diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a54e5b77..97900913 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@
     "snapshot": "npm run pretest && vitest run -u --silent",
     "repl": "npm run prestart && cd website && npm run dev",
     "start": "npm run prestart && cd website && npm run dev",
-    "dev": "npm run prestart && cd website && npm run dev & npm run sampler",
+    "dev": "npm run prestart && cd website && npm run dev",
     "build": "npm run prebuild && cd website && npm run build",
-    "preview": "cd website && npm run preview & npm run sampler",
+    "preview": "cd website && npm run preview",
     "osc": "cd packages/osc && npm run server",
     "jsdoc": "jsdoc packages/ -c jsdoc/jsdoc.config.json",
     "jsdoc-json": "jsdoc packages/ --template ./node_modules/jsdoc-json --destination doc.json -c jsdoc/jsdoc.config.json",
diff --git a/packages/sampler/package.json b/packages/sampler/package.json
index f5eb9c5a..c457b315 100644
--- a/packages/sampler/package.json
+++ b/packages/sampler/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@strudel/sampler",
-  "version": "0.0.7",
+  "version": "0.0.8",
   "description": "",
   "keywords": [
     "tidalcycles",
diff --git a/packages/sampler/sample-server.mjs b/packages/sampler/sample-server.mjs
index f6909a23..b9ae64ed 100644
--- a/packages/sampler/sample-server.mjs
+++ b/packages/sampler/sample-server.mjs
@@ -68,12 +68,13 @@ const server = http.createServer(async (req, res) => {
     res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json');
     return res.end(JSON.stringify(banks));
   }
-  if (!files.includes(req.url)) {
+  let subpath = decodeURIComponent(req.url);
+  if (!files.includes(subpath)) {
     res.statusCode = 404;
     res.end('File not found');
     return;
   }
-  const filePath = join(directory, req.url);
+  const filePath = join(directory, subpath);
   const readStream = createReadStream(filePath);
   readStream.on('error', (err) => {
     res.statusCode = 500;
diff --git a/samples/README.md b/samples/README.md
index 96ad8af2..77a3e388 100644
--- a/samples/README.md
+++ b/samples/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # samples folder
 
 1. copy any samples to this folder
-2. either run strudel locally (`pnpm dev` or `pnpm build && pnpm preview`), or run `npx @strudel/sampler` from this folder
+2. run `npx @strudel/sampler` from this folder
 3. add `samples('local:')` to your code