diff --git a/cmd/get.go b/cmd/get.go
index 632892d..89669b4 100644
--- a/cmd/get.go
+++ b/cmd/get.go
@@ -5,11 +5,13 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/pbs/gorson/internal/gorson/io"
 	"github.com/pbs/gorson/internal/gorson/json"
+	"github.com/pbs/gorson/internal/gorson/util"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
 
 func get(path string) {
-	pms := io.ReadFromParameterStore(path)
+	p := util.NewParameterStorePath(path)
+	pms := io.ReadFromParameterStore(*p)
 	marshalled := json.Marshal(pms)
 	fmt.Println(marshalled)
 }
diff --git a/cmd/put.go b/cmd/put.go
index 6a7ca45..e596dc0 100644
--- a/cmd/put.go
+++ b/cmd/put.go
@@ -4,13 +4,15 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/pbs/gorson/internal/gorson/io"
+	"github.com/pbs/gorson/internal/gorson/util"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
 
 var filename string
 
 func put(path string, parameters map[string]string) {
-	io.WriteToParameterStore(parameters, path)
+	p := util.NewParameterStorePath(path)
+	io.WriteToParameterStore(parameters, *p)
 	for key := range parameters {
 		fmt.Println("wrote " + path + key)
 	}
diff --git a/internal/gorson/io/io.go b/internal/gorson/io/io.go
index acb660d..ad67e5b 100644
--- a/internal/gorson/io/io.go
+++ b/internal/gorson/io/io.go
@@ -9,11 +9,13 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/pbs/gorson/internal/gorson/util"
+
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/aws/session"
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/service/ssm"
 )
 
-func getSSMClient(parameterStorePath *string) *ssm.SSM {
+func getSSMClient() *ssm.SSM {
 	sess := session.Must(session.NewSessionWithOptions(session.Options{
 		SharedConfigState: session.SharedConfigEnable,
 	}))
@@ -22,9 +24,10 @@ func getSSMClient(parameterStorePath *string) *ssm.SSM {
 	return client
 }
 
-// ReadFromParameterStore gets all parameters from a given slash-delimited parameter store path
-func ReadFromParameterStore(parameterStorePath string) map[string]string {
-	client := getSSMClient(&parameterStorePath)
+// ReadFromParameterStore gets all parameters from a given parameter store path
+func ReadFromParameterStore(path util.ParameterStorePath) map[string]string {
+	client := getSSMClient()
+	p := path.String()
 
 	var nextToken *string
 	values := make(map[string]string)
@@ -33,7 +36,7 @@ func ReadFromParameterStore(parameterStorePath string) map[string]string {
 	for {
 		decr := true
 		input := ssm.GetParametersByPathInput{
-			Path:           &parameterStorePath,
+			Path:           &p,
 			WithDecryption: &decr,
 		}
 		if nextToken != nil {
@@ -45,12 +48,12 @@ func ReadFromParameterStore(parameterStorePath string) map[string]string {
 		}
 		outputParams := output.Parameters
 		for index := 0; index < len(outputParams); index++ {
-			p := outputParams[index]
+			o := outputParams[index]
 			// we remove the leading path, we want the last element of the
 			// slash-delimited path as the key in our key/value pair.
-			s := strings.Split(*p.Name, "/")
+			s := strings.Split(*o.Name, "/")
 			k := s[len(s)-1]
-			values[k] = *p.Value
+			values[k] = *o.Value
 		}
 
 		// we're done paginating, break out of the loop
@@ -80,14 +83,14 @@ func writeSingleParameter(c chan string, client *ssm.SSM, name string, value str
 	c <- name
 }
 
-// WriteToParameterStore writes given parameters to a given slash-delimited parameter store path
-func WriteToParameterStore(parameters map[string]string, parameterStorePath string) {
-	client := getSSMClient(&parameterStorePath)
+// WriteToParameterStore writes given parameters to a given parameter store path
+func WriteToParameterStore(parameters map[string]string, path util.ParameterStorePath) {
+	client := getSSMClient()
 
 	// the jobs channel will receive messages from successful parameter store writes
 	jobs := make(chan string, len(parameters))
 	for key, value := range parameters {
-		name := parameterStorePath + key
+		name := path.String() + key
 		// we pass the jobs channel into the asynchronous write function to receive
 		// success messages
 		go writeSingleParameter(jobs, client, name, value)
diff --git a/internal/gorson/util/util.go b/internal/gorson/util/util.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc20538
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/gorson/util/util.go
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+package util
+
+import "strings"
+
+type ParameterStorePath struct {
+	components []string
+}
+
+func (p ParameterStorePath) String() string {
+	output := "/" + strings.Join(p.components, "/") + "/"
+	return output
+}
+
+func NewParameterStorePath(input string) *ParameterStorePath {
+	split := strings.Split(input, "/")
+	var filtered []string
+	for _, str := range split {
+		if str != "" {
+			filtered = append(filtered, str)
+		}
+	}
+	return &ParameterStorePath{filtered}
+}
diff --git a/internal/gorson/util/util_test.go b/internal/gorson/util/util_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7ac2d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/gorson/util/util_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package util
+
+import "testing"
+
+type testpair struct {
+	input    string
+	expected string
+}
+
+var testpairs = []testpair{
+	{
+		input:    "/EXAMPLE/NAMESPACE/",
+		expected: "/EXAMPLE/NAMESPACE/",
+	},
+	{
+		input:    "EXAMPLE/NAMESPACE/",
+		expected: "/EXAMPLE/NAMESPACE/",
+	},
+	{
+		input:    "EXAMPLE/NAMESPACE",
+		expected: "/EXAMPLE/NAMESPACE/",
+	},
+}
+
+func TestParameterStorePath(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, pair := range testpairs {
+		p := NewParameterStorePath(pair.input)
+		output := p.String()
+		if output != pair.expected {
+			t.Error(
+				"For", pair.input,
+				"expected", pair.expected,
+				"got", output,
+			)
+		}
+	}
+}