diff --git a/cmd/ateom-gvisor/main.go b/cmd/ateom-gvisor/main.go
index 18782c480..ce468df8e 100644
--- a/cmd/ateom-gvisor/main.go
+++ b/cmd/ateom-gvisor/main.go
@@ -94,6 +94,12 @@ func do(ctx context.Context) error {
 	go reap.ReapChildren(nil, nil, nil, &reapLock)
 	slog.InfoContext(ctx, "Child process reaper launched")
 
+	// Validate before opening the socket so the operator sees a clear
+	// message rather than the kernel's cryptic "bind: invalid argument".
+	if err := ateompath.ValidateAteomSocketPath(*podNamespace, *podName); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	// Clean up any old socket.
 	sockPath := ateompath.AteomSocketPath(*podNamespace, *podName)
 	if err := os.RemoveAll(sockPath); err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/ateompath/ateompath.go b/internal/ateompath/ateompath.go
index a0a7ba669..3fae57228 100644
--- a/internal/ateompath/ateompath.go
+++ b/internal/ateompath/ateompath.go
@@ -16,9 +16,15 @@
 package ateompath
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"path/filepath"
 )
 
+// MaxUnixSocketPathLen is the practical Linux limit for unix-domain socket
+// paths. The kernel's sockaddr_un.sun_path is 108 bytes including the trailing
+// NUL, leaving 107 usable bytes. Bind fails with EINVAL above this.
+const MaxUnixSocketPathLen = 107
+
 const (
 	// The base path.  This is both the path of the root shared folder on the
 	// host filesystem, and when it is mounted into ateom and atelet containers.
@@ -49,6 +55,22 @@ func AteomSocketPath(ateomNamespace, ateomName string) string {
 	)
 }
 
+// ValidateAteomSocketPath returns a descriptive error when the socket path
+// derived from ateomNamespace and ateomName would exceed Linux's unix-socket
+// limit. Calling net.Listen("unix", ...) with an over-limit path otherwise
+// fails with the cryptic "bind: invalid argument".
+func ValidateAteomSocketPath(ateomNamespace, ateomName string) error {
+	p := AteomSocketPath(ateomNamespace, ateomName)
+	if len(p) > MaxUnixSocketPathLen {
+		return fmt.Errorf(
+			"ateom socket path %q is %d bytes, exceeds Linux unix-socket limit of %d: shorten the namespace or pod name (%d + %d = %d chars used for namespace + name)",
+			p, len(p), MaxUnixSocketPathLen,
+			len(ateomNamespace), len(ateomName), len(ateomNamespace)+len(ateomName),
+		)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func AteomNetNSName(ateomNamespace, ateomName string) string {
 	return "ateom:" + ateomNamespace + ":" + ateomName
 }
diff --git a/internal/ateompath/ateompath_test.go b/internal/ateompath/ateompath_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8cb8e9cd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/ateompath/ateompath_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+//  Copyright 2026 Google LLC
+//
+//  Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+//  you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+//  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+//  Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+//  distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+//  WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+//  See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+//  limitations under the License.
+
+package ateompath
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestValidateAteomSocketPath(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		namespace string
+		podName   string
+		wantErr   bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "short names well under the limit",
+			namespace: "ate-demo-counter",
+			podName:   "counter-deployment-abcd1234-xyzw1",
+			wantErr:   false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "exactly at the limit",
+			namespace: strings.Repeat("a", 25),
+			podName:   strings.Repeat("b", 45),
+			wantErr:   false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "one byte over the limit",
+			namespace: strings.Repeat("a", 25),
+			podName:   strings.Repeat("b", 46),
+			wantErr:   true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "the reproducer from the original bug report",
+			namespace: "ate-demo-lovable-sandbox",
+			podName:   "lovable-sandbox-pool-deployment-5797879cd7-2n7wb",
+			wantErr:   true,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := ValidateAteomSocketPath(tt.namespace, tt.podName)
+			if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
+				t.Errorf("ValidateAteomSocketPath(%q, %q) err=%v, wantErr=%v",
+					tt.namespace, tt.podName, err, tt.wantErr)
+			}
+			if tt.wantErr && err != nil {
+				// Error message should mention the limit so an operator can
+				// figure out by how much to shorten.
+				msg := err.Error()
+				if !strings.Contains(msg, "107") {
+					t.Errorf("error message %q does not reference the limit (107)", msg)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}