diff --git a/opts/hosts.go b/opts/hosts.go
index 552ab6b4a552..bc6aff6e35e8 100644
--- a/opts/hosts.go
+++ b/opts/hosts.go
@@ -74,7 +74,12 @@ func parseDockerDaemonHost(addr string) (string, error) {
 	proto, host, hasProto := strings.Cut(addr, "://")
 	if !hasProto && proto != "" {
 		host = proto
-		proto = "tcp"
+		// if the addr string starts with "/", "./", or "../", the user very likely meant "path to a socket"
+		if strings.HasPrefix(host, "/") || strings.HasPrefix(host, "./") || strings.HasPrefix(host, "../") {
+			proto = "unix"
+		} else {
+			proto = "tcp"
+		}
 	}
 
 	switch proto {
diff --git a/opts/hosts_test.go b/opts/hosts_test.go
index f1096c4f647f..bab2b1ca9f87 100644
--- a/opts/hosts_test.go
+++ b/opts/hosts_test.go
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ func TestParseHost(t *testing.T) {
 		"unix://path/to/socket":    "unix://path/to/socket",
 		"npipe://":                 "npipe://" + defaultNamedPipe,
 		"npipe:////./pipe/foo":     "npipe:////./pipe/foo",
+		"/some.sock":               "unix:///some.sock",
+		"./single/dot":             "unix://./single/dot",
+		"../double/dot":            "unix://../double/dot",
 	}
 
 	for _, value := range invalid {