diff --git a/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go b/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
index e10169c79..1f13de028 100644
--- a/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
+++ b/pkg/serverconfig/genconfig.go
@@ -560,14 +560,15 @@ func genLowLevelConfig(conf *Config) (lowLevelConf *Config, err error) {
 	}
 
 	if baseURL != "" {
-		obj["baseURL"] = strings.TrimSuffix(baseURL, "/")
 		u, err := url.Parse(baseURL)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error parsing baseURL %q as a URL: %v", baseURL, err)
 		}
-		if u.Path != "/" {
-			return nil, errors.New("baseURL can't have a path, only a scheme, host, and optional port.")
+		if u.Path != "" && u.Path != "/" {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("baseURL can't have a path, only a scheme, host, and optional port.")
 		}
+		u.Path = ""
+		obj["baseURL"] = u.String()
 	}
 	if listen != "" {
 		obj["listen"] = listen
diff --git a/pkg/serverconfig/testdata/baseurl-want.json b/pkg/serverconfig/testdata/baseurl-want.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..62494a891
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/serverconfig/testdata/baseurl-want.json
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+{
+	"listen": "localhost:3179",
+	"auth": "userpass:camlistore:pass3179",
+	"https": false,
+        "baseURL": "http://monkey.foo.com",
+	"prefixes": {
+		"/": {
+			"handler": "root",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"blobRoot": "/bs-and-maybe-also-index/",
+				"ownerName": "Alice",
+				"searchRoot": "/my-search/",
+				"statusRoot": "/status/",
+				"stealth": false
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/ui/": {
+			"handler": "ui",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"jsonSignRoot": "/sighelper/",
+				"cache": "/cache/",
+				"scaledImage": "lrucache"
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/setup/": {
+			"handler": "setup"
+		},
+
+		"/status/": {
+			"handler": "status"
+		},
+
+		"/share/": {
+			"handler": "share",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"blobRoot": "/bs/"
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/sync/": {
+			"handler": "sync",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"from": "/bs/",
+				"to": "/index-kv/"
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/sighelper/": {
+			"handler": "jsonsign",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"secretRing": "/path/to/secring",
+				"keyId": "26F5ABDA",
+				"publicKeyDest": "/bs-and-index/"
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/bs-and-index/": {
+			"handler": "storage-replica",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"backends": ["/bs/", "/index-kv/"]
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/bs-and-maybe-also-index/": {
+			"handler": "storage-cond",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"write": {
+					"if": "isSchema",
+					"then": "/bs-and-index/",
+					"else": "/bs/"
+				},
+				"read": "/bs/"
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/bs/": {
+			"handler": "storage-filesystem",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"path": "/tmp/blobs"
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/cache/": {
+			"handler": "storage-filesystem",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"path": "/tmp/blobs/cache"
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/index-kv/": {
+			"handler": "storage-kvfileindexer",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"blobSource": "/bs/",
+                                "file": "/path/to/indexkv.db"
+			}
+		},
+
+		"/my-search/": {
+			"handler": "search",
+			"handlerArgs": {
+				"index": "/index-kv/",
+				"owner": "sha1-f2b0b7da718b97ce8c31591d8ed4645c777f3ef4"
+			}
+		}
+
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/pkg/serverconfig/testdata/baseurl.json b/pkg/serverconfig/testdata/baseurl.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2f1532d4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/serverconfig/testdata/baseurl.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+	"listen": "localhost:3179",
+	"auth": "userpass:camlistore:pass3179",
+        "baseURL": "http://monkey.foo.com",
+	"blobPath": "/tmp/blobs",
+        "kvIndexFile": "/path/to/indexkv.db",
+	"identity": "26F5ABDA",
+	"identitySecretRing": "/path/to/secring",
+	"ownerName": "Alice",
+	"shareHandlerPath": "/share/"
+}