diff --git a/client.go b/client.go
index 3139173..93cbc88 100644
--- a/client.go
+++ b/client.go
@@ -235,6 +235,7 @@ func (c *Client) ReadDir(p string) ([]os.FileInfo, error) {
 	}
 	return attrs, err
 }
+
 func (c *Client) opendir(path string) (string, error) {
 	id := c.nextId()
 	typ, data, err := c.sendRequest(sshFxpOpendirPacket{
@@ -607,6 +608,40 @@ func (c *Client) Rename(oldname, newname string) error {
 	}
 }
 
+func (c *Client) realpath(path string) (string, error) {
+	id := c.nextId()
+	typ, data, err := c.sendRequest(sshFxpRealpathPacket{
+		Id:   id,
+		Path: path,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	switch typ {
+	case ssh_FXP_NAME:
+		sid, data := unmarshalUint32(data)
+		if sid != id {
+			return "", &unexpectedIdErr{id, sid}
+		}
+		count, data := unmarshalUint32(data)
+		if count != 1 {
+			return "", unexpectedCount(1, count)
+		}
+		filename, _ := unmarshalString(data) // ignore attributes
+		return filename, nil
+	case ssh_FXP_STATUS:
+		return "", okOrErr(unmarshalStatus(id, data))
+	default:
+		return "", unimplementedPacketErr(typ)
+	}
+}
+
+// Getwd returns the current working directory of the server. Operations
+// involving relative paths will be based at this location.
+func (c *Client) Getwd() (string, error) {
+	return c.realpath(".")
+}
+
 // result captures the result of receiving the a packet from the server
 type result struct {
 	typ  byte
diff --git a/client_integration_test.go b/client_integration_test.go
index 774c393..c50a859 100644
--- a/client_integration_test.go
+++ b/client_integration_test.go
@@ -503,6 +503,27 @@ func TestClientRename(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestClientGetwd(t *testing.T) {
+	sftp, cmd := testClient(t, READONLY, NO_DELAY)
+	defer cmd.Wait()
+	defer sftp.Close()
+
+	lwd, err := os.Getwd()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	rwd, err := sftp.Getwd()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !path.IsAbs(rwd) {
+		t.Fatalf("Getwd: wanted absolute path, got %q", rwd)
+	}
+	if lwd != rwd {
+		t.Fatalf("Getwd: want %q, got %q", lwd, rwd)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestClientReadLink(t *testing.T) {
 	sftp, cmd := testClient(t, READWRITE, NO_DELAY)
 	defer cmd.Wait()
diff --git a/packet.go b/packet.go
index 5954932..697d884 100644
--- a/packet.go
+++ b/packet.go
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ type sshFxpRealpathPacket struct {
 func (p sshFxpRealpathPacket) id() uint32 { return p.Id }
 
 func (p sshFxpRealpathPacket) MarshalBinary() ([]byte, error) {
-	return marshalIdString(ssh_FXP_READLINK, p.Id, p.Path)
+	return marshalIdString(ssh_FXP_REALPATH, p.Id, p.Path)
 }
 
 func (p *sshFxpRealpathPacket) UnmarshalBinary(b []byte) error {