diff --git a/scripts/exporter/recalbox_exporter.py b/scripts/exporter/recalbox_exporter.py
index 676a30fa..b85ccf9f 100644
--- a/scripts/exporter/recalbox_exporter.py
+++ b/scripts/exporter/recalbox_exporter.py
@@ -52,12 +52,15 @@ class Exporter(BaseExporter):
     def native_sources() -> dict[str, str]:
         return {"es_bios.xml": SOURCE_URL, "es_bios.xsd": SCHEMA_URL}
 
-    def _path(self, fe: NativeFile, native_id: str) -> str:
+    def _path(self, fe: NativeFile) -> str:
         """The path Recalbox reads, pipe-joined when it accepts several.
 
         A path Recalbox already states is reproduced exactly: several of its
         entries sit at the BIOS root with no directory at all, and prefixing
-        them with the system would point the frontend somewhere else.
+        them with the system would point the frontend somewhere else. An
+        addition goes where the core reads it, relative to the BIOS directory
+        Recalbox gives its cores: DuckStation reads scph5000.bin at the root,
+        not under psx/.
         """
         if fe.platform is not None:
             path = str(fe.platform.get("destination") or fe.name)
@@ -65,11 +68,10 @@ class Exporter(BaseExporter):
             if alternatives:
                 return "|".join([path, *[str(a) for a in alternatives]])
             return path
-        dest = fe.destination or fe.name
-        return dest if "/" in dest else f"{native_id}/{dest}"
+        return fe.destination or fe.name
 
     def _bios_element(self, fe: NativeFile, native_id: str) -> str:
-        attrs = [f"path={quoteattr(self._path(fe, native_id))}"]
+        attrs = [f"path={quoteattr(self._path(fe))}"]
         attrs.append(f'md5={quoteattr(",".join(fe.hashes("md5")))}')
         attrs.append(f'core={quoteattr(",".join(fe.cores()))}')
 
@@ -162,6 +164,6 @@ class Exporter(BaseExporter):
             for fe in system.files:
                 if not self.writable(fe):
                     continue
-                if self._path(fe, system.native_id).casefold() not in exported:
+                if self._path(fe).casefold() not in exported:
                     issues.append(f"absent: {system.native_id}/{fe.name}")
         return issues
diff --git a/tests/test_exporters.py b/tests/test_exporters.py
index d98a04ac..f79fa884 100644
--- a/tests/test_exporters.py
+++ b/tests/test_exporters.py
@@ -574,6 +574,22 @@ class RecalboxExport(unittest.TestCase):
         exporter, systems, produced = self._render()
         self.assertEqual(exporter.validate(systems, produced), [])
 
+    def test_an_addition_goes_where_the_core_reads_it(self):
+        """DuckStation reads scph5000.bin at the BIOS root; the export wrote
+        psx/scph5000.bin, a path no core opens."""
+        import copy  # noqa: PLC0415
+
+        truth = copy.deepcopy(TRUTH)
+        truth["systems"]["sony-playstation"]["files"].append({
+            "name": "scph5000.bin", "md5": "57a06303dfa9cf9351222dfcbb4a29d9",
+            "size": 524288, "required": False, "_cores": ["duckstation"],
+        })
+        systems, report = build_native_model(truth, SCRAPED)
+        produced = discover_exporters()["recalbox"]().render(systems, report, {}, None)
+        paths = {e.get("path") for e in ET.fromstring(produced["es_bios.xml"]).iter("bios")}
+        self.assertIn("scph5000.bin", paths)
+        self.assertNotIn("psx/scph5000.bin", paths)
+
     def test_a_truncated_export_is_reported(self):
         exporter, systems, _ = self._render()
         empty = {