diff --git a/autoload/fireplace.vim b/autoload/fireplace.vim
index 4f990c23..d739c2cb 100644
--- a/autoload/fireplace.vim
+++ b/autoload/fireplace.vim
@@ -587,8 +587,9 @@ function! fireplace#register_port_file(portfile, ...) abort
   endif
   if empty(old) && getfsize(portfile) > 0
     let port = matchstr(readfile(portfile, 'b', 1)[0], '\d\+')
+    let url = s:build_url(port)
     try
-      let transport = fireplace#transport#connect(port)
+      let transport = fireplace#transport#connect(url, 'nrepl')
       let session = transport.Clone()
       let s:repl_portfiles[portfile] = {
             \ 'time': getftime(portfile),
@@ -626,10 +627,24 @@ function! fireplace#ConnectComplete(A, L, P) abort
   return options
 endfunction
 
+function! s:build_url(arg) abort
+  let url = a:arg
+  if url =~# '^\d\+$'
+    let url = 'nrepl://localhost:' . url
+  elseif url =~# '^[^:/@]\+\(:\d\+\)\=$'
+    let url = 'nrepl://' . url
+  elseif url !~# '^\a\+://'
+    throw "Fireplace: invalid connection string " . string(a:arg)
+  endif
+  let url = substitute(url, '^\a\+://[^/]*\zs$', '/', '')
+  let url = substitute(url, '^nrepl://[^/:]*\zs/', ':7888/', '')
+  return url
+endfunction
+
 function! fireplace#ConnectCommand(line1, line2, range, bang, mods, arg, args) abort
   let str = get(a:args, 0, '')
   if empty(str)
-    let str = input('Port or URL: ')
+    let str = input('Port, path, or URL: ')
     if empty(str)
       return ''
     endif
@@ -638,17 +653,30 @@ function! fireplace#ConnectCommand(line1, line2, range, bang, mods, arg, args) a
   if str =~# '^[%#]'
     let str = expand(str)
   endif
-  if str !~# '^\d\+$\|:\d\|:[\/][\/]' && filereadable(str)
-    let path = fnamemodify(str, ':p:h')
-    let str = readfile(str, '', 1)[0]
-  elseif str !~# '^\d\+$\|:\d\|:[\/][\/]' && filereadable(str . '/.nrepl-port')
-    let path = fnamemodify(str, ':p:h')
-    let str = readfile(str . '/.nrepl-port', '', 1)[0]
-  else
+
+  let filestring = str !~# '^\d\+$\|:\d\|:[\/][\/]'
+  if filestring && getftype(resolve(str)) == 'socket'
+    " User specified a path resolving to an AF_UNIX socket, so pass the path
+    " through without modification
     let path = fnamemodify(exists('b:java_root') ? b:java_root : getcwd(), ':~')
+    let scheme = 'nrepl'
+  else
+    " User specified a URL or a string pointing to a file that contains a
+    " port number. Construct a URL then use it to determine the scheme
+    if filestring && filereadable(str)
+      let path = fnamemodify(str, ':p:h')
+      let str = readfile(str, '', 1)[0]
+    elseif filestring && filereadable(str . '/.nrepl-port')
+      let path = fnamemodify(str, ':p:h')
+      let str = readfile(str . '/.nrepl-port', '', 1)[0]
+    else
+      let path = fnamemodify(exists('b:java_root') ? b:java_root : getcwd(), ':~')
+    endif
+    let str = s:build_url(str)
+    let scheme = matchstr(str, '^\a\+')
   endif
   try
-    let transport = fireplace#transport#connect(str)
+    let transport = fireplace#transport#connect(str, scheme)
   catch /.*/
     return 'echoerr '.string(v:exception)
   endtry
diff --git a/autoload/fireplace/transport.vim b/autoload/fireplace/transport.vim
index e398471d..bd3e2787 100644
--- a/autoload/fireplace/transport.vim
+++ b/autoload/fireplace/transport.vim
@@ -168,35 +168,24 @@ augroup fireplace_transport
         \ | endfor
 augroup END
 
