diff --git a/gdb/bsd-kvm.c b/gdb/bsd-kvm.c
index 7ef8c349a6e..19353eb97dc 100644
--- a/gdb/bsd-kvm.c
+++ b/gdb/bsd-kvm.c
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ bsd_kvm_target_open (const char *arg, int from_tty)
     {
       filename = gdb_tilde_expand (arg);
       if (!IS_ABSOLUTE_PATH (filename))
-	filename = gdb_abspath (filename.c_str ());
+	filename = gdb_abspath (filename);
     }
 
   const char *execfile = current_program_space->exec_filename ();
diff --git a/gdb/corelow.c b/gdb/corelow.c
index 49da9be07ef..2b7a3550fc1 100644
--- a/gdb/corelow.c
+++ b/gdb/corelow.c
@@ -626,7 +626,7 @@ core_target_open (const char *arg, int from_tty)
   gdb::unique_xmalloc_ptr<char> filename (tilde_expand (arg));
   if (strlen (filename.get ()) != 0
       && !IS_ABSOLUTE_PATH (filename.get ()))
-    filename = make_unique_xstrdup (gdb_abspath (filename.get ()).c_str ());
+    filename = make_unique_xstrdup (gdb_abspath (filename).c_str ());
 
   flags = O_BINARY | O_LARGEFILE;
   if (write_files)
diff --git a/gdb/dwarf2/index-cache.c b/gdb/dwarf2/index-cache.c
index 1720e925ee6..c11b0164aa4 100644
--- a/gdb/dwarf2/index-cache.c
+++ b/gdb/dwarf2/index-cache.c
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ set_index_cache_directory_command (const char *arg, int from_tty,
 				   cmd_list_element *element)
 {
   /* Make sure the index cache directory is absolute and tilde-expanded.  */
-  index_cache_directory = gdb_abspath (index_cache_directory.c_str ());
+  index_cache_directory = gdb_abspath (index_cache_directory);
   global_index_cache.set_directory (index_cache_directory);
 }
 
diff --git a/gdb/main.c b/gdb/main.c
index 4dd68f3d976..e4a40c51023 100644
--- a/gdb/main.c
+++ b/gdb/main.c
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ set_gdb_data_directory (const char *new_datadir)
      "../foo" and "../foo" doesn't exist then we'll record $(pwd)/../foo which
      isn't canonical, but that's ok.  */
   if (!IS_ABSOLUTE_PATH (gdb_datadir.c_str ()))
-    gdb_datadir = gdb_abspath (gdb_datadir.c_str ());
+    gdb_datadir = gdb_abspath (gdb_datadir);
 }
 
 /* Relocate a file or directory.  PROGNAME is the name by which gdb
diff --git a/gdb/top.c b/gdb/top.c
index 6239c190627..d6bf1d448d5 100644
--- a/gdb/top.c
+++ b/gdb/top.c
@@ -2097,7 +2097,7 @@ set_history_filename (const char *args,
      that was read.  */
   if (!history_filename.empty ()
       && !IS_ABSOLUTE_PATH (history_filename.c_str ()))
-    history_filename = gdb_abspath (history_filename.c_str ());
+    history_filename = gdb_abspath (history_filename);
 }
 
 /* Whether we're in quiet startup mode.  */
diff --git a/gdb/tracefile-tfile.c b/gdb/tracefile-tfile.c
index eb879c17970..4a4c4a2d32a 100644
--- a/gdb/tracefile-tfile.c
+++ b/gdb/tracefile-tfile.c
@@ -467,7 +467,7 @@ tfile_target_open (const char *arg, int from_tty)
 
   gdb::unique_xmalloc_ptr<char> filename (tilde_expand (arg));
   if (!IS_ABSOLUTE_PATH (filename.get ()))
-    filename = make_unique_xstrdup (gdb_abspath (filename.get ()).c_str ());
+    filename = make_unique_xstrdup (gdb_abspath (filename).c_str ());
 
   flags = O_BINARY | O_LARGEFILE;
   flags |= O_RDONLY;
diff --git a/gdbserver/server.cc b/gdbserver/server.cc
index ab9a33f40fd..30d05177452 100644
--- a/gdbserver/server.cc
+++ b/gdbserver/server.cc
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ static struct {
 	   its name with CURRENT_DIRECTORY.  Otherwise, we leave the
 	   name as-is because we'll try searching for it in $PATH.  */
 	if (is_regular_file (m_path.c_str (), &reg_file_errno))
-	  m_path = gdb_abspath (m_path.c_str ());
+	  m_path = gdb_abspath (m_path);
       }
   }
 
diff --git a/gdbsupport/pathstuff.h b/gdbsupport/pathstuff.h
index 170a2c5e724..a61ce23efde 100644
--- a/gdbsupport/pathstuff.h
+++ b/gdbsupport/pathstuff.h
@@ -56,6 +56,22 @@ extern std::string gdb_realpath_keepfile (const char *filename);
 
 extern std::string gdb_abspath (const char *path);
 
+/* Overload of gdb_abspath which takes std::string.  */
+
+static inline std::string
+gdb_abspath (const std::string &path)
+{
+  return gdb_abspath (path.c_str ());
+}
+
+/* Overload of gdb_abspath which takes gdb::unique_xmalloc_ptr<char>.  */
+
+static inline std::string
+gdb_abspath (const gdb::unique_xmalloc_ptr<char> &path)
+{
+  return gdb_abspath (path.get ());
+}
+
 /* If the path in CHILD is a child of the path in PARENT, return a
    pointer to the first component in the CHILD's pathname below the
    PARENT.  Otherwise, return NULL.  */