diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ pn --help
 
 # create a new sample app from the bundled templates
 pn init my_app
+cd my_app
 
 # run the Hello World example
 cd examples/hello-world && pn run android

diff --git a/docs/api/cli.md b/docs/api/cli.md
@@ -7,8 +7,10 @@ the documented behavior never drifts from the code.
 ## Subcommands
 
 - `pn init [name]`: scaffold a new project (creates `app/`,
-  `pythonnative.toml`, `.gitignore`). Flag: `--force` to overwrite
-  existing files. See [Configuration](../guides/configuration.md).
+  `pythonnative.toml`, `.gitignore`). With a name it creates `./<name>/`
+  and scaffolds into it; without one it uses the current directory.
+  Flag: `--force` to overwrite existing files or scaffold into a
+  non-empty directory. See [Configuration](../guides/configuration.md).
 - `pn doctor [android|ios]`: diagnose the local toolchain and validate
   `pythonnative.toml`. Exits non-zero when something will block a build.
 - `pn preview [component]`: render the app in a desktop (Tkinter) window

diff --git a/docs/getting-started.md b/docs/getting-started.md
@@ -9,16 +9,20 @@ pn --help
 
 ```bash
 pn init MyApp
+cd MyApp
 ```
 
-This scaffolds:
+This creates a `MyApp/` directory containing:
 
 - `app/` with a minimal `main.py`
 - `pythonnative.toml`: your project configuration (app id, version,
   permissions, assets, and signing). See
   [Configuration](guides/configuration.md).
 - `.gitignore`
 
