diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 59c342deb..e293a0663 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2711,6 +2711,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "once_cell",
  "openid",
  "parquet",
+ "path-clean",
  "prometheus",
  "rand",
  "regex",
@@ -2760,6 +2761,12 @@ version = "1.0.11"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "d01a5bd0424d00070b0098dd17ebca6f961a959dead1dbcbbbc1d1cd8d3deeba"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "path-clean"
+version = "1.0.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "17359afc20d7ab31fdb42bb844c8b3bb1dabd7dcf7e68428492da7f16966fcef"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "path-matchers"
 version = "1.0.2"
diff --git a/server/Cargo.toml b/server/Cargo.toml
index 9c151e6d1..57afe65c5 100644
--- a/server/Cargo.toml
+++ b/server/Cargo.toml
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ url = "2.4.0"
 http-auth-basic = "0.3.3"
 serde_repr = "0.1.17"
 hashlru = { version = "0.11.0", features = ["serde"] }
+path-clean = "1.0.1"
 
 [build-dependencies]
 cargo_toml = "0.15"
diff --git a/server/src/main.rs b/server/src/main.rs
index de98cff83..954ed6ddd 100644
--- a/server/src/main.rs
+++ b/server/src/main.rs
@@ -55,9 +55,9 @@ use crate::localcache::LocalCacheManager;
 async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     env_logger::init();
     let storage = CONFIG.storage().get_object_store();
-    CONFIG.validate_staging()?;
     migration::run_metadata_migration(&CONFIG).await?;
     let metadata = storage::resolve_parseable_metadata().await?;
+    CONFIG.validate_staging()?;
     banner::print(&CONFIG, &metadata).await;
     rbac::map::init(&metadata);
     metadata.set_global();
diff --git a/server/src/option.rs b/server/src/option.rs
index 1104f9674..8b3983170 100644
--- a/server/src/option.rs
+++ b/server/src/option.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ use clap::{command, value_parser, Arg, ArgGroup, Args, Command, FromArgMatches};
 
 use once_cell::sync::Lazy;
 use parquet::basic::{BrotliLevel, GzipLevel, ZstdLevel};
-use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::env;
+use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use url::Url;
 
@@ -43,7 +44,6 @@ pub struct Config {
 impl Config {
     fn new() -> Self {
         let cli = parseable_cli_command().get_matches();
-
         match cli.subcommand() {
             Some(("local-store", m)) => {
                 let server = match Server::from_arg_matches(m) {
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ impl Config {
                     Err(err) => err.exit(),
                 };
                 let storage = match FSConfig::from_arg_matches(m) {
-                    Ok(server) => server,
+                    Ok(storage) => storage,
                     Err(err) => err.exit(),
                 };
 
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ impl Config {
                     Err(err) => err.exit(),
                 };
                 let storage = match S3Config::from_arg_matches(m) {
-                    Ok(server) => server,
+                    Ok(storage) => storage,
                     Err(err) => err.exit(),
                 };
 
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ impl Config {
         self.storage.clone()
     }
 
-    pub fn staging_dir(&self) -> &Path {
+    pub fn staging_dir(&self) -> &PathBuf {
         &self.parseable.local_staging_path
     }
 
@@ -611,12 +611,14 @@ impl From<Compression> for parquet::basic::Compression {
 
 pub mod validation {
     use std::{
-        fs::{canonicalize, create_dir_all},
+        env, io,
         net::ToSocketAddrs,
-        path::PathBuf,
+        path::{Path, PathBuf},
         str::FromStr,
     };
 
+    use path_clean::PathClean;
+
     use crate::option::MIN_CACHE_SIZE_BYTES;
     use crate::storage::LOCAL_SYNC_INTERVAL;
     use human_size::{multiples, SpecificSize};
@@ -634,16 +636,22 @@ pub mod validation {
 
