diff --git a/skill/scripts/hook-lib.mjs b/skill/scripts/hook-lib.mjs
index fa5f2f1ef..91d3de7d9 100644
--- a/skill/scripts/hook-lib.mjs
+++ b/skill/scripts/hook-lib.mjs
@@ -220,12 +220,17 @@ export function getLocalConfigPath(cwd) {
 // disposable state relocates.
 // Read from process.env (not runHook's injected env): the cache root is a
 // machine-scoped setting like CURSOR_PROJECT_DIR, not a per-invocation
-// switch. Trim guards against stray whitespace in env files; resolving both
-// sides makes the slug deterministic when callers hand in a trailing
-// separator or unnormalized cwd.
+// switch. Trim guards against stray whitespace in env files; `~/` expands to
+// the home dir (settings/env files hand it to Node unexpanded — same
+// treatment IMPECCABLE_HOOK_LOG gets in writeAuditLog); resolving both sides
+// makes the slug deterministic when callers hand in a trailing separator or
+// unnormalized cwd.
 function hookStateDir(cwd) {
   const raw = process.env.IMPECCABLE_CACHE_ROOT;
-  const root = typeof raw === 'string' ? raw.trim() : '';
+  let root = typeof raw === 'string' ? raw.trim() : '';
+  if (root.startsWith('~/') || root.startsWith('~\\') || root === '~') {
+    root = path.join(process.env.HOME || process.env.USERPROFILE || '.', root.slice(2));
+  }
   if (root) {
     const slug = path.resolve(String(cwd)).replace(/[:\\/.]/g, '-');
     return path.join(path.resolve(root), slug);
diff --git a/tests/hook.test.mjs b/tests/hook.test.mjs
index 915ac063e..03aaf617c 100644
--- a/tests/hook.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/hook.test.mjs
@@ -495,6 +495,26 @@ describe('IMPECCABLE_CACHE_ROOT relocates hook state (issue #422)', () => {
     assert.equal(getLocalConfigPath(cwd), path.join(cwd, '.impeccable', 'config.local.json'));
   });
 
+  it('expands a leading ~/ against the home dir, like IMPECCABLE_HOOK_LOG', () => {
+    const savedHome = process.env.HOME;
+    const savedProfile = process.env.USERPROFILE;
+    try {
+      process.env.HOME = cacheRoot;
+      delete process.env.USERPROFILE;
+      process.env.IMPECCABLE_CACHE_ROOT = '~/impeccable-state';
+      const slug = path.resolve(cwd).replace(/[:\\/.]/g, '-');
+      assert.equal(
+        getCachePath(cwd),
+        path.join(cacheRoot, 'impeccable-state', slug, 'hook.cache.json'),
+      );
+    } finally {
+      if (savedHome === undefined) delete process.env.HOME;
+      else process.env.HOME = savedHome;
+      if (savedProfile === undefined) delete process.env.USERPROFILE;
+      else process.env.USERPROFILE = savedProfile;
+    }
+  });
+
   it('persistCache round-trips through the redirect dir and leaves the project root clean', () => {
     process.env.IMPECCABLE_CACHE_ROOT = cacheRoot;
     const cache = readCache(cwd);