diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/auth.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/auth.rs
index 3a1f5939..6727501e 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/auth.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/auth.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ use crate::{
     app_state::{AppState, database::models::VaultId},
     config::user_config::{AllowListedVaults, User, VaultAccess},
     errors::{SyncServerError, permission_denied_error, unauthenticated_error},
+    utils::normalize::normalize_string,
 };
 
 pub async fn auth_middleware(
@@ -24,12 +25,14 @@ pub async fn auth_middleware(
     mut req: Request,
     next: Next,
 ) -> Result<Response, SyncServerError> {
-    let token = auth_header.token();
-    let vault_id = path_params
-        .get("vault_id")
-        .ok_or_else(|| unauthenticated_error(anyhow::anyhow!("Missing vault_id")))?;
+    let token = auth_header.token().trim();
+    let vault_id = normalize_string(
+        path_params
+            .get("vault_id")
+            .ok_or_else(|| unauthenticated_error(anyhow::anyhow!("Missing vault_id")))?,
+    );
 
-    let user = auth(&state, token, vault_id)?;
+    let user = auth(&state, token, &vault_id)?;
 
     req.extensions_mut().insert(user);
 
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/create_document.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/create_document.rs
index 1c2e6126..ebbcac26 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/create_document.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/create_document.rs
@@ -16,12 +16,13 @@ use crate::{
         },
     },
     errors::{SyncServerError, client_error, server_error},
-    utils::sanitize_path,
+    utils::{normalize::normalize, sanitize_path::sanitize_path},
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct CreateDocumentPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/delete_document.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/delete_document.rs
index 2d02decc..3329e7fb 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/delete_document.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/delete_document.rs
@@ -14,13 +14,15 @@ use crate::{
         },
     },
     errors::{SyncServerError, server_error},
-    utils::sanitize_path,
+    utils::{normalize::normalize, sanitize_path::sanitize_path},
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct DeleteDocumentPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
+
     document_id: DocumentId,
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_document_version.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_document_version.rs
index 195ae011..ee8f6c55 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_document_version.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_document_version.rs
@@ -10,12 +10,15 @@ use crate::{
         database::models::{DocumentId, DocumentVersion, VaultId, VaultUpdateId},
     },
     errors::{SyncServerError, not_found_error, server_error},
+    utils::normalize::normalize,
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct FetchDocumentVersionPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
+
     document_id: DocumentId,
     vault_update_id: VaultUpdateId,
 }
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_document_version_content.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_document_version_content.rs
index 9708c4e5..50cacca1 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_document_version_content.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_document_version_content.rs
@@ -12,12 +12,15 @@ use crate::{
         database::models::{DocumentId, VaultId, VaultUpdateId},
     },
     errors::{SyncServerError, not_found_error, server_error},
+    utils::normalize::normalize,
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct FetchDocumentVersionContentPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
+
     document_id: DocumentId,
     vault_update_id: VaultUpdateId,
 }
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_latest_document_version.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_latest_document_version.rs
index c8025711..3b85ed37 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_latest_document_version.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_latest_document_version.rs
@@ -10,12 +10,15 @@ use crate::{
         database::models::{DocumentId, DocumentVersion, VaultId},
     },
     errors::{SyncServerError, not_found_error, server_error},
+    utils::normalize::normalize,
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct FetchLatestDocumentVersionPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
+
     document_id: DocumentId,
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_latest_documents.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_latest_documents.rs
index 3765f52b..e78b7594 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_latest_documents.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/fetch_latest_documents.rs
@@ -10,11 +10,13 @@ use crate::{
         database::models::{VaultId, VaultUpdateId},
     },
     errors::{SyncServerError, server_error},
+    utils::normalize::normalize,
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct FetchLatestDocumentsPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/ping.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/ping.rs
index 38dc2037..96a8d82a 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/ping.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/ping.rs
@@ -13,11 +13,13 @@ use super::{auth::auth, responses::PingResponse};
 use crate::{
     app_state::{AppState, database::models::VaultId},
     errors::SyncServerError,
+    utils::normalize::normalize,
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct PingPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/update_document.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/update_document.rs
index fdbbfd6e..60a4cab8 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/update_document.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/update_document.rs
@@ -18,13 +18,15 @@ use crate::{
         database::models::{DeviceId, DocumentId, StoredDocumentVersion, VaultId, VaultUpdateId},
     },
     errors::{SyncServerError, client_error, not_found_error, server_error},
-    utils::{deduped_file_paths, sanitize_path},
+    utils::{dedup_paths::dedup_paths, normalize::normalize, sanitize_path::sanitize_path},
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct UpdateDocumentPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
+
     document_id: DocumentId,
 }
 
@@ -171,7 +173,7 @@ async fn internal_update_document(
         && latest_version.relative_path != sanitized_relative_path
     {
         let mut new_relative_path = String::default();
-        for candidate in deduped_file_paths(&sanitized_relative_path) {
+        for candidate in dedup_paths(&sanitized_relative_path) {
             if state
                 .database
                 .get_latest_document_by_path(&vault_id, &candidate, Some(&mut transaction))
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/server/websocket.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/server/websocket.rs
index 7241b12f..82a37af6 100644
--- a/backend/sync_server/src/server/websocket.rs
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/server/websocket.rs
@@ -21,11 +21,13 @@ use crate::{
         database::models::{DeviceId, DocumentVersionWithoutContent, VaultId, VaultUpdateId},
     },
     errors::{SyncServerError, server_error, unauthenticated_error},
+    utils::normalize::{normalize, normalize_string},
 };
 
 // This is required for aide to infer the path parameter types and names
 #[derive(Deserialize, JsonSchema)]
 pub struct WebsocketPathParams {
+    #[serde(deserialize_with = "normalize")]
     vault_id: VaultId,
 }
 
@@ -81,7 +83,7 @@ async fn websocket(
             .context("Failed to parse token")
             .map_err(server_error)?;
 
-        auth(&state, &handshake.token, &vault_id)?;
+        auth(&state, handshake.token.trim(), &normalize_string(&vault_id))?;
 
         handshake
     } else {
diff --git a/backend/sync_server/src/utils/normalize.rs b/backend/sync_server/src/utils/normalize.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..adb83ac1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/sync_server/src/utils/normalize.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+use serde::{Deserialize, Deserializer};
+
+pub fn normalize<'de, D>(deserializer: D) -> Result<String, D::Error>
+where
+    D: Deserializer<'de>,
+{
+    let s = String::deserialize(deserializer)?;
+    Ok(normalize_string(&s))
+}
+
+pub fn normalize_string(s: &str) -> String { s.trim().to_lowercase() }