         Ok(path)
     }
+    pub fn absolute_path(path: impl AsRef<Path>) -> io::Result<PathBuf> {
+        let path = path.as_ref();
+
+        let absolute_path = if path.is_absolute() {
+            path.to_path_buf()
+        } else {
+            env::current_dir()?.join(path)
+        }
+        .clean();
+
+        Ok(absolute_path)
+    }
 
     pub fn canonicalize_path(s: &str) -> Result<PathBuf, String> {
         let path = PathBuf::from(s);
-
-        create_dir_all(&path)
-            .map_err(|err| err.to_string())
-            .and_then(|_| {
-                canonicalize(&path)
-                    .map_err(|_| "Cannot use the path provided as an absolute path".to_string())
-            })
+        Ok(absolute_path(path).unwrap())
     }
 
     pub fn socket_addr(s: &str) -> Result<String, String> {
diff --git a/server/src/storage/localfs.rs b/server/src/storage/localfs.rs
index e1dc31ee5..df88499a9 100644
--- a/server/src/storage/localfs.rs
+++ b/server/src/storage/localfs.rs
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ impl ObjectStorage for LocalFS {
         };
         let to_path = self.root.join(key);
         if let Some(path) = to_path.parent() {
-            fs::create_dir_all(path).await?
+            fs::create_dir_all(path).await?;
         }
         let _ = fs_extra::file::copy(path, to_path, &op)?;
         Ok(())
diff --git a/server/src/storage/store_metadata.rs b/server/src/storage/store_metadata.rs
index b0ef21d6d..0e9ad955f 100644
--- a/server/src/storage/store_metadata.rs
+++ b/server/src/storage/store_metadata.rs
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ impl StorageMetadata {
         Self {
             version: "v3".to_string(),
             mode: CONFIG.storage_name.to_owned(),
-            staging: CONFIG.staging_dir().canonicalize().unwrap(),
+            staging: CONFIG.staging_dir().to_path_buf(),
             storage: CONFIG.storage().get_endpoint(),
             deployment_id: uid::gen(),
             users: Vec::new(),
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ pub async fn resolve_parseable_metadata() -> Result<StorageMetadata, ObjectStora
             if staging.deployment_id == remote.deployment_id {
                 EnvChange::None(remote)
             } else {
-                EnvChange::DeploymentMismatch
+                EnvChange::NewRemote
             }
         }
         (None, Some(remote)) => EnvChange::NewStaging(remote),
@@ -116,16 +116,14 @@ pub async fn resolve_parseable_metadata() -> Result<StorageMetadata, ObjectStora
     let mut overwrite_staging = false;
     let mut overwrite_remote = false;
 
-    const MISMATCH: &str = "Could not start the server because metadata file found in staging directory does not match one in the storage";
     let res = match check {
         EnvChange::None(metadata) => {
             // overwrite staging anyways so that it matches remote in case of any divergence
             overwrite_staging = true;
             Ok(metadata)
-        }
-        EnvChange::DeploymentMismatch => Err(MISMATCH),
+        },
         EnvChange::NewRemote => {
-            Err("Could not start the server because metadata not found in storage")
+            Err("Could not start the server because staging directory indicates stale data from previous deployment, please choose an empty staging directory and restart the server")
         }
         EnvChange::NewStaging(mut metadata) => {
             create_dir_all(CONFIG.staging_dir())?;
@@ -171,9 +169,8 @@ pub async fn resolve_parseable_metadata() -> Result<StorageMetadata, ObjectStora
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub enum EnvChange {
     /// No change in env i.e both staging and remote have same id  
+    /// or deployment id of staging is not matching with that of remote
     None(StorageMetadata),
-    /// Mismatch in deployment id. Cannot use this staging for this remote
-    DeploymentMismatch,
     /// Metadata not found in storage. Treated as possible misconfiguration on user side.
     NewRemote,
     /// If a new staging is found then we just copy remote metadata to this staging.