diff --git a/test/common/index.js b/test/common/index.js
index 18215f88b4186f..03bb1bed5c650b 100644
--- a/test/common/index.js
+++ b/test/common/index.js
@@ -1151,6 +1151,15 @@ const common = {
   get checkoutEOL() {
     return fs.readFileSync(__filename).includes('\r\n') ? '\r\n' : '\n';
   },
+
+  get isInsideCWDWithUnusualChars() {
+    const cwd = process.cwd();
+    return cwd.includes('%') ||
+           (!isWindows && cwd.includes('\\')) ||
+           cwd.includes('\n') ||
+           cwd.includes('\r') ||
+           cwd.includes('\t');
+  },
 };
 
 const validProperties = new Set(Object.keys(common));
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-fs-cp.mjs b/test/parallel/test-fs-cp.mjs
index 63bc813ae226c7..38c7c5bdff6d3b 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-fs-cp.mjs
+++ b/test/parallel/test-fs-cp.mjs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { mustCall, mustNotMutateObjectDeep } from '../common/index.mjs';
+import { mustCall, mustNotMutateObjectDeep, isInsideCWDWithUnusualChars } from '../common/index.mjs';
 
 import assert from 'assert';
 import fs from 'fs';
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ function nextdir() {
 }
 
 // It throws an error if attempt is made to copy socket.
-if (!isWindows) {
+if (!isWindows && !isInsideCWDWithUnusualChars) {
   const src = nextdir();
   mkdirSync(src);
   const dest = nextdir();
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-npm-install.js b/test/parallel/test-npm-install.js
index 822ac268894230..9f79ce1017c81c 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-npm-install.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-npm-install.js
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 const common = require('../common');
 if (!common.hasCrypto)
   common.skip('missing crypto');
+if (common.isInsideCWDWithUnusualChars)
+  common.skip('npm does not support this install path');
 
 const path = require('path');
 const exec = require('child_process').exec;
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-startup-empty-regexp-statics.js b/test/parallel/test-startup-empty-regexp-statics.js
index 5744bbc14bba21..65081cc81bbe3d 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-startup-empty-regexp-statics.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-startup-empty-regexp-statics.js
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ const allRegExpStatics =
   assert.strictEqual(child.signal, null);
 }
 
-{
+if (!common.isInsideCWDWithUnusualChars) {
   const child = spawn(process.execPath, [], { stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'inherit'], encoding: 'utf8' });
 
   let stdout = '';