diff --git a/matrix/app.cc b/matrix/app.cc
index d8384247d..4f58efa50 100644
--- a/matrix/app.cc
+++ b/matrix/app.cc
@@ -200,12 +200,14 @@ ircd::m::app::app(const m::event::idx &event_idx)
 		arg.at(0)
 	};
 
-	string_view part[2];
-	part[0] = path;
-	part[1] = file;
+	const string_view part[2]
+	{
+		path, file
+	};
+
 	const auto ret
 	{
-		fs::path_string(part)
+		fs::path_string(path, part)
 	};
 
 	if(!bin.count(ret))
diff --git a/modules/m_command.cc b/modules/m_command.cc
index 7deebb913..ff9e76fb9 100644
--- a/modules/m_command.cc
+++ b/modules/m_command.cc
@@ -878,24 +878,16 @@ command__edit(const mutable_buffer &buf_,
 			"Configure the 'ircd.m.cmd.edit.path' to use this feature.",
 		};
 
+	const string_view parts[2]
+	{
+		edit_path, param["path"]
+	};
+
 	const string_view path
 	{
-		fs::canonical(buf_, edit_path, param["path"])
+		fs::path(buf_, edit_path, parts)
 	};
 
-	const string_view root
-	{
-		fs::canonical(fs::path_scratch, edit_path)
-	};
-
-	if(!startswith(path, root))
-		throw m::NOT_FOUND
-		{
-			"File `%s' was not found under `%s'",
-			path,
-			root,
-		};
-
 	const fs::fd fd
 	{
 		path
@@ -1015,24 +1007,16 @@ try
 	if(!body)
 		return;
 
+	const string_view path_parts[2]
+	{
+		edit_path, args
+	};
+
 	const std::string path
 	{
-		fs::canonical(fs::path_scratch, edit_path, args)
+		fs::path(fs::path_scratch, edit_path, path_parts)
 	};
 
-	const string_view root
-	{
-		fs::canonical(fs::path_scratch, edit_path)
-	};
-
-	if(!startswith(path, root))
-		throw m::ACCESS_DENIED
-		{
-			"File `%s' is not under accessible directory `%s'",
-			path,
-			root,
-		};
-
 	fs::write_opts wopts;
 	const const_buffer written
 	{