diff --git a/src/basic/fs-util.c b/src/basic/fs-util.c
index 51268828af..e24e7036f7 100644
--- a/src/basic/fs-util.c
+++ b/src/basic/fs-util.c
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include "mkdir.h"
 #include "parse-util.h"
 #include "path-util.h"
+#include "stdio-util.h"
 #include "string-util.h"
 #include "strv.h"
 #include "time-util.h"
@@ -493,3 +494,17 @@ int get_files_in_directory(const char *path, char ***list) {
 
         return n;
 }
+
+int inotify_add_watch_fd(int fd, int what, uint32_t mask) {
+        char path[strlen("/proc/self/fd/") + DECIMAL_STR_MAX(int) + 1];
+        int r;
+
+        /* This is like inotify_add_watch(), except that the file to watch is not referenced by a path, but by an fd */
+        xsprintf(path, "/proc/self/fd/%i", what);
+
+        r = inotify_add_watch(fd, path, mask);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return -errno;
+
+        return r;
+}
diff --git a/src/basic/fs-util.h b/src/basic/fs-util.h
index 0d23f8635f..517b599d6f 100644
--- a/src/basic/fs-util.h
+++ b/src/basic/fs-util.h
@@ -72,3 +72,5 @@ union inotify_event_buffer {
         struct inotify_event ev;
         uint8_t raw[INOTIFY_EVENT_MAX];
 };
+
+int inotify_add_watch_fd(int fd, int what, uint32_t mask);
diff --git a/src/journal/sd-journal.c b/src/journal/sd-journal.c
index 3c21d4129e..7ae8941a5e 100644
--- a/src/journal/sd-journal.c
+++ b/src/journal/sd-journal.c
@@ -1420,10 +1420,10 @@ static int add_directory(sd_journal *j, const char *prefix, const char *dirname)
 
         if (m->wd <= 0 && j->inotify_fd >= 0) {
 
-                m->wd = inotify_add_watch(j->inotify_fd, m->path,
-                                          IN_CREATE|IN_MOVED_TO|IN_MODIFY|IN_ATTRIB|IN_DELETE|
-                                          IN_DELETE_SELF|IN_MOVE_SELF|IN_UNMOUNT|IN_MOVED_FROM|
-                                          IN_ONLYDIR);
+                m->wd = inotify_add_watch_fd(j->inotify_fd, dirfd(d),
+                                             IN_CREATE|IN_MOVED_TO|IN_MODIFY|IN_ATTRIB|IN_DELETE|
+                                             IN_DELETE_SELF|IN_MOVE_SELF|IN_UNMOUNT|IN_MOVED_FROM|
+                                             IN_ONLYDIR);
 
                 if (m->wd > 0 && hashmap_put(j->directories_by_wd, INT_TO_PTR(m->wd), m) < 0)
                         inotify_rm_watch(j->inotify_fd, m->wd);
@@ -1505,7 +1505,7 @@ static int add_root_directory(sd_journal *j, const char *p, bool missing_ok) {
 
         if (m->wd <= 0 && j->inotify_fd >= 0) {
 
-                m->wd = inotify_add_watch(j->inotify_fd, m->path,
+                m->wd = inotify_add_watch_fd(j->inotify_fd, dirfd(d),
                                           IN_CREATE|IN_MOVED_TO|IN_MODIFY|IN_ATTRIB|IN_DELETE|
                                           IN_ONLYDIR);