diff --git a/Utils.cpp b/Utils.cpp
index a66e33c..202b98d 100644
--- a/Utils.cpp
+++ b/Utils.cpp
@@ -1017,13 +1017,20 @@
     std::string pass_through_path(
             StringPrintf("%s/%s", pre_pass_through_path.c_str(), relative_upper_path.c_str()));
 
-    // Create directories.
+    // Ensure that /mnt/user is 0700. With FUSE, apps don't need access to /mnt/user paths directly.
+    // Without FUSE however, apps need /mnt/user access so /mnt/user in init.rc is 0755 until here
+    auto result = PrepareDir("/mnt/user", 0700, AID_ROOT, AID_ROOT);
+    if (result != android::OK) {
+        PLOG(ERROR) << "Failed to prepare directory /mnt/user";
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     // Shell is neither AID_ROOT nor AID_EVERYBODY. Since it equally needs 'execute' access to
     // /mnt/user/0 to 'adb shell ls /sdcard' for instance, we set the uid bit of /mnt/user/0 to
     // AID_SHELL. This gives shell access along with apps running as group everybody (user 0 apps)
     // These bits should be consistent with what is set in zygote in
     // com_android_internal_os_Zygote#MountEmulatedStorage on volume bind mount during app fork
-    auto result = PrepareDir(pre_fuse_path, 0710, user_id ? AID_ROOT : AID_SHELL,
+    result = PrepareDir(pre_fuse_path, 0710, user_id ? AID_ROOT : AID_SHELL,
                              multiuser_get_uid(user_id, AID_EVERYBODY));
     if (result != android::OK) {
         PLOG(ERROR) << "Failed to prepare directory " << pre_fuse_path;