diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 15817dd70d3..01e188a855a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
   - Android 7.1.0 (API 25) and older don't trust the Let's Encrypt root certificate (ISRG Root X1), so without this fix, the SDK on those devices can no longer send events to Sentry after the switch.
   - The SDK now bundles ISRG Root X1 and trusts it in addition to the device's root certificates on API 25 and lower. This only applies to the SDK's own uploads to Sentry SaaS (DSNs on `sentry.io`), not to self-hosted Sentry, not to any other connection your app makes, and not if you set your own `SentryOptions.setSslSocketFactory`.
   - Apps need to update to an SDK version with this fix to keep sending events from these devices.
+- Accept profiling traces directories whose path contains a `.` on the JVM, and keep profiling disabled after its first start rejects the options instead of starting on the next one ([#6334](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-java/pull/6334))
 
 ### Internal
 
diff --git a/sentry-async-profiler/src/main/java/io/sentry/asyncprofiler/profiling/JavaContinuousProfiler.java b/sentry-async-profiler/src/main/java/io/sentry/asyncprofiler/profiling/JavaContinuousProfiler.java
index 09c2ed8b5d2..ced363d4a58 100644
--- a/sentry-async-profiler/src/main/java/io/sentry/asyncprofiler/profiling/JavaContinuousProfiler.java
+++ b/sentry-async-profiler/src/main/java/io/sentry/asyncprofiler/profiling/JavaContinuousProfiler.java
@@ -42,16 +42,15 @@
 public final class JavaContinuousProfiler
     implements IContinuousProfiler, RateLimiter.IRateLimitObserver {
   private static final long MAX_CHUNK_DURATION_MILLIS = 10000;
-  private final List<String> invalidFilenameChars =
-      Arrays.asList(
-          ".", ",", ":", ";", "|", "\\", "=", "%", "&", "[", "]", "(", ")", "<", ">", "{", "}", "!",
-          "*", "?", "~", "\"", "'", "$", "`", "^");
+  // async-profiler splits its arguments on "," and expands "%" patterns in the file name.
+  private final List<String> invalidFilenameChars = Arrays.asList(",", "%");
 
   private final @NotNull ILogger logger;
   private final @Nullable String profilingTracesDirPath;
   private final int profilingTracesHz;
   private final @NotNull ISentryExecutorService executorService;
   private boolean isInitialized = false;
+  private boolean hasValidOptions = false;
   private boolean isRunning = false;
   private @Nullable IScopes scopes;
   private @Nullable Future<?> stopFuture;
@@ -92,7 +91,7 @@ private void initializeProfiler() throws Exception {
 
   private boolean init() {
     if (isInitialized) {
-      return true;
+      return hasValidOptions;
     }
     isInitialized = true;
 
@@ -107,6 +106,7 @@ private boolean init() {
           profilingTracesHz);
       return false;
     }
+    hasValidOptions = true;
     return true;
   }
 
diff --git a/sentry-async-profiler/src/test/java/io/sentry/asyncprofiler/profiling/JavaContinuousProfilerTest.kt b/sentry-async-profiler/src/test/java/io/sentry/asyncprofiler/profiling/JavaContinuousProfilerTest.kt
index 7764249e3eb..745139a20a6 100644
--- a/sentry-async-profiler/src/test/java/io/sentry/asyncprofiler/profiling/JavaContinuousProfilerTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-async-profiler/src/test/java/io/sentry/asyncprofiler/profiling/JavaContinuousProfilerTest.kt
@@ -421,6 +421,31 @@ class JavaContinuousProfilerTest {
       )
   }
 
+  @Test
+  fun `profiler starts when the traces dir path contains a dot`() {
+    val profiler = fixture.getSut {
+      it.profilingTracesDirPath = File("tmp", "sentry.traces").absolutePath
+    }
+    File(fixture.options.profilingTracesDirPath!!).mkdirs()
+
+    profiler.startProfiler(ProfileLifecycle.MANUAL, fixture.mockTracesSampler)
+    assertTrue(profiler.isRunning)
+    profiler.close(true)
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  fun `profiler stays disabled when the traces dir is created after its first start`() {
+    val tracesDir = File(fixture.options.profilingTracesDirPath!!)
+    tracesDir.deleteRecursively()
+    val profiler = fixture.getSut()
+    profiler.startProfiler(ProfileLifecycle.MANUAL, fixture.mockTracesSampler)
+    assertFalse(profiler.isRunning)
+
+    tracesDir.mkdirs()
+    profiler.startProfiler(ProfileLifecycle.MANUAL, fixture.mockTracesSampler)
+    assertFalse(profiler.isRunning)
+  }
+
   fun withMockScopes(closure: () -> Unit) =
     Mockito.mockStatic(Sentry::class.java).use {
       it.`when`<Any> { Sentry.getCurrentScopes() }.thenReturn(fixture.scopes)