diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/FilePath.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/FilePath.java
index e126e40ec7..f4f74d687c 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/FilePath.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/FilePath.java
@@ -1047,6 +1047,9 @@ public final class FilePath implements Serializable {
     public String validateAntFileMask(final String fileMasks) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
         return act(new FileCallable<String>() {
             public String invoke(File dir, VirtualChannel channel) throws IOException {
+                if(fileMasks.startsWith("~"))
+                    return Messages.FilePath_TildaDoesntWork();
+
                 StringTokenizer tokens = new StringTokenizer(fileMasks,",");
 
                 while(tokens.hasMoreTokens()) {
diff --git a/core/src/main/resources/hudson/Messages.properties b/core/src/main/resources/hudson/Messages.properties
index 6c73161ae4..48c4a43875 100644
--- a/core/src/main/resources/hudson/Messages.properties
+++ b/core/src/main/resources/hudson/Messages.properties
@@ -15,3 +15,4 @@ Util.countSuffix=s
 # another implication of this is that where we use this,
 # we often want to add "ago" there
 Util.pastTime={0}
+FilePath.TildaDoesntWork=''~'' is only supported in a Unix shell and nowhere else.