-function! fireplace#transport#connect(arg) abort
-  let url = substitute(a:arg, '#.*', '', '')
-  if url =~# '^\d\+$'
-    let url = 'nrepl://localhost:' . url
-  elseif url =~# '^[^:/@]\+\(:\d\+\)\=$'
-    let url = 'nrepl://' . url
-  elseif url !~# '^\a\+://'
-    throw "Fireplace: invalid connection string " . string(a:arg)
+function! fireplace#transport#connect(str, scheme) abort
+  if has_key(s:urls, a:str)
+    return s:urls[a:str].transport
   endif
-  let url = substitute(url, '^\a\+://[^/]*\zs$', '/', '')
-  let url = substitute(url, '^nrepl://[^/:]*\zs/', ':7888/', '')
-  if has_key(s:urls, url)
-    return s:urls[url].transport
-  endif
-  let scheme = matchstr(url, '^\a\+')
-  if scheme ==# 'nrepl'
+  if a:scheme ==# 'nrepl'
     let command = [g:fireplace_python_executable, s:python_dir.'/fireplace.py']
-  elseif exists('g:fireplace_argv_' . scheme)
-    let command = g:fireplace_argv_{scheme}
+  elseif exists('g:fireplace_argv_' . a:scheme)
+    let command = g:fireplace_argv_{a:scheme}
   else
-    throw 'Fireplace: unsupported protocol ' . scheme
+    throw 'Fireplace: unsupported protocol ' . a:scheme
   endif
   let transport = deepcopy(s:transport)
-  let transport.url = url
+  let transport.url = a:str
   let transport.state = {}
   let transport.sessions = {}
   let transport.requests = {}
-  let cb_args = [url, transport.state, transport.requests, transport.sessions]
-  let transport.job = s:json_start(command + [url], function('s:json_callback', cb_args), function('s:exit_callback', cb_args))
+  let cb_args = [a:str, transport.state, transport.requests, transport.sessions]
+  let transport.job = s:json_start(command + [a:str], function('s:json_callback', cb_args), function('s:exit_callback', cb_args))
   while !has_key(transport.state, 'status') && transport.Alive()
     sleep 1m
   endwhile
diff --git a/pythonx/fireplace.py b/pythonx/fireplace.py
index a5a5549e..47315789 100644
--- a/pythonx/fireplace.py
+++ b/pythonx/fireplace.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import os
 import re
 import socket
+import stat
 import sys
 import traceback
 import threading
@@ -92,18 +93,39 @@ def quickfix(t, e, tb):
             'text': line})
     return {'title': str(e), 'items': items}
 
+
+def parse_dest(dest):
+    match = re.search('//([^:/@]+)(?::(\d+))?', dest)
+    if match is not None:
+        host = match.groups()[0]
+        port = match.groups()[1]
+        return (None, host, int(port or 7888))
+    elif os.path.exists(dest) and stat.S_ISSOCK(os.stat(dest).st_mode):
+        return (dest, None, None)
+    else:
+        raise ValueError("Connection string must be a URL or a path to a socket file")
+
+
 class Connection:
-    def __init__(self, host, port, keepalive_file=None):
+    def __init__(self, dest, keepalive_file=None):
+        parsed_dest = parse_dest(dest)
+        (path, host, port) = parse_dest(dest)
+        self.path = path
+        self.host = host
+        self.port = port
         self.keepalive_file = keepalive_file
         self.connected = False
-        self.host = host
-        self.port = int(port)
 
     def socket(self):
         if not self.connected:
-            s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
-            s.settimeout(8)
-            s.connect((self.host, self.port))
+            if self.path:
+                s = socket.socket(socket.AF_UNIX, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
+                s.settimeout(8)
+                s.connect(self.path)
+            else:
+                s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
+                s.settimeout(8)
+                s.connect((self.host, self.port))
             s.setblocking(1)
             self._socket = s
             self.connected = True
@@ -176,13 +198,10 @@ def tunnel(self):
             self.notify(["exception", quickfix(*sys.exc_info())])
             os._exit(3)
 
-def main(host = None, port = None, *args):
+
+def main(dest = None, *args):
     try:
-        match = re.search('//([^:/@]+)(?::(\d+))?', host)
-        if match:
-            host = match.groups()[0]
-            port = match.groups()[1]
-        conn = Connection(host, int(port or 7888))
+        conn = Connection(dest)
         try:
             conn.tunnel()
         finally: