diff --git a/packages/server/src/routes/users.ts b/packages/server/src/routes/users.ts
index 9153dc16..261b0b75 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/routes/users.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/routes/users.ts
@@ -183,6 +183,10 @@ export async function userRoutes(app: FastifyInstance): Promise<void> {
         return reply.code(400).send({ error: 'Avatar URL must be a relative upload path or http/https URL', statusCode: 400 });
       }
       updateData.avatar = avatar;
+      // Normalize to bare filename — profileSync historically stored /api/uploads/ prefix
+      if (typeof updateData.avatar === 'string' && updateData.avatar.startsWith('/api/uploads/')) {
+        updateData.avatar = updateData.avatar.slice('/api/uploads/'.length);
+      }
     }
 
     if (banner !== undefined) {
@@ -191,6 +195,10 @@ export async function userRoutes(app: FastifyInstance): Promise<void> {
       }
       if (banner && typeof banner === 'string' && banner.trim().length > 0) {
         updateData.banner = banner.trim();
+        // Normalize to bare filename — profileSync historically stored /api/uploads/ prefix
+        if (updateData.banner.startsWith('/api/uploads/')) {
+          updateData.banner = updateData.banner.slice('/api/uploads/'.length);
+        }
       } else {
         updateData.banner = null;
       }
diff --git a/packages/web/src/utils/assetUrls.ts b/packages/web/src/utils/assetUrls.ts
index 3da3b630..0c049853 100644
--- a/packages/web/src/utils/assetUrls.ts
+++ b/packages/web/src/utils/assetUrls.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 import { getApiForOrigin } from '../stores/spaceStore';
 
+/** Strip /api/uploads/ prefix to get bare filename. No-op for bare filenames and absolute URLs. */
+export function stripUploadPrefix(filename: string): string {
+  return filename.startsWith('/api/uploads/') ? filename.slice('/api/uploads/'.length) : filename;
+}
+
 /**
  * Resolve a relative asset filename to an absolute URL for remote origins.
  * Home-origin filenames are returned as-is (components handle the /api/uploads/ prefix).
@@ -7,7 +12,7 @@ import { getApiForOrigin } from '../stores/spaceStore';
  */
 export function resolveAssetUrl(filename: string | null | undefined, origin: string): typeof filename {
   if (!filename || !origin || filename.startsWith('http')) return filename;
-  return getApiForOrigin(origin).uploads.url(filename);
+  return getApiForOrigin(origin).uploads.url(stripUploadPrefix(filename));
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/web/src/utils/profileSync.ts b/packages/web/src/utils/profileSync.ts
index 027ab64b..820a7208 100644
--- a/packages/web/src/utils/profileSync.ts
+++ b/packages/web/src/utils/profileSync.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ async function downloadAsset(filename: string, origin?: string): Promise<Blob> {
     const res = await fetch(filename);
     return res.blob();
   }
-  const base = origin ? `${origin}/api/uploads/${filename}` : `/api/uploads/${filename}`;
+  // Strip /api/uploads/ prefix to avoid double-path URLs (profileSync previously stored full paths)
+  const bare = filename.startsWith('/api/uploads/') ? filename.slice('/api/uploads/'.length) : filename;
+  const base = origin ? `${origin}/api/uploads/${bare}` : `/api/uploads/${bare}`;
   const res = await fetch(base);
   return res.blob();
 }
@@ -62,7 +64,7 @@ async function pushProfileToRemote(inst: ConnectedInstance, homeUser: NonNullabl
     try {
       const blob = await downloadAsset(homeUser.avatar);
       const attachment = await inst.api.uploads.upload(new File([blob], homeUser.avatar));
-      payload.avatar = `/api/uploads/${attachment.filename}`;
+      payload.avatar = attachment.filename;
     } catch (err) {
       console.warn('[ProfileSync] Failed to upload avatar to remote:', err);
     }
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@ async function pushProfileToRemote(inst: ConnectedInstance, homeUser: NonNullabl
     try {
       const blob = await downloadAsset(homeUser.banner);
       const attachment = await inst.api.uploads.upload(new File([blob], homeUser.banner));
-      payload.banner = `/api/uploads/${attachment.filename}`;
+      payload.banner = attachment.filename;
     } catch (err) {
       console.warn('[ProfileSync] Failed to upload banner to remote:', err);
     }
@@ -108,7 +110,7 @@ async function pullProfileFromRemote(inst: ConnectedInstance): Promise<void> {
     try {
       const blob = await downloadAsset(remoteUser.avatar, inst.origin);
       const attachment = await api.uploads.upload(new File([blob], remoteUser.avatar.split('/').pop() || 'avatar'));
-      payload.avatar = `/api/uploads/${attachment.filename}`;
+      payload.avatar = attachment.filename;
     } catch (err) {
       console.warn('[ProfileSync] Failed to download/upload avatar from remote:', err);
     }
@@ -121,7 +123,7 @@ async function pullProfileFromRemote(inst: ConnectedInstance): Promise<void> {
     try {
       const blob = await downloadAsset(remoteUser.banner, inst.origin);
       const attachment = await api.uploads.upload(new File([blob], remoteUser.banner.split('/').pop() || 'banner'));
-      payload.banner = `/api/uploads/${attachment.filename}`;
+      payload.banner = attachment.filename;
     } catch (err) {
       console.warn('[ProfileSync] Failed to download/upload banner from remote:', err);
     }
@@ -206,7 +208,7 @@ export async function syncProfileUpdateToRemotes(update: Partial<UpdateUserReque
           if (avatarBlob && avatarFilename) {
             try {
               const attachment = await inst.api.uploads.upload(new File([avatarBlob], avatarFilename));
-              perInstPayload.avatar = `/api/uploads/${attachment.filename}`;
+              perInstPayload.avatar = attachment.filename;
             } catch (err) {
               console.warn(`[ProfileSync] Failed to upload avatar to ${inst.origin}:`, err);
             }
@@ -220,7 +222,7 @@ export async function syncProfileUpdateToRemotes(update: Partial<UpdateUserReque
           if (bannerBlob && bannerFilename) {
             try {
               const attachment = await inst.api.uploads.upload(new File([bannerBlob], bannerFilename));
-              perInstPayload.banner = `/api/uploads/${attachment.filename}`;
+              perInstPayload.banner = attachment.filename;
             } catch (err) {
               console.warn(`[ProfileSync] Failed to upload banner to ${inst.origin}:`, err);
             }