed454..b4d1d99f7 100644
--- a/tests/libtransmission/file-test.cc
+++ b/tests/libtransmission/file-test.cc
@@ -845,10 +845,6 @@ TEST_F(FileTest, pathDirname)
     {
         EXPECT_EQ(expected, tr_sys_path_dirname(input))
             << "input[" << input << "] expected [" << expected << "] actual [" << tr_sys_path_dirname(input) << "]\n";
-
-        auto path = tr_pathbuf{ input };
-        path.popdir();
-        EXPECT_EQ(expected, path) << "input[" << input << "] expected [" << expected << "] actual [" << path << "]\n";
     }
 
     /* TODO: is_same(dirname(x) + '/' + basename(x), x) */
diff --git a/tests/libtransmission/remove-test.cc b/tests/libtransmission/remove-test.cc
index 7aee2f793..7dd21ff42 100644
--- a/tests/libtransmission/remove-test.cc
+++ b/tests/libtransmission/remove-test.cc
@@ -178,13 +178,14 @@ protected:
 
         for (tr_file_index_t i = 0, n = files.file_count(); i < n; ++i)
         {
-            auto walk = tr_pathbuf{ parent, '/', files.path(i) };
-            createFileWithContents(walk, std::data(Content), std::size(Content));
-            paths.emplace(walk);
+            auto const filename = tr_pathbuf{ parent, '/', files.path(i) };
+            createFileWithContents(filename, std::data(Content), std::size(Content));
+            paths.emplace(filename);
 
+            auto walk = filename.sv();
             while (!tr_sys_path_is_same(parent, walk))
             {
-                walk.popdir();
+                walk = tr_sys_path_dirname(walk);
                 paths.emplace(walk);
             }
         }
diff --git a/tests/libtransmission/test-fixtures.h b/tests/libtransmission/test-fixtures.h
index 3ba9b0185..a8d253da1 100644
--- a/tests/libtransmission/test-fixtures.h
+++ b/tests/libtransmission/test-fixtures.h
@@ -212,9 +212,7 @@ protected:
     {
         auto const tmperr = errno;
 
-        auto dir = tr_pathbuf{ path };
-        dir.popdir();
-        if (auto const info = tr_sys_path_get_info(path); !info)
+        if (auto const dir = tr_sys_path_dirname(path); !tr_sys_path_exists(dir))
         {
             auto error = tr_error{};
             tr_sys_dir_create(dir, TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0700, &error);
@@ -433,9 +431,7 @@ protected:
                 auto const suffix = std::string_view{ partial ? ".part" : "" };
                 auto const filename = tr_pathbuf{ base, '/', subpath, suffix };
 
-                auto dirname = tr_pathbuf{ filename.sv() };
-                dirname.popdir();
-                tr_sys_dir_create(dirname, TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0700);
+                tr_sys_dir_create(tr_sys_path_dirname(filename), TR_SYS_DIR_CREATE_PARENTS, 0700);
 
                 auto fd = tr_sys_file_open(filename, TR_SYS_FILE_WRITE | TR_SYS_FILE_CREATE | TR_SYS_FILE_TRUNCATE, 0600);
                 auto const file_size = metainfo->file_size(i);