diff --git a/frontend/sync-client/src/services/sync-service.ts b/frontend/sync-client/src/services/sync-service.ts
index 82303bce..99ee79ad 100644
--- a/frontend/sync-client/src/services/sync-service.ts
+++ b/frontend/sync-client/src/services/sync-service.ts
@@ -68,27 +68,21 @@ export class SyncService {
     public async create({
         relativePath,
         contentBytes,
-        forceMerge
     }: {
         relativePath: RelativePath;
         contentBytes: Uint8Array;
-        forceMerge?: boolean;
     }): Promise<DocumentUpdateResponse> {
         return this.retryForever(async () => {
             const formData = new FormData();
 
             formData.append("relative_path", relativePath);
-            if (forceMerge === true) {
-                formData.append("force_merge", "true");
-            }
-
             formData.append(
                 "content",
                 new Blob([new Uint8Array(contentBytes)])
             );
 
             this.logger.debug(
-                `Creating document with relative path ${relativePath} (forceMerge: ${forceMerge})`
+                `Creating document with relative path ${relativePath}`
             );
 
             const response = await this.client(this.getUrl("/documents"), {
diff --git a/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-client.ts b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-client.ts
index 04a69fc9..23989dfc 100644
--- a/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-client.ts
+++ b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-client.ts
@@ -369,9 +369,7 @@ export class SyncClient {
         this.checkIfDestroyed("syncLocallyCreatedFile");
 
         this.fileChangeNotifier.notifyOfFileChange(relativePath);
-        return this.syncer.syncLocallyCreatedFile(relativePath, {
-            forceMerge: false
-        });
+        return this.syncer.syncLocallyCreatedFile(relativePath,);
     }
 
     public async syncLocallyDeletedFile(
diff --git a/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/syncer.ts b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/syncer.ts
index 068c348a..31efce0e 100644
--- a/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/syncer.ts
+++ b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/syncer.ts
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ export class Syncer {
 
     public async syncLocallyCreatedFile(
         relativePath: RelativePath,
-        { forceMerge }: { forceMerge: boolean }
     ): Promise<void> {
         if (
             this.database.getLatestDocumentByRelativePath(relativePath)
@@ -231,7 +230,7 @@ export class Syncer {
             await this.syncQueue.add(async () =>
                 this.unrestrictedSyncer.unrestrictedSyncLocallyCreatedOrUpdatedFile({
                     oldPath,
-                    document: document!
+                    document
                 })
             );
 
@@ -441,7 +440,7 @@ export class Syncer {
             }
         }
 
-        type Instruction = { "type": "update" | "create", relativePath: string, oldPath?: string };
+        interface Instruction { "type": "update" | "create", relativePath: string, oldPath?: string }
         const instructions: (Instruction | undefined)[] = await awaitAll(
             allLocalFiles.map(async (relativePath) => {
                 if (
@@ -536,10 +535,10 @@ export class Syncer {
 
             if (instruction.type === "update") {
                 // We're outside of the pqueue, so we need to call the public wrapper
-                return await this.syncLocallyUpdatedFile({
+                await this.syncLocallyUpdatedFile({
                     oldPath: instruction.oldPath,
                     relativePath: instruction.relativePath
-                });
+                }); return;
             }
         }));
 
@@ -553,7 +552,7 @@ export class Syncer {
 
             if (instruction.type === "create") {
                 // We're outside of the pqueue, so we need to call the public wrapper
-                return await this.syncLocallyCreatedFile(instruction.relativePath, { forceMerge: true });
+                await this.syncLocallyCreatedFile(instruction.relativePath,); return;
             }
         }));
 
diff --git a/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/unrestricted-syncer.ts b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/unrestricted-syncer.ts
index 272668c4..f29e19c8 100644
--- a/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/unrestricted-syncer.ts
+++ b/frontend/sync-client/src/sync-operations/unrestricted-syncer.ts
@@ -66,14 +66,12 @@ export class UnrestrictedSyncer {
     public async unrestrictedSyncLocallyCreatedOrUpdatedFile({
         oldPath,
         document,
-        forceMerge,
         // We use the same code path for both local and remote updates. We need to force the update
         // if there are no local changes but we know that the remote version is newer.
         force = false
     }: {
         oldPath?: RelativePath;
         force?: boolean;
-        forceMerge?: boolean
         document: DocumentRecord;
     }): Promise<void> {
 
@@ -128,7 +126,6 @@ export class UnrestrictedSyncer {
                     const response = await this.syncService.create({
                         relativePath: originalRelativePath,
                         contentBytes,
-                        forceMerge
                     });
 
                     await this.handleMaybeMergingResponse({
diff --git a/sync-server/src/server/create_document.rs b/sync-server/src/server/create_document.rs
index e4b3c055..a5ab451f 100644
--- a/sync-server/src/server/create_document.rs
+++ b/sync-server/src/server/create_document.rs
@@ -49,35 +49,33 @@ pub async fn create_document(
 
     let sanitized_relative_path = sanitize_path(&request.relative_path);
 
-    if request.force_merge.unwrap_or_default() {
-        let latest_version = state
-            .database
-            .get_latest_non_deleted_document_by_path(
-                &vault_id,
-                &sanitized_relative_path,
-                Some(&mut transaction),
-            )
-            .await
-            .map_err(server_error)?;
-        if let Some(latest_version) = latest_version {
-            info!(
-                "Document already exists at new location: `{sanitized_relative_path}` when trying to create it in vault `{vault_id}`, merging into existing document"
-            );
+    let latest_version = state
+        .database
+        .get_latest_non_deleted_document_by_path(
+            &vault_id,
+            &sanitized_relative_path,
+            Some(&mut transaction),
+        )
+        .await
+        .map_err(server_error)?;
+    if let Some(latest_version) = latest_version {
+        info!(
+            "Document already exists at new location: `{sanitized_relative_path}` when trying to create it in vault `{vault_id}`, merging into existing document"
+        );
 
-            return merge_with_stored_version(
-                &sanitized_relative_path,
-                &Vec::new(),
-                latest_version,
-                vault_id,
-                user,
-                device_id,
-                state,
-                &sanitized_relative_path,
-                request.content.contents.to_vec(),
-                transaction,
-            )
-            .await;
-        }
+        return merge_with_stored_version(
+            &sanitized_relative_path,
+            &Vec::new(),
+            latest_version,
+            vault_id,
+            user,
+            device_id,
+            state,
+            &sanitized_relative_path,
+            request.content.contents.to_vec(),
+            transaction,
+        )
+        .await;
     }
 
     let document_id = uuid::Uuid::new_v4();
diff --git a/sync-server/src/server/requests.rs b/sync-server/src/server/requests.rs
index 400ececf..386e682d 100644
--- a/sync-server/src/server/requests.rs
+++ b/sync-server/src/server/requests.rs
@@ -11,9 +11,6 @@ use crate::app_state::database::models::VaultUpdateId;
 pub struct CreateDocumentVersion {
     pub relative_path: String,
 
-    // whether to merge with existing document at the same path if it already exists
-    pub force_merge: Option<bool>,
-
     #[ts(as = "Vec<u8>")]
     #[form_data(limit = "unlimited")]
     pub content: FieldData<Bytes>,