diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/actions/navigationActions.ts b/src/main/frontend/app/actions/navigationActions.ts
index 0f4a1d29..f55222e6 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/actions/navigationActions.ts
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/actions/navigationActions.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { type NavigateFunction } from 'react-router'
 import useTabStore from '~/stores/tab-store'
 import useEditorTabStore from '~/stores/editor-tab-store'
+import { getBaseName } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 
 export function openInStudio(
   navigate: NavigateFunction,
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ export function openInEditorAtElement(
   { subtype, filepath, name }: { subtype: string; filepath: string; name?: string },
 ) {
   const editorStore = useEditorTabStore.getState()
-  const fileName = filepath.split(/[/\\]/).pop() ?? filepath
+  const fileName = getBaseName(filepath)
 
   if (!editorStore.getTab(filepath)) {
     editorStore.setTabData(filepath, {
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/components/directory-picker/directory-picker.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/components/directory-picker/directory-picker.tsx
index dcc05bc8..7c6ac003 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/components/directory-picker/directory-picker.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/components/directory-picker/directory-picker.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { filesystemService } from '~/services/filesystem-service'
 import type { FilesystemEntry } from '~/types/filesystem.types'
 import { ApiError } from '~/utils/api'
 import { useDirectoryWatcher } from '~/hooks/use-file-watcher'
+import { normalizePath } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 import Button from '../inputs/button'
 import CloseButton from '../inputs/close-button'
 
@@ -36,9 +37,9 @@ export default function DirectoryPicker({
     setIsCreatingFolder(false)
     try {
       const result = await filesystemService.browse(path)
-      setEntries(result.entries)
-      setCurrentPath(result.resolvedPath)
-      setParentPath(result.parentPath)
+      setEntries(result.entries.map((entry) => ({ ...entry, path: normalizePath(entry.path) })))
+      setCurrentPath(normalizePath(result.resolvedPath))
+      setParentPath(normalizePath(result.parentPath))
     } catch (error) {
       if (error instanceof ApiError && error.httpCode === 403) {
         setError('Access denied')
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/name-input-dialog.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/name-input-dialog.tsx
index 50871f76..2b090fcd 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/name-input-dialog.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/name-input-dialog.tsx
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@ export const CONFIGURATION_NAME_PATTERNS: Record<string, RegExp> = {
 
 export const FOLDER_OR_ADAPTER_NAME_PATTERNS: Record<string, RegExp> = BASE_NAME_PATTERNS
 
+export const PROJECT_NAME_PATTERNS: Record<string, RegExp> = {
+  ...BASE_NAME_PATTERNS,
+  'Cannot have a file extension': /^(?!.*\.[^.\\/]+$).*$/,
+}
+
 interface NameInputDialogProps {
   title: string
   initialValue?: string
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/studio-file-structure.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/studio-file-structure.tsx
index 1fd6f690..bb8be0be 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/studio-file-structure.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/studio-file-structure.tsx
@@ -47,8 +47,7 @@ function studioTabItemId(activeTab: string, dataProvider: StudioFilesDataProvide
   const lastSep = rest.lastIndexOf('::')
   const adapterName = lastSep === -1 ? rest : rest.slice(0, lastSep)
   const position = lastSep === -1 ? '0' : rest.slice(lastSep + 2)
-  const rootPath = dataProvider.getRootPath().replace(/[/\\]$/, '')
-  return `${toTreeItemId(configPath, rootPath)}/${adapterName}::${position}`
+  return `${toTreeItemId(configPath, dataProvider.getRootPath())}/${adapterName}::${position}`
 }
 
 function getItemTitle(item: TreeItem<StudioItemData>): string {
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/tree-utilities.ts b/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/tree-utilities.ts
index fa58e30e..58a3476c 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/tree-utilities.ts
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/tree-utilities.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import MailIcon from '../../../icons/solar/Mailbox.svg?react'
 import FolderIcon from '../../../icons/solar/Folder.svg?react'
 import type { FileTreeNode } from '~/types/filesystem.types'
 import type { TreeRef } from 'react-complex-tree'
+import { relativeTo } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 
 export function getListenerIcon(listenerType: string | null) {
   if (!listenerType) return CodeIcon
@@ -31,8 +32,8 @@ export function getAncestorIds(itemId: string): string[] {
 }
 
 export function toTreeItemId(absolutePath: string, rootPath: string): string {
-  const relativePath = absolutePath.slice(rootPath.length).replace(/^[/\\]/, '')
-  return `root/${relativePath.split(/[/\\]/).join('/')}`
+  const relativePath = relativeTo(rootPath, absolutePath)
+  return relativePath ? `root/${relativePath}` : 'root'
 }
 
 export function isVisibleInTree(itemId: string | null, expandedItems: string[]): boolean {
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/use-studio-context-menu.ts b/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/use-studio-context-menu.ts
index 64273cd0..6cde38b9 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/use-studio-context-menu.ts
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/components/file-structure/use-studio-context-menu.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   FILE_NAME_PATTERNS,
   FOLDER_OR_ADAPTER_NAME_PATTERNS,
 } from '~/components/file-structure/name-input-dialog'
+import { getBaseName, getParentPath, joinPath, relativeTo } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 
 export type StudioItemType = 'root' | 'folder' | 'configuration' | 'adapter' | 'file'
 
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ export function detectItemType(data: StudioItemData, isFolder?: boolean): Studio
 
   if (isFolder) return 'folder'
 
-  const lastSegment = path.split(/[/\\]/).at(-1) ?? path
+  const lastSegment = getBaseName(path)
   if (lastSegment.includes('.')) return 'file'
   return 'folder'
 }
@@ -68,11 +69,6 @@ export function getItemName(data: StudioItemData): string {
   return 'Unnamed'
 }
 
-function getParentDir(filePath: string): string {
-  const lastSep = Math.max(filePath.lastIndexOf('/'), filePath.lastIndexOf('\\'))
-  return lastSep > 0 ? filePath.slice(0, lastSep) : filePath
-}
-
 function ensureXmlExtension(name: string): string {
   if (name.endsWith('.xml')) return name
   return `${name}.xml`
@@ -90,12 +86,12 @@ export function resolveItemPaths(
 
   if (itemType === 'adapter') {
     const configPath = (data as StudioAdapterData).configPath
-    return { path: configPath, folderPath: getParentDir(configPath) }
+    return { path: configPath, folderPath: getParentPath(configPath) }
   }
 
   const folderData = data as StudioFolderData
   if (itemType === 'configuration' || itemType === 'file') {
-    return { path: folderData.path, folderPath: getParentDir(folderData.path) }
+    return { path: folderData.path, folderPath: getParentPath(folderData.path) }
   }
 
   return { path: folderData.path, folderPath: folderData.path }
@@ -176,12 +172,8 @@ export function useStudioContextMenu({ projectName, dataProvider }: UseStudioCon
         onSubmit: async (name: string) => {
           const fileName = ensureXmlExtension(name)
           try {
-            const rootPath = dataProvider.getRootPath().replace(/[/\\]$/, '')
-            const folderPath = menu.folderPath.replace(/[/\\]$/, '')
-            const relativePath =
-              folderPath === rootPath
-                ? fileName
-                : `${folderPath.slice(rootPath.length + 1).replaceAll('\\', '/')}/${fileName}`
+            const relativeFolder = relativeTo(dataProvider.getRootPath(), menu.folderPath)
+            const relativePath = relativeFolder ? joinPath(relativeFolder, fileName) : fileName
             await createConfigurationFile(projectName, relativePath)
             await dataProvider.reloadDirectory('root')
           } catch (error) {
@@ -268,7 +260,7 @@ export function useStudioContextMenu({ projectName, dataProvider }: UseStudioCon
               clearConfigurationFileCache(projectName, menu.path)
               useTabStore.getState().renameTabsForConfig(menu.path, newPath)
             } else {
-              await renameFile(projectName, menu.path, `${getParentDir(menu.path)}/${newName}`)
+              await renameFile(projectName, menu.path, `${getParentPath(menu.path)}/${newName}`)
             }
             await dataProvider.reloadDirectory('root')
           } catch (error) {
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/add-configuration-modal.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/add-configuration-modal.tsx
index f8716715..78272f07 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/add-configuration-modal.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/add-configuration-modal.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import CloseButton from '~/components/inputs/close-button'
 import Input from '~/components/inputs/input'
 import DirectoryPicker from '~/components/directory-picker/directory-picker'
 import { fetchProject } from '~/services/project-service'
+import { containsPathSeparator, joinPath, relativeTo } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 
 interface AddConfigurationModalProperties {
   isOpen: boolean
@@ -47,12 +48,21 @@ export default function AddConfigurationModal({
         setLoading(false)
         return
       }
+
+      if (containsPathSeparator(configname) || configname.includes('..')) {
+        setError(String.raw`Filename cannot contain "/", "\" or ".."`)
+        setLoading(false)
+        return
+      }
       // Ensure .xml suffix
       if (!configname.toLowerCase().endsWith('.xml')) {
         configname = `${configname}.xml`
       }
 
-      await createConfigurationFile(currentConfiguration.name, `${rootLocationName}/${configname}`)
+      const relativeFolder = relativeTo(currentConfiguration.rootPath, rootLocationName)
+      const relativePath = relativeFolder ? joinPath(relativeFolder, configname) : configname
+
+      await createConfigurationFile(currentConfiguration.name, relativePath)
       const updatedProject = await fetchProject(currentConfiguration.name)
       setProject(updatedProject)
       onSuccess?.()
@@ -83,10 +93,13 @@ export default function AddConfigurationModal({
     setIsOpenPickerOpen(false)
   }
 
+  const trimmedFilename = filename.trim()
+  const filenameHasInvalidChars = containsPathSeparator(trimmedFilename) || trimmedFilename.includes('..')
+  const isFilenameValid = trimmedFilename.length > 0 && !filenameHasInvalidChars
+
   const displayFilename = (() => {
-    const trimmed = filename.trim()
-    if (!trimmed) return ''
-    return trimmed.toLowerCase().endsWith('.xml') ? trimmed : `${trimmed}.xml`
+    if (!trimmedFilename) return ''
+    return trimmedFilename.toLowerCase().endsWith('.xml') ? trimmedFilename : `${trimmedFilename}.xml`
   })()
 
   return (
@@ -120,19 +133,25 @@ export default function AddConfigurationModal({
           <label className="text-sm font-medium" htmlFor="configuration-filename-input">
             Filename
           </label>
-          <div className="ml-2 flex w-full items-center">
-            <Input
-              id="configuration-filename-input"
-              value={filename}
-              onChange={(event) => setFilename(event.target.value)}
-              placeholder="Choose a filename"
-              aria-label="configuration filename"
-            />
+          <div className="ml-2 flex w-full flex-col">
+            <div className="flex w-full items-center gap-1">
+              <Input
+                id="configuration-filename-input"
+                value={filename}
+                onChange={(event) => setFilename(event.target.value)}
+                placeholder="Choose a filename"
+                aria-label="configuration filename"
+              />
+              <span className="text-foreground-muted text-sm">.xml</span>
+            </div>
+            {filenameHasInvalidChars && (
+              <p className="mt-1 text-xs text-red-500">{String.raw`Filename cannot contain "/", "\" or ".."`}</p>
+            )}
           </div>
         </div>
 
         <div className="flex gap-2">
-          <Button onClick={handleAdd} disabled={loading} className="disabled:opacity-50">
+          <Button onClick={handleAdd} disabled={loading || !isFilenameValid} className="disabled:opacity-50">
             {loading ? 'Adding...' : `Add ${displayFilename || 'configuration file'} to ${currentConfiguration.name}`}
           </Button>
 
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/configuration-file-tile.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/configuration-file-tile.tsx
index 3ff69d33..2b18e5c0 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/configuration-file-tile.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/configuration-file-tile.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import IconButton from '~/components/inputs/icon-button'
 import IconLabelButton from '~/components/inputs/icon-label-button'
 import ConfirmDeleteDialog from '~/components/file-structure/confirm-delete-dialog'
 import { useState } from 'react'
+import { getBaseName } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 
 interface ConfigurationFileTileProperties {
   filepath: string
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ export default function ConfigurationFileTile({
   }
 
   const handleOpenInEditor = () => {
-    const fileName = relativePath.split(/[/\\]/).pop()
+    const fileName = getBaseName(relativePath)
     if (!fileName) return
     openInEditor(fileName, filepath, navigate)
   }
@@ -82,7 +83,7 @@ export default function ConfigurationFileTile({
 
       {showDeleteDialog && (
         <ConfirmDeleteDialog
-          name={relativePath.split(/[/\\]/).pop() ?? relativePath}
+          name={getBaseName(relativePath)}
           isFolder={false}
           onCancel={() => setShowDeleteDialog(false)}
           onConfirm={handleConfirmDelete}
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/configuration-overview.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/configuration-overview.tsx
index b415534c..38a9f40c 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/configuration-overview.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/configurations/configuration-overview.tsx
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import type { FileTreeNode } from '~/types/filesystem.types'
 import { fetchProjectTree } from '~/services/file-tree-service'
 import Button from '~/components/inputs/button'
 import Search from '~/components/search/search'
-import { normalizePath, toRelativePath } from '~/utils/path-utils'
+import { relativeTo } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 
 interface ConfigurationFile {
   path: string
@@ -19,25 +19,6 @@ interface ConfigurationFile {
   adapterNames: string[]
 }
 
-function findConfigurationsDir(node: FileTreeNode | undefined | null): FileTreeNode | null {
-  if (!node || !node.path) return null
-
-  const normalizedPath = normalizePath(node.path)
-
-  if (node.type === 'DIRECTORY' && normalizedPath.endsWith(`/src/main/configurations/${node.name}`)) {
-    return node
-  }
-
-  if (!node.children) return null
-
-  for (const child of node.children) {
-    const found = findConfigurationsDir(child)
-    if (found) return found
-  }
-
-  return null
-}
-
 function collectXmlFiles(node: FileTreeNode | undefined | null): FileTreeNode[] {
   let result: FileTreeNode[] = []
   if (!node) return result
@@ -61,7 +42,6 @@ export default function ConfigurationOverview() {
   const [showModal, setShowModal] = useState(false)
   const [tree, setTree] = useState<FileTreeNode | null>(null)
   const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false)
-  const [configurationsDir, setConfigurationsDir] = useState<FileTreeNode | null>(null)
   const [searchQuery, setSearchQuery] = useState('')
   const [debouncedQuery, setDebouncedQuery] = useState(searchQuery)
 
@@ -91,13 +71,6 @@ export default function ConfigurationOverview() {
     return () => controller.abort()
   }, [loadTree])
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (tree) {
-      const configDir = findConfigurationsDir(tree)
-      setConfigurationsDir(configDir)
-    }
-  }, [tree])
-
   const handleConfigAdded = useCallback(() => {
     setShowModal(false)
     loadTree()
@@ -112,12 +85,9 @@ export default function ConfigurationOverview() {
   const configFiles = useMemo(() => {
     if (!tree || !currentConfigurationProject) return []
 
-    const configurationDirectory = findConfigurationsDir(tree)
-    if (!configurationDirectory) return []
-
-    const xmlFiles = collectXmlFiles(configurationDirectory)
+    const xmlFiles = collectXmlFiles(tree)
     return xmlFiles.map((file) => {
-      const relativePath = toRelativePath(file.path, `${configurationDirectory.path}/`) ?? file.name
+      const relativePath = relativeTo(tree.path, file.path) || file.name
       return { ...file, relativePath, path: file.path }
     })
   }, [tree, currentConfigurationProject])
@@ -208,7 +178,7 @@ export default function ConfigurationOverview() {
         onClose={() => setShowModal(false)}
         onSuccess={handleConfigAdded}
         currentConfiguration={currentConfigurationProject}
-        configurationsDirPath={configurationsDir?.path ?? ''}
+        configurationsDirPath={tree?.path ?? ''}
       />
     </div>
   )
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/projectlanding/clone-configuration-modal.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/projectlanding/clone-configuration-modal.tsx
index 67ce0095..2fca6033 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/projectlanding/clone-configuration-modal.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/projectlanding/clone-configuration-modal.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import Button from '~/components/inputs/button'
 import CloseButton from '~/components/inputs/close-button'
 import Input from '~/components/inputs/input'
 import { filesystemService } from '~/services/filesystem-service'
+import { joinPath } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 
 interface CloneProjectModalProperties {
   isLocal: boolean
@@ -34,7 +35,13 @@ export default function CloneConfigurationModal({
     setLocation(initialPath ?? '')
   }, [isLocal, initialPath])
 
-  const repoName = repoUrl.split('/').pop()?.replace(/\.git$/i, '')
+  const repoName = repoUrl
+    .split('/')
+    .pop()
+    ?.replace(/\.git$/i, '')
+
+  const targetName = repoName || 'cloned-project'
+  const targetPath = location ? joinPath(location, targetName) : targetName
 
   const handleClone = () => {
     if (!repoUrl.trim()) return
@@ -110,14 +117,7 @@ export default function CloneConfigurationModal({
             </div>
           )}
 
-          {repoName && (
-            <p className="text-foreground-muted mb-4 text-xs">
-              Will clone to:{' '}
-              {isLocal
-                ? `${location}${location.includes('/') ? '/' : '\\'}${repoName}`
-                : `${location ? `${location}/` : ''}${repoName}`}
-            </p>
-          )}
+          {repoName && <p className="text-foreground-muted mb-4 text-xs">Will clone to: {targetPath}</p>}
 
           <div className="flex gap-2">
             <Button
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/projectlanding/new-configuration-modal.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/projectlanding/new-configuration-modal.tsx
index cfaf6225..b95039f5 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/projectlanding/new-configuration-modal.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/projectlanding/new-configuration-modal.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@ import DirectoryPicker from '~/components/directory-picker/directory-picker'
 import Button from '~/components/inputs/button'
 import CloseButton from '~/components/inputs/close-button'
 import Input from '~/components/inputs/input'
+import ValidatedInput from '~/components/inputs/validatedInput'
+import { PROJECT_NAME_PATTERNS } from '~/components/file-structure/name-input-dialog'
 import { filesystemService } from '~/services/filesystem-service'
+import { joinPath, normalizePath, stripTrailingSeparators } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 
 interface NewProjectModalProperties {
   isLocal: boolean
@@ -12,8 +15,6 @@ interface NewProjectModalProperties {
   initialPath: string
 }
 
-const CONFIG_DIR = 'src/main/configurations'
-
 export default function NewConfigurationModal({
   isLocal,
   onClose,
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ export default function NewConfigurationModal({
   initialPath,
 }: Readonly<NewProjectModalProperties>) {
   const [name, setName] = useState('')
+  const [isNameValid, setIsNameValid] = useState(false)
   const [location, setLocation] = useState('')
   const [showPicker, setShowPicker] = useState(false)
 
@@ -32,14 +34,14 @@ export default function NewConfigurationModal({
 
     filesystemService
       .resolveNearestAccessiblePath(initialPath)
-      .then(setLocation)
+      .then((resolved) => setLocation(normalizePath(resolved)))
       .catch(() => setLocation(''))
   }, [isLocal, initialPath])
 
   const handleCreate = () => {
-    if (!name.trim() || (isLocal && !location)) return
+    if (!isNameValid || !name.trim() || (isLocal && !location)) return
     const trimmedName = name.trim()
-    onCreate(trimmedName, location ?? '')
+    onCreate(trimmedName, stripTrailingSeparators(location ?? ''))
     handleClose()
   }
 
@@ -77,8 +79,10 @@ export default function NewConfigurationModal({
 
           <div className="mb-4">
             <label className="mb-1 block text-sm font-medium">Configuration Name</label>
-            <Input
+            <ValidatedInput
               value={name}
+              patterns={PROJECT_NAME_PATTERNS}
+              onValidChange={setIsNameValid}
               onChange={(event) => setName(event.target.value)}
               placeholder="Enter configuration name"
             />
@@ -94,7 +98,7 @@ export default function NewConfigurationModal({
           <div className="flex gap-2">
             <Button
               onClick={handleCreate}
-              disabled={!name.trim() || (isLocal && !location)}
+              disabled={!isNameValid || !name.trim() || (isLocal && !location)}
               className="disabled:text-foreground-muted disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50"
             >
               Create Configuration
@@ -120,9 +124,6 @@ export default function NewConfigurationModal({
 }
 
 function getConfigurationPath(location: string, name: string, isLocal: boolean) {
-  let configPath = isLocal ? location.replace('\\', '/') : location
-  if (!configPath.endsWith(CONFIG_DIR)) {
-    configPath = `${configPath}/${CONFIG_DIR}`
-  }
-  return `${configPath}/${name.trim()}`
+  const base = isLocal ? normalizePath(location) : location
+  return joinPath(base, name.trim())
 }
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/studio/studio.tsx b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/studio/studio.tsx
index 9c346a5d..2ea2baf2 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/routes/studio/studio.tsx
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/routes/studio/studio.tsx
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import SidebarLayout from '~/components/sidebars-layout/sidebar-layout'
 import useTabStore from '~/stores/tab-store'
 import { useShallow } from 'zustand/react/shallow'
 import { openInEditor } from '~/actions/navigationActions'
+import { getBaseName } from '~/utils/path-utils'
 import Button from '~/components/inputs/button'
 import useFlowStore, { isStickyNote } from '~/stores/flow-store'
 import type { StickyNote } from '~/routes/studio/canvas/nodetypes/sticky-note'
@@ -201,7 +202,7 @@ export default function Studio() {
   const handleOpenInEditor = useCallback(() => {
     if (!activeTabPath) return
 
-    const fileName = activeTabPath.split(/[/\\]/).pop()
+    const fileName = getBaseName(activeTabPath)
     if (!fileName) return
 
     openInEditor(fileName, activeTabPath, navigate)
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/utils/path-utils.spec.ts b/src/main/frontend/app/utils/path-utils.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bb8ba460
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/utils/path-utils.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+import {
+  containsPathSeparator,
+  getBaseName,
+  getParentPath,
+  joinPath,
+  normalizePath,
+  relativeTo,
+  stripTrailingSeparators,
+} from './path-utils'
+
+const USERS_FOO = 'C:/Users/foo'
+const PROJECT_ROOT = 'C:/proj'
+const CONFIG_FILE = 'Config.xml'
+const SUB_CONFIG = `sub/${CONFIG_FILE}`
+
+describe('normalizePath', () => {
+  it('converts backslashes to forward slashes', () => {
+    expect(normalizePath(String.raw`C:\Users\foo`)).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+  })
+
+  it('leaves forward-slash paths untouched', () => {
+    expect(normalizePath(USERS_FOO)).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+  })
+
+  it('shows a drive root with a forward slash', () => {
+    expect(normalizePath('C:\\')).toBe('C:/')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('containsPathSeparator', () => {
+  it('detects forward and back slashes', () => {
+    expect(containsPathSeparator('a/b')).toBe(true)
+    expect(containsPathSeparator(String.raw`a\b`)).toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it('is false for a plain segment', () => {
+    expect(containsPathSeparator(CONFIG_FILE)).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('stripTrailingSeparators', () => {
+  it('removes trailing separators from a regular path', () => {
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators(`${USERS_FOO}/`)).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators(`${USERS_FOO}///`)).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators('/home/foo/')).toBe('/home/foo')
+  })
+
+  it('normalizes backslashes while stripping', () => {
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators('C:\\Users\\foo\\')).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+  })
+
+  it('keeps a Windows drive root as "C:/"', () => {
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators('C:/')).toBe('C:/')
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators('C:\\')).toBe('C:/')
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators('C:')).toBe('C:/')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the Unix root as "/"', () => {
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators('/')).toBe('/')
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators('///')).toBe('/')
+  })
+
+  it('returns empty input unchanged', () => {
+    expect(stripTrailingSeparators('')).toBe('')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('getBaseName', () => {
+  it('returns the last segment', () => {
+    expect(getBaseName(`${PROJECT_ROOT}/${SUB_CONFIG}`)).toBe(CONFIG_FILE)
+    expect(getBaseName(String.raw`C:\proj\sub\Config.xml`)).toBe(CONFIG_FILE)
+  })
+
+  it('ignores trailing separators', () => {
+    expect(getBaseName(`${PROJECT_ROOT}/sub/`)).toBe('sub')
+  })
+
+  it('returns the input when there is no separator', () => {
+    expect(getBaseName(CONFIG_FILE)).toBe(CONFIG_FILE)
+  })
+
+  it('returns an empty string for an empty path', () => {
+    expect(getBaseName('')).toBe('')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('joinPath', () => {
+  it('joins a base and a segment with a single forward slash', () => {
+    expect(joinPath('C:/Users', 'foo')).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+  })
+
+  it('tolerates a trailing separator on the base', () => {
+    expect(joinPath('C:/Users/', 'foo')).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+    expect(joinPath('/home//', 'foo')).toBe('/home/foo')
+  })
+
+  it('tolerates a leading separator on the segment', () => {
+    expect(joinPath('C:/Users', '/foo')).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+  })
+
+  it('normalizes backslashes in either argument', () => {
+    expect(joinPath(String.raw`C:\Users`, 'foo')).toBe(USERS_FOO)
+  })
+
+  it('collapses a drive root into an absolute path (never drive-relative)', () => {
+    expect(joinPath('C:\\', 'foo')).toBe('C:/foo')
+    expect(joinPath('C:/', 'foo')).toBe('C:/foo')
+  })
+
+  it('treats an empty base as the Unix root', () => {
+    expect(joinPath('', 'foo')).toBe('/foo')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('getParentPath', () => {
+  it('returns the parent directory', () => {
+    expect(getParentPath('C:/Users/MyProject')).toBe('C:/Users')
+  })
+
+  it('normalizes backslashes', () => {
+    expect(getParentPath(String.raw`C:\Users\MyProject`)).toBe('C:/Users')
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the drive root separator when the parent is the drive', () => {
+    expect(getParentPath('C:/MyProject')).toBe('C:/')
+  })
+
+  it('returns empty input unchanged', () => {
+    expect(getParentPath('')).toBe('')
+  })
+})
+
+describe('relativeTo', () => {
+  it('returns the portion of the path below the base', () => {
+    expect(relativeTo(PROJECT_ROOT, `${PROJECT_ROOT}/Configuration.xml`)).toBe('Configuration.xml')
+  })
+
+  it('preserves nested subfolders', () => {
+    expect(relativeTo(PROJECT_ROOT, `${PROJECT_ROOT}/${SUB_CONFIG}`)).toBe(SUB_CONFIG)
+  })
+
+  it('tolerates a trailing separator on the base', () => {
+    expect(relativeTo(`${PROJECT_ROOT}/`, `${PROJECT_ROOT}/${SUB_CONFIG}`)).toBe(SUB_CONFIG)
+  })
+
+  it('matches even when base and target use different separators', () => {
+    expect(relativeTo(PROJECT_ROOT, String.raw`C:\proj\sub\Config.xml`)).toBe(SUB_CONFIG)
+  })
+
+  it('returns an empty string when target equals base', () => {
+    expect(relativeTo(PROJECT_ROOT, `${PROJECT_ROOT}/`)).toBe('')
+  })
+
+  it('returns null when target is not inside base', () => {
+    expect(relativeTo(PROJECT_ROOT, 'C:/other/file.xml')).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/frontend/app/utils/path-utils.ts b/src/main/frontend/app/utils/path-utils.ts
index af12ef87..419debc1 100644
--- a/src/main/frontend/app/utils/path-utils.ts
+++ b/src/main/frontend/app/utils/path-utils.ts
@@ -1,19 +1,44 @@
+export function normalizePath(path: string): string {
+  return path.replaceAll('\\', '/')
+}
+
+export function containsPathSeparator(path: string): boolean {
+  return /[/\\]/.test(path)
+}
+
 /**
- * Extracts the portion of a path after the first occurrence of a marker segment.
- * Returns null if the marker is not found.
+ * Removes trailing path separators from a path, keeping filesystem roots intact
  */
-export function toRelativePath(absolutePath: string, marker: string): string | null {
-  const normalizedPath = normalizePath(absolutePath)
-  const normalizedMarker = normalizePath(marker)
-  const idx = normalizedPath.indexOf(marker)
-  return idx === -1 ? null : normalizedMarker.slice(idx + marker.length)
+export function stripTrailingSeparators(path: string): string {
+  if (!path) return path
+  const stripped = normalizePath(path).replace(/\/+$/, '')
+  if (stripped === '') return '/'
+  if (/^[a-zA-Z]:$/.test(stripped)) return `${stripped}/`
+  return stripped
 }
 
-export function normalizePath(path: string) {
-  return path.replaceAll('\\', '/')
+export function getBaseName(path: string): string {
+  const normalized = stripTrailingSeparators(path)
+  return normalized.slice(normalized.lastIndexOf('/') + 1)
 }
 
 export function getParentPath(path: string): string {
-  if (!path) return path // Return empty string if path is empty, small optimization to avoid regex processing
-  return path.replace(/\/?[^/]*$/, '')
+  if (!path) return path
+  const parent = normalizePath(path).replace(/\/?[^/]*$/, '')
+  if (/^[a-zA-Z]:$/.test(parent)) return `${parent}/`
+  return parent
+}
+
+export function joinPath(base: string, segment: string): string {
+  const trimmedBase = normalizePath(base).replace(/\/+$/, '')
+  const trimmedSegment = normalizePath(segment).replace(/^\/+/, '')
+  return trimmedBase ? `${trimmedBase}/${trimmedSegment}` : `/${trimmedSegment}`
+}
+
+export function relativeTo(base: string, target: string): string | null {
+  const normalizedBase = stripTrailingSeparators(base)
+  const normalizedTarget = stripTrailingSeparators(target)
+  if (normalizedTarget === normalizedBase) return ''
+  const prefix = normalizedBase.endsWith('/') ? normalizedBase : `${normalizedBase}/`
+  return normalizedTarget.startsWith(prefix) ? normalizedTarget.slice(prefix.length) : null
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/frankframework/flow/configuration/ConfigurationService.java b/src/main/java/org/frankframework/flow/configuration/ConfigurationService.java
index 2b49124c..2f43a08c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/frankframework/flow/configuration/ConfigurationService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/frankframework/flow/configuration/ConfigurationService.java
@@ -30,8 +30,6 @@
 @Service
 public class ConfigurationService {
 
-	private static final String CONFIGURATIONS_DIR = "src/main/configurations";
-
 	private final FileSystemStorage fileSystemStorage;
 	private final ConfigurationProjectService configurationProjectService;
 	private final FileTreeService fileTreeService;
@@ -97,15 +95,10 @@ public String updateConfiguration(String projectName, String filepath, String co
 
 	public String addConfiguration(String projectName, String configurationName) throws IOException, ApiException, TransformerException, ParserConfigurationException, SAXException {
 		ConfigurationProject configurationProject = configurationProjectService.getProject(projectName);
-		Path absProjectPath = fileSystemStorage.toAbsolutePath(configurationProject.getRootPath());
-		Path configDir = absProjectPath.resolve(CONFIGURATIONS_DIR).normalize();
-
-		if (!Files.exists(configDir)) {
-			Files.createDirectories(configDir);
-		}
+		Path projectRoot = fileSystemStorage.toAbsolutePath(configurationProject.getRootPath()).normalize();
 
-		Path filePath = configDir.resolve(configurationName).normalize();
-		if (!filePath.startsWith(configDir)) {
+		Path filePath = projectRoot.resolve(configurationName).normalize();
+		if (!filePath.startsWith(projectRoot)) {
 			throw new ApiException("Invalid configuration name: " + configurationName, HttpStatus.BAD_REQUEST);
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/frankframework/flow/configuration/ConfigurationServiceTest.java b/src/test/java/org/frankframework/flow/configuration/ConfigurationServiceTest.java
index df9e39c5..47f02716 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/frankframework/flow/configuration/ConfigurationServiceTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/frankframework/flow/configuration/ConfigurationServiceTest.java
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ void addConfiguration_Success() throws Exception {
 
 		assertNotNull(result);
 
-		Path expectedFile = projectDir.resolve("src/main/configurations/NewConfig.xml");
+		Path expectedFile = projectDir.resolve("NewConfig.xml");
 		assertTrue(Files.exists(expectedFile), "NewConfig.xml should be created on disk");
 		verify(fileTreeService).invalidateTreeCache("myproject");
 	}
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ void addConfiguration_CreatesNestedDirectories() throws Exception {
 
 		configurationService.addConfiguration("myproject", "subfolder/NestedConfig.xml");
 
-		Path expectedFile = projectDir.resolve("src/main/configurations/subfolder/NestedConfig.xml");
+		Path expectedFile = projectDir.resolve("subfolder/NestedConfig.xml");
 		assertTrue(Files.exists(expectedFile));
 	}