diff --git a/common/step_download.go b/common/step_download.go
index cc076a182..ab75f3392 100644
--- a/common/step_download.go
+++ b/common/step_download.go
@@ -171,12 +171,26 @@ func (s *StepDownload) download(ctx context.Context, ui packer.Ui, source string
 		// could guess it only in cases it is
 		// necessary.
 	}
+	src := u.String()
+	if u.Scheme == "" || strings.ToLower(u.Scheme) == "file" {
+		// If a local filepath, then we need to preprocess to make sure the
+		// path doens't have any multiple successive path separators; if it
+		// does, go-getter will read this as a specialized go-getter-specific
+		// subdirectory command, which it most likely isn't.
+		src = filepath.Clean(u.String())
+		if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Clean(u.Path)); err != nil {
+			// Cleaned path isn't present on system so it must be some other
+			// scheme. Don't error right away; see if go-getter can figure it
+			// out.
+			src = u.String()
+		}
+	}
 
 	ui.Say(fmt.Sprintf("Trying %s", u.String()))
 	gc := getter.Client{
 		Ctx:              ctx,
 		Dst:              targetPath,
-		Src:              u.String(),
+		Src:              src,
 		ProgressListener: ui,
 		Pwd:              wd,
 		Dir:              false,
diff --git a/common/step_download_test.go b/common/step_download_test.go
index 8a8df9960..6a5a70bd8 100644
--- a/common/step_download_test.go
+++ b/common/step_download_test.go
@@ -71,6 +71,14 @@ func TestStepDownload_Run(t *testing.T) {
 				toSha1(abs(t, "./test-fixtures/root/another.txt")) + ".lock",
 			},
 		},
+		{"double slashes on a local filesystem passes",
+			fields{Url: []string{abs(t, "./test-fixtures/root//another.txt")}},
+			multistep.ActionContinue,
+			[]string{
+				toSha1(abs(t, "./test-fixtures/root//another.txt")),
+				toSha1(abs(t, "./test-fixtures/root//another.txt")) + ".lock",
+			},
+		},
 		{"none checksum works, without a checksum",
 			fields{Url: []string{abs(t, "./test-fixtures/root/another.txt")}, ChecksumType: "none"},
 			multistep.ActionContinue,