diff --git a/.claude/CLAUDE.md b/.claude/CLAUDE.md
index 247b11c..c8e6304 100644
--- a/.claude/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/.claude/CLAUDE.md
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 - ESLint must pass before committing
 - Import aliases: `@/` maps to `src/`
 - Bun as package manager (not npm/yarn/pnpm)
+- **API paths: NEVER include `/api/` prefix.** The `api` client in `lib/api.ts` already has `baseUrl="/api"`. Write `api.get("/cases")` NOT `api.get("/api/cases")`. The client auto-strips accidental `/api/` prefixes but don't rely on it.
 
 ## General
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/api.ts b/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
index 5489787..3490808 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/api.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,14 @@ import type { ApiError } from "@/lib/types";
 class ApiClient {
   private baseUrl = "/api";
 
+  /** Strip leading /api/ if accidentally included — baseUrl already provides it */
+  private normalizePath(path: string): string {
+    if (path.startsWith("/api/")) {
+      return path.slice(4); // "/api/foo" -> "/foo"
+    }
+    return path;
+  }
+
   private async getHeaders(): Promise<HeadersInit> {
     const supabase = createClient();
     const {
@@ -29,9 +37,10 @@ class ApiClient {
   }
 
   private async request<T>(
-    path: string,
+    rawPath: string,
     options: RequestInit = {},
   ): Promise<T> {
+    const path = this.normalizePath(rawPath);
     const headers = await this.getHeaders();
     const res = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}${path}`, {
       ...options,
@@ -80,7 +89,8 @@ class ApiClient {
     return this.request<T>(path, { method: "DELETE" });
   }
 
-  async postFormData<T>(path: string, formData: FormData): Promise<T> {
+  async postFormData<T>(rawPath: string, formData: FormData): Promise<T> {
+    const path = this.normalizePath(rawPath);
     const supabase = createClient();
     const {
       data: { session },