diff --git a/vfs/ChangeLog b/vfs/ChangeLog
index f10d5b5bd..b38d99f59 100644
--- a/vfs/ChangeLog
+++ b/vfs/ChangeLog
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 2003-11-13  Pavel Roskin  <proski@gnu.org>
 
+	* vfs.h: Constify chdir() and opendir() methods.  Adjust all
+	dependencies.
+	* vfs.c (mc_chdir): Constify, eliminate protection against
+	broken implementations of chdir() method.
+	(mc_opendir): Constify.
+
 	* direntry.c (vfs_s_stamp_me): Generalize and move ...
 	* gc.c (vfs_stamp_create): ... here.  Use whenever possible.
 
diff --git a/vfs/direntry.c b/vfs/direntry.c
index 7304a10d6..e1323e599 100644
--- a/vfs/direntry.c
+++ b/vfs/direntry.c
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ struct dirhandle {
 };
 
 static void *
-vfs_s_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, char *dirname)
+vfs_s_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *dirname)
 {
     struct vfs_s_inode *dir;
     struct dirhandle *info;
@@ -618,7 +618,7 @@ vfs_s_closedir (void *data)
 }
 
 static int
-vfs_s_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, char *path)
+vfs_s_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *path)
 {
     void *data;
     if (!(data = vfs_s_opendir (me, path)))
diff --git a/vfs/extfs.c b/vfs/extfs.c
index 05e31bcff..2879622bc 100644
--- a/vfs/extfs.c
+++ b/vfs/extfs.c
@@ -854,7 +854,7 @@ static int extfs_errno (struct vfs_class *me)
     return my_errno;
 }
 
-static void * extfs_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, char *dirname)
+static void * extfs_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *dirname)
 {
     struct archive *archive;
     char *q;
@@ -1071,7 +1071,7 @@ static int extfs_rmdir (struct vfs_class *me, char *path)
     return 0;
 }
 
-static int extfs_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, char *path)
+static int extfs_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *path)
 {
     struct archive *archive;
     char *q;
diff --git a/vfs/local.c b/vfs/local.c
index 8e55d65d0..7a7b5a9fc 100644
--- a/vfs/local.c
+++ b/vfs/local.c
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ local_errno (struct vfs_class *me)
 }
 
 static void *
-local_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, char *dirname)
+local_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *dirname)
 {
     DIR **local_info;
     DIR *dir;
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ local_rename (struct vfs_class *me, char *a, char *b)
 }
 
 static int
-local_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, char *path)
+local_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *path)
 {
     return chdir (path);
 }
diff --git a/vfs/mcfs.c b/vfs/mcfs.c
index cb2be4592..5a445422a 100644
--- a/vfs/mcfs.c
+++ b/vfs/mcfs.c
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ typedef struct {
 } opendir_info;
 
 static void *
-mcfs_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, char *dirname)
+mcfs_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *dirname)
 {
     opendir_info *mcfs_info;
     mcfs_connection *mc;
@@ -1011,7 +1011,7 @@ mcfs_rename (struct vfs_class *me, char *a, char *b)
 }
 
 static int
-mcfs_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, char *path)
+mcfs_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *path)
 {
     char *remote_dir;
     mcfs_connection *mc;
diff --git a/vfs/smbfs.c b/vfs/smbfs.c
index caf6d329a..f35334904 100644
--- a/vfs/smbfs.c
+++ b/vfs/smbfs.c
@@ -1187,7 +1187,7 @@ is_error (int result, int errno_num)
 #endif
 
 static void *
-smbfs_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, char *dirname)
+smbfs_opendir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *dirname)
 {
     opendir_info *smbfs_info;
 	smbfs_connection *sc;
@@ -1436,16 +1436,16 @@ smbfs_get_stat_info (smbfs_connection * sc, char *path, struct stat *buf)
 }
 
