diff --git a/backend/src/db/schemas/access-approval-policies.ts b/backend/src/db/schemas/access-approval-policies.ts
index 19a98675f..ea57c54d2 100644
--- a/backend/src/db/schemas/access-approval-policies.ts
+++ b/backend/src/db/schemas/access-approval-policies.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ export const AccessApprovalPoliciesSchema = z.object({
   id: z.string().uuid(),
   name: z.string(),
   approvals: z.number().default(1),
-  secretPath: z.string().nullable().optional(),
+  secretPath: z.string(),
   envId: z.string().uuid(),
   createdAt: z.date(),
   updatedAt: z.date(),
diff --git a/backend/src/db/schemas/secret-approval-policies.ts b/backend/src/db/schemas/secret-approval-policies.ts
index 8b9174456..0273e617c 100644
--- a/backend/src/db/schemas/secret-approval-policies.ts
+++ b/backend/src/db/schemas/secret-approval-policies.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { TImmutableDBKeys } from "./models";
 export const SecretApprovalPoliciesSchema = z.object({
   id: z.string().uuid(),
   name: z.string(),
-  secretPath: z.string().nullable().optional(),
+  secretPath: z.string(),
   approvals: z.number().default(1),
   envId: z.string().uuid(),
   createdAt: z.date(),
diff --git a/backend/src/ee/routes/v1/access-approval-policy-router.ts b/backend/src/ee/routes/v1/access-approval-policy-router.ts
index 9e7e22241..177f5e1fd 100644
--- a/backend/src/ee/routes/v1/access-approval-policy-router.ts
+++ b/backend/src/ee/routes/v1/access-approval-policy-router.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { nanoid } from "nanoid";
 import { z } from "zod";
 
 import { ApproverType, BypasserType } from "@app/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-types";
+import { removeTrailingSlash } from "@app/lib/fn";
 import { EnforcementLevel } from "@app/lib/types";
 import { readLimit, writeLimit } from "@app/server/config/rateLimiter";
 import { verifyAuth } from "@app/server/plugins/auth/verify-auth";
@@ -19,7 +20,7 @@ export const registerAccessApprovalPolicyRouter = async (server: FastifyZodProvi
       body: z.object({
         projectSlug: z.string().trim(),
         name: z.string().optional(),
-        secretPath: z.string().trim().min(1, { message: "Secret path cannot be empty" }),
+        secretPath: z.string().trim().min(1, { message: "Secret path cannot be empty" }).transform(removeTrailingSlash),
         environment: z.string(),
         approvers: z
           .discriminatedUnion("type", [
@@ -171,7 +172,12 @@ export const registerAccessApprovalPolicyRouter = async (server: FastifyZodProvi
       }),
       body: z.object({
         name: z.string().optional(),
-        secretPath: z.string().trim().min(1, { message: "Secret path cannot be empty" }).optional(),
+        secretPath: z
+          .string()
+          .trim()
+          .min(1, { message: "Secret path cannot be empty" })
+          .optional()
+          .transform((val) => (val ? removeTrailingSlash(val) : val)),
         approvers: z
           .discriminatedUnion("type", [
             z.object({
diff --git a/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-dal.ts b/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-dal.ts
index 9fa48ca15..995534f8f 100644
--- a/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-dal.ts
+++ b/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-dal.ts
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyDALFactory
       envId: string;
       enforcementLevel: string;
       allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-      secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+      secretPath: string;
       deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
       environment: {
         id: string;
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyDALFactory
         envId: string;
         enforcementLevel: string;
         allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-        secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+        secretPath: string;
         deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
         environment: {
           id: string;
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyDALFactory
     envId: string;
     enforcementLevel: string;
     allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-    secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+    secretPath: string;
     deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
   }>;
   findLastValidPolicy: (
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyDALFactory
         envId: string;
         enforcementLevel: string;
         allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-        secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+        secretPath: string;
         deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
       }
     | undefined
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
     envId: string;
     enforcementLevel: string;
     allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-    secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+    secretPath: string;
     deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
   }>;
   deleteAccessApprovalPolicy: ({
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
     envId: string;
     enforcementLevel: string;
     allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-    secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+    secretPath: string;
     deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
     environment: {
       id: string;
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
     envId: string;
     enforcementLevel: string;
     allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-    secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+    secretPath: string;
     deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
   }>;
   getAccessApprovalPolicyByProjectSlug: ({
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
       envId: string;
       enforcementLevel: string;
       allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-      secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+      secretPath: string;
       deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
       environment: {
         id: string;
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
     envId: string;
     enforcementLevel: string;
     allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-    secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+    secretPath: string;
     deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
     environment: {
       id: string;
diff --git a/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-service.ts b/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-service.ts
index 1622ad5c3..fa487d0b7 100644
--- a/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-service.ts
+++ b/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-service.ts
@@ -320,16 +320,10 @@ export const accessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory = ({
       throw new BadRequestError({ message: "Approvals cannot be greater than approvers" });
     }
 
-    // Case: Previously we allowed secret path to be null, but now we don't.
-    // This check ensures that we have a secret path to match with for finding conflicting policies.
-    if (!secretPath && !accessApprovalPolicy.secretPath) {
-      throw new BadRequestError({ message: "Secret path is required to update the policy" });
-    }
-
     if (
       await $policyExists({
         envId: accessApprovalPolicy.envId,
-        secretPath: secretPath || accessApprovalPolicy.secretPath || "",
+        secretPath: secretPath || accessApprovalPolicy.secretPath,
         policyId: accessApprovalPolicy.id
       })
     ) {
diff --git a/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-types.ts b/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-types.ts
index 6806c7123..f3f195914 100644
--- a/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-types.ts
+++ b/backend/src/ee/services/access-approval-policy/access-approval-policy-types.ts
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
     envId: string;
     enforcementLevel: string;
     allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-    secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+    secretPath: string;
     deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
   }>;
   deleteAccessApprovalPolicy: ({
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
     envId: string;
     enforcementLevel: string;
     allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-    secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+    secretPath: string;
     deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
     environment: {
       id: string;
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
       envId: string;
       enforcementLevel: string;
       allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-      secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+      secretPath: string;
       deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
       environment: {
         id: string;
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ export interface TAccessApprovalPolicyServiceFactory {
     envId: string;
     enforcementLevel: string;
     allowedSelfApprovals: boolean;
-    secretPath?: string | null | undefined;
+    secretPath: string;
     deletedAt?: Date | null | undefined;
     environment: {
       id: string;