diff --git a/src/cli.c b/src/cli.c
index 8d9477f..f139d5f 100644
--- a/src/cli.c
+++ b/src/cli.c
@@ -336,8 +336,7 @@ int index_args_validate(index_args_t *args, int argc, const char **argv) {
     if (index_path == NULL) {
         LOG_FATALF("cli.c", "Invalid PATH argument. File not found: %s", argv[1])
     } else {
-        args->index_path = argv[1];
-        free(index_path);
+        args->index_path = index_path;
     }
 
     if (args->es_url == NULL) {
@@ -522,8 +521,7 @@ int exec_args_validate(exec_args_t *args, int argc, const char **argv) {
     if (index_path == NULL) {
         LOG_FATALF("cli.c", "Invalid index PATH argument. File not found: %s", argv[1])
     } else {
-        args->index_path = argv[1];
-        free(index_path);
+        args->index_path = index_path;
     }
 
     if (args->es_url == NULL) {
diff --git a/src/io/serialize.h b/src/io/serialize.h
index 9bf1d1f..5ded868 100644
--- a/src/io/serialize.h
+++ b/src/io/serialize.h
@@ -38,4 +38,18 @@ void write_index_descriptor(char *path, index_descriptor_t *desc);
 
 index_descriptor_t read_index_descriptor(char *path);
 
+// caller ensures char file_path[PATH_MAX]
+#define READ_INDICES(file_path, index_path