+Run `pn init` without a name to scaffold into the current directory
+instead, named after it.
+
 A minimal `app/main.py` looks like:
 
 ```python

diff --git a/docs/meta/troubleshooting.md b/docs/meta/troubleshooting.md
@@ -28,6 +28,34 @@ is finding a different Python. Reactivate the venv or run
 `pn init` won't clobber existing project files. Pass `--force` or
 remove the listed files first.
 
+### `Refusing to overwrite existing non-empty directory: my_app/`
+
+`pn init my_app` creates `my_app/` and scaffolds into it, so it stops
+when that directory already holds files. Pass `--force` to scaffold over
+it, choose a different name, or run `pn init` from inside the directory
+to use it as is. An existing but empty directory is fine.
+
+### `Refusing to overwrite existing file: my_app`
+
+Something other than a directory is already at `./my_app`. `--force`
+won't help here, since `pn init` can't turn a file into a directory.
+Remove or rename it, or choose a different project name.
+
+### `Refusing to treat a path as a project name: '../app'`
+
+`pn init` takes a single directory name, not a path, so the project always
+lands inside the current directory. Pass a plain name like `my_app`, or
+`cd` to the directory you want the project in and run `pn init` with no
+name at all. `--force` doesn't lift this one.
+
+### `Refusing to scaffold through a link or outside the current directory: link`
+
+The name resolves somewhere other than a directory directly inside the
+current one, so `pn init` stops rather than writing through it. A symlink
+at `./link` is the usual cause. Scaffold into a real directory, or `cd` to
+the directory the link points at and run `pn init` with no name. `--force`
+doesn't lift this one either.
+
 ### `Do not list 'pythonnative' in [requirements].packages`
 
 The CLI bundles the installed `pythonnative` package directly into

diff --git a/src/pythonnative/cli/pn.py b/src/pythonnative/cli/pn.py
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
 
 The console script `pn` (declared in `pyproject.toml`) dispatches to:
 
-- `pn init [name]`: scaffold a new project (``pythonnative.toml`` + ``app/``).
+- `pn init [name]`: scaffold a new project (``pythonnative.toml`` +
+  ``app/``) into ``./name/``, or into the current directory when no name
+  is given.
 - `pn doctor [platform]`: diagnose the local toolchain and config.
 - `pn preview [component]`: render the app in a desktop (Tkinter) window
   with Fast Refresh, the fast inner dev loop, no device required.
@@ -103,21 +105,62 @@ def _app_id_from_name(name: str) -> str:
 
 
 def init_project(args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
-    """Scaffold a new PythonNative project in the current directory.
+    """Scaffold a new PythonNative project.
 
-    Creates ``app/main.py``, ``pythonnative.toml``, and ``.gitignore``.
-    Refuses to overwrite existing files unless ``--force`` is passed.
+    Given a name, this creates ``./<name>/`` and scaffolds into it. Without
+    one, it scaffolds into the current directory and names the project after
+    it. Either way it writes ``app/main.py``, ``pythonnative.toml``, and
+    ``.gitignore``.
+
+    The name has to be a single directory name, so the project always lands
+    inside the current directory. Anything that reads as a path, such as
+    ``a/b``, ``..``, or ``/tmp/app``, is refused, and so is a name that
+    resolves somewhere else, such as a symlink to another directory.
+
+    It won't scaffold into a target directory that already holds files, and it
+    won't overwrite any of the three paths above; pass ``--force`` to override
+    both. An existing but empty target directory is fine. A plain file at
+    ``./<name>`` is always refused, since ``--force`` can't turn it into a
+    directory, and ``--force`` lifts neither of the rules above.
 
     Args:
         args: Parsed namespace with ``name`` (optional) and ``force``.
     """
-    cwd = Path.cwd()
-    project_name: str = getattr(args, "name", None) or cwd.name
+    name: Optional[str] = getattr(args, "name", None)
     force: bool = getattr(args, "force", False)
 
-    app_dir = cwd / "app"
-    config_path = cwd / CONFIG_FILENAME
-    gitignore_path = cwd / ".gitignore"
+    # Lexical check, before anything reads the filesystem. ``Path("..").name``
+    # is "..", so ".." needs naming explicitly; the rest (absolute, nested,
+    # trailing separator, ".") fall out of the name check.
+    if name and (name in (os.curdir, os.pardir) or Path(name).name != name):
+        print(f"Refusing to treat a path as a project name: {name!r}. Use a single directory name like my_app.")
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    cwd = Path.cwd()
+    target = cwd / name if name else cwd
+    project_name: str = name or cwd.name
+
+    # A lexically clean name can still resolve elsewhere, and ``exists()`` and
+    # ``is_dir()`` below follow symlinks. Check containment rather than just
+    # ``is_symlink()`` so the whole class is closed, not one spelling of it.
+    if name and (target.is_symlink() or target.resolve().parent != cwd.resolve()):
+        print(
+            f"Refusing to scaffold through a link or outside the current directory: {name}. "
+            "Use a plain directory name."
+        )
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    app_dir = target / "app"
+    config_path = target / CONFIG_FILENAME
+    gitignore_path = target / ".gitignore"
+
+    if name and target.exists():
+        if not target.is_dir():
+            print(f"Refusing to overwrite existing file: {name}. Remove it or choose a different name.")
+            sys.exit(1)
+        if any(target.iterdir()) and not force:
+            print(f"Refusing to overwrite existing non-empty directory: {name}/. Use --force to overwrite.")
+            sys.exit(1)
 
     if not force:
         existing = [
@@ -141,8 +184,11 @@ def init_project(args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
     if force or not gitignore_path.exists():
         gitignore_path.write_text(_GITIGNORE, encoding="utf-8")
 
-    print(f"Initialized PythonNative project in {cwd}.")