 static int
-smbfs_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, char *path)
+smbfs_chdir (struct vfs_class *me, const char *path)
 {
-	char *remote_dir;
-	smbfs_connection *sc;
-	
-	DEBUG(3, ("smbfs_chdir(path:%s)\n", path));
+    char *remote_dir;
+    smbfs_connection *sc;
+
+    DEBUG (3, ("smbfs_chdir(path:%s)\n", path));
     if (!(remote_dir = smbfs_get_path (&sc, path)))
-		return -1;
+	return -1;
     g_free (remote_dir);
-	
+
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/vfs/vfs.c b/vfs/vfs.c
index c54a80063..e39eb64e0 100644
--- a/vfs/vfs.c
+++ b/vfs/vfs.c
@@ -453,17 +453,18 @@ mc_close (int handle)
 }
 
 DIR *
-mc_opendir (char *dirname)
+mc_opendir (const char *dirname)
 {
     int  handle, *handlep;
     void *info;
     struct vfs_class *vfs;
+    char *dname;
 
-    dirname = vfs_canon (dirname);
-    vfs = vfs_get_class (dirname);
+    dname = vfs_canon (dirname);
+    vfs = vfs_get_class (dname);
 
-    info = vfs->opendir ? (*vfs->opendir)(vfs, dirname) : NULL;
-    g_free (dirname);
+    info = vfs->opendir ? (*vfs->opendir)(vfs, dname) : NULL;
+    g_free (dname);
     if (!info){
         errno = vfs->opendir ? ferrno (vfs) : E_NOTSUPP;
 	return NULL;
@@ -663,9 +664,9 @@ vfs_canon (const char *path)
  * Return 0 on success, -1 on failure.
  */
 int
-mc_chdir (char *path)
+mc_chdir (const char *path)
 {
-    char *new_dir, *new_dir_copy;
+    char *new_dir;
     struct vfs_class *old_vfs, *new_vfs;
     vfsid old_vfsid;
     struct vfs_stamping *parent;
@@ -676,10 +677,7 @@ mc_chdir (char *path)
     if (!new_vfs->chdir)
 	return -1;
 
-    /* new_vfs->chdir can write to the second argument, use a copy */
-    new_dir_copy = g_strdup (new_dir);
-    result = (*new_vfs->chdir) (new_vfs, new_dir_copy);
-    g_free (new_dir_copy);
+    result = (*new_vfs->chdir) (new_vfs, new_dir);
 
     if (result == -1) {
 	errno = ferrno (new_vfs);
diff --git a/vfs/vfs.h b/vfs/vfs.h
index 9b988647e..6be317e1c 100644
--- a/vfs/vfs.h
+++ b/vfs/vfs.h
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ struct vfs_class {
     int (*read) (void *vfs_info, char *buffer, int count);
     int (*write) (void *vfs_info, char *buf, int count);
 
-    void *(*opendir) (struct vfs_class *me, char *dirname);
+    void *(*opendir) (struct vfs_class *me, const char *dirname);
     void *(*readdir) (void *vfs_info);
     int (*closedir) (void *vfs_info);
 
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ struct vfs_class {
     int (*link) (struct vfs_class *me, char *p1, char *p2);
     int (*unlink) (struct vfs_class *me, char *path);
     int (*rename) (struct vfs_class *me, char *p1, char *p2);
-    int (*chdir) (struct vfs_class *me, char *path);
+    int (*chdir) (struct vfs_class *me, const char *path);
     int (*ferrno) (struct vfs_class *me);
     int (*lseek) (void *vfs_info, off_t offset, int whence);
     int (*mknod) (struct vfs_class *me, char *path, int mode, int dev);
@@ -138,9 +138,9 @@ int mc_close (int handle);
 int mc_read (int handle, char *buffer, int count);
 int mc_write (int handle, char *buffer, int count);
 off_t mc_lseek (int fd, off_t offset, int whence);
-int mc_chdir (char *);
+int mc_chdir (const char *path);
 
-DIR *mc_opendir (char *dirname);
+DIR *mc_opendir (const char *dirname);
 struct dirent *mc_readdir (DIR * dirp);
 int mc_closedir (DIR * dir);