diff --git a/agent/config.go b/agent/config.go
index 437e33641d..cc0958c85d 100644
--- a/agent/config.go
+++ b/agent/config.go
@@ -2127,7 +2127,7 @@ func ReadConfigPaths(paths []string) (*Config, error) {
 // and performs go-sockaddr/template Parse on each known address in case the
 // user specified a template config for any of their values.
 func (c *Config) ResolveTmplAddrs() (err error) {
-	parse := func(addr *string, validateIP bool, name string) {
+	parse := func(addr *string, socketAllowed bool, name string) {
 		if *addr == "" || err != nil {
 			return
 		}
@@ -2137,26 +2137,31 @@ func (c *Config) ResolveTmplAddrs() (err error) {
 			err = fmt.Errorf("Resolution of %s failed: %v", name, err)
 			return
 		}
-
-		if validateIP && net.ParseIP(ip) == nil {
+		ipAddr := net.ParseIP(ip)
+		if !socketAllowed && ipAddr == nil {
 			err = fmt.Errorf("Failed to parse %s: %v", name, ip)
 			return
 		}
+		if socketAllowed && socketPath(ip) == "" && ipAddr == nil {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("Failed to parse %s, is not a valid IP address or socket: %v", name, ip)
+			return
+		}
+
 		*addr = ip
 	}
 
 	if c == nil {
 		return
 	}
-	parse(&c.Addresses.DNS, false, "DNS address")
-	parse(&c.Addresses.HTTP, false, "HTTP address")
-	parse(&c.Addresses.HTTPS, false, "HTTPS address")
-	parse(&c.AdvertiseAddr, true, "Advertise address")
-	parse(&c.AdvertiseAddrWan, true, "Advertise WAN address")
-	parse(&c.BindAddr, false, "Bind address")
-	parse(&c.ClientAddr, false, "Client address")
-	parse(&c.SerfLanBindAddr, true, "Serf LAN address")
-	parse(&c.SerfWanBindAddr, true, "Serf WAN address")
+	parse(&c.Addresses.DNS, true, "DNS address")
+	parse(&c.Addresses.HTTP, true, "HTTP address")
+	parse(&c.Addresses.HTTPS, true, "HTTPS address")
+	parse(&c.AdvertiseAddr, false, "Advertise address")
+	parse(&c.AdvertiseAddrWan, false, "Advertise WAN address")
+	parse(&c.BindAddr, true, "Bind address")
+	parse(&c.ClientAddr, true, "Client address")
+	parse(&c.SerfLanBindAddr, false, "Serf LAN address")
+	parse(&c.SerfWanBindAddr, false, "Serf WAN address")
 
 	return
 }
diff --git a/agent/config_test.go b/agent/config_test.go
index dca9d7cc3b..13b3738c2a 100644
--- a/agent/config_test.go
+++ b/agent/config_test.go
@@ -71,6 +71,12 @@ func TestDecodeConfig(t *testing.T) {
 			parseTemplateErr: errors.New("Failed to parse Advertise WAN address: unix:///path/to/file"),
 			c:                &Config{AdvertiseAddrWan: "unix:///path/to/file"},
 		},
+		{
+			in:               `{"addresses":{"http":"notunix://blah"}}`,
+			parseTemplateErr: errors.New("Failed to parse HTTP address, is not a valid IP address or socket: notunix://blah"),
+			c:                &Config{Addresses: AddressConfig{HTTP: "notunix://blah"}},
+		},
+
 		// happy flows in alphabetical order
 		{
 			in: `{"acl_agent_master_token":"a"}`,