-    print("Next: pn preview   (desktop)   |   pn run android   |   pn run ios")
+    print(f"Initialized PythonNative project in {target}.")
+    next_steps = "pn preview   (desktop)   |   pn run android   |   pn run ios"
+    if name:
+        next_steps = f"cd {name}   |   {next_steps}"
+    print(f"Next: {next_steps}")
 
 
 # ======================================================================
@@ -866,8 +912,8 @@ def _build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     subparsers = parser.add_subparsers()
 
     parser_init = subparsers.add_parser("init", help="Scaffold a new project")
-    parser_init.add_argument("name", nargs="?", help="Project name (defaults to current directory name)")
-    parser_init.add_argument("--force", action="store_true", help="Overwrite existing files if present")
+    parser_init.add_argument("name", nargs="?", help="Project name; creates ./<name>/ (default: current directory)")
+    parser_init.add_argument("--force", action="store_true", help="Overwrite existing files or a non-empty directory")
     parser_init.set_defaults(func=init_project)
 
     parser_doctor = subparsers.add_parser("doctor", help="Diagnose the local toolchain and config")

diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -22,21 +22,22 @@ def test_cli_init_and_clean() -> None:
     try:
         result = run_pn(["init", "MyApp"], tmpdir)
         assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
-        assert os.path.isdir(os.path.join(tmpdir, "app"))
+        project_dir = os.path.join(tmpdir, "MyApp")
+        assert os.path.isdir(os.path.join(project_dir, "app"))
 
-        main_path = os.path.join(tmpdir, "app", "main.py")
+        main_path = os.path.join(project_dir, "app", "main.py")
         assert os.path.isfile(main_path)
         content = Path(main_path).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
         assert "def App(" in content
         assert "Stack.Navigator" in content
 
-        config_path = os.path.join(tmpdir, "pythonnative.toml")
+        config_path = os.path.join(project_dir, "pythonnative.toml")
         assert os.path.isfile(config_path)
         toml_text = Path(config_path).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
         assert 'id = "com.example.myapp"' in toml_text
-        assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(tmpdir, ".gitignore"))
+        assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(project_dir, ".gitignore"))
         # The legacy JSON config and requirements.txt are no longer scaffolded.
-        assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(tmpdir, "pythonnative.json"))
+        assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(project_dir, "pythonnative.json"))
 
         # clean on empty build is a no-op
         result = run_pn(["clean"], tmpdir)
@@ -62,6 +63,136 @@ def test_cli_init_refuses_overwrite() -> None:
         shutil.rmtree(tmpdir, ignore_errors=True)
 
 
+def test_cli_init_creates_named_directory(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    result = run_pn(["init", "my_app"], str(tmp_path))
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
+    assert "cd my_app" in result.stdout
+
+    project_dir = os.path.join(str(tmp_path), "my_app")
+    assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(project_dir, "app", "main.py"))
+    assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(project_dir, "pythonnative.toml"))
+    assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(project_dir, ".gitignore"))
+    toml_text = Path(os.path.join(project_dir, "pythonnative.toml")).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    assert 'id = "com.example.my_app"' in toml_text
+    # Nothing is scaffolded beside the project directory.
+    assert os.listdir(str(tmp_path)) == ["my_app"]
+
+
+def test_cli_init_without_name_uses_cwd(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    project_dir = tmp_path / "widgets"
+    project_dir.mkdir()
+
+    result = run_pn(["init"], str(project_dir))
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
+    assert "cd " not in result.stdout
+
+    assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(str(project_dir), "app", "main.py"))
+    assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(str(project_dir), ".gitignore"))
+    toml_text = Path(os.path.join(str(project_dir), "pythonnative.toml")).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    assert 'id = "com.example.widgets"' in toml_text
+    assert 'name = "widgets"' in toml_text
+
+
+def test_cli_init_refuses_non_empty_directory(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    project_dir = tmp_path / "my_app"
+    project_dir.mkdir()
+    keeper = project_dir / "README.md"
+    keeper.write_text("keep me\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+    result = run_pn(["init", "my_app"], str(tmp_path))
+    assert result.returncode != 0
+    assert "Refusing to overwrite" in result.stdout
+    assert "non-empty directory" in result.stdout
+    assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(str(project_dir), "app"))
+    assert keeper.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "keep me\n"
+
+    result = run_pn(["init", "my_app", "--force"], str(tmp_path))
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
+    assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(str(project_dir), "app", "main.py"))
+    # --force scaffolds over the directory; it doesn't empty it first.
+    assert keeper.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "keep me\n"
+
+
+def test_cli_init_accepts_existing_empty_directory(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    project_dir = tmp_path / "my_app"
+    project_dir.mkdir()
+
+    result = run_pn(["init", "my_app"], str(tmp_path))
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
+    assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(str(project_dir), "app", "main.py"))
+    assert os.path.isfile(os.path.join(str(project_dir), "pythonnative.toml"))
+
+
+def test_cli_init_refuses_existing_file(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    blocker = tmp_path / "my_app"
+    blocker.write_text("not a project\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+    result = run_pn(["init", "my_app"], str(tmp_path))
+    assert result.returncode != 0
+    assert "Refusing to overwrite existing file" in result.stdout
+
+    # --force can't turn a file into a directory, so it is refused too.
+    result = run_pn(["init", "my_app", "--force"], str(tmp_path))
+    assert result.returncode != 0
+    assert "Refusing to overwrite existing file" in result.stdout
+    assert blocker.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "not a project\n"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("name", ["{absolute}", "nested/my_app", "my_app/", ".", "..", "../", "a/.."])
+def test_cli_init_rejects_path_like_names(tmp_path: Path, name: str) -> None:
+    work_dir = tmp_path / "work"
+    work_dir.mkdir()
+
+    result = run_pn(["init", name.format(absolute=str(tmp_path / "elsewhere"))], str(work_dir))
+    assert result.returncode != 0
+    assert "Refusing to" in result.stdout
+    assert "project name" in result.stdout
+    # Nothing was created in the working directory or anywhere above it.
+    assert os.listdir(str(work_dir)) == []
+    assert os.listdir(str(tmp_path)) == ["work"]
+
+
+def test_cli_init_force_does_not_escape_to_parent(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    parent_config = tmp_path / "pythonnative.toml"
+    parent_config.write_text("# hand-written\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    work_dir = tmp_path / "work"
+    work_dir.mkdir()
+
+    result = run_pn(["init", "..", "--force"], str(work_dir))
+    assert result.returncode != 0
+    assert "Refusing to" in result.stdout
+    # --force does not lift the single-name rule, so the parent is untouched.
+    assert parent_config.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "# hand-written\n"
+    assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(str(tmp_path), "app"))
+    assert not os.path.exists(os.path.join(str(tmp_path), ".gitignore"))
+    assert os.listdir(str(work_dir)) == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("extra_args", [[], ["--force"]])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("populated", [True, False])
+def test_cli_init_rejects_symlinked_target(tmp_path: Path, populated: bool, extra_args: List[str]) -> None:
+    outside = tmp_path / "outside"
+    outside.mkdir()
+    outside_config = outside / "pythonnative.toml"
+    if populated:
+        outside_config.write_text("# hand-written\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    before = sorted(os.listdir(str(outside)))
+
+    work_dir = tmp_path / "work"
+    work_dir.mkdir()
+    os.symlink(str(outside), os.path.join(str(work_dir), "link"))
+
+    result = run_pn(["init", "link"] + extra_args, str(work_dir))
+    assert result.returncode != 0
+    assert "Refusing to" in result.stdout
+    # exists() and is_dir() follow symlinks, so the destination must stay untouched:
+    # no new entries, and no rewrite of a config that was already there.
+    assert sorted(os.listdir(str(outside))) == before
+    if populated:
+        assert outside_config.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "# hand-written\n"
+    assert os.listdir(str(work_dir)) == ["link"]
+
+
 def test_cli_run_help_lists_flags() -> None:
     tmpdir = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="pn_cli_test_")
     try:
@@ -105,15 +236,16 @@ def test_cli_run_without_config_errors() -> None:
 
 def test_cli_app_id_resolves(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     assert run_pn(["init", "MyApp"], str(tmp_path)).returncode == 0
-    result = run_pn(["app-id", "android"], str(tmp_path))
+    project_dir = str(tmp_path / "MyApp")
+    result = run_pn(["app-id", "android"], project_dir)
     assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
     assert result.stdout.strip() == "com.example.myapp"
-    assert run_pn(["app-id", "ios"], str(tmp_path)).stdout.strip() == "com.example.myapp"
+    assert run_pn(["app-id", "ios"], project_dir).stdout.strip() == "com.example.myapp"
 
 
 def test_cli_doctor_runs(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     assert run_pn(["init", "MyApp"], str(tmp_path)).returncode == 0
-    result = run_pn(["doctor", "android"], str(tmp_path))
+    result = run_pn(["doctor", "android"], str(tmp_path / "MyApp"))
     assert "PythonNative doctor" in result.stdout
     # android-only doctor on a CI box without adb still produces warnings, not errors.
     assert result.returncode in (0, 1)
@@ -123,10 +255,11 @@ def test_cli_run_prepare_only_android_and_ios() -> None:
     tmpdir = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="pn_cli_test_")
     try:
         assert run_pn(["init", "MyApp"], tmpdir).returncode == 0
+        project_dir = os.path.join(tmpdir, "MyApp")
 
-        result = run_pn(["run", "android", "--prepare-only", "--no-logs"], tmpdir)
+        result = run_pn(["run", "android", "--prepare-only", "--no-logs"], project_dir)
         assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
-        android_root = os.path.join(tmpdir, "build", "android", "android_template")
+        android_root = os.path.join(project_dir, "build", "android", "android_template")
         assert os.path.isdir(android_root)
         # Package relocated to the configured application id.
         relocated = os.path.join(
@@ -140,9 +273,9 @@ def test_cli_run_prepare_only_android_and_ios() -> None:
         gradle = Path(os.path.join(android_root, "app", "build.gradle")).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
         assert "com.example.myapp" in gradle
 
-        result = run_pn(["run", "ios", "--prepare-only", "--no-logs"], tmpdir)
+        result = run_pn(["run", "ios", "--prepare-only", "--no-logs"], project_dir)
         assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
-        ios_root = os.path.join(tmpdir, "build", "ios", "ios_template")
+        ios_root = os.path.join(project_dir, "build", "ios", "ios_template")
         assert os.path.isdir(ios_root)
         info_plist = Path(os.path.join(ios_root, "ios_template", "Info.plist")).read_bytes()
         assert b"CFBundleDisplayName" in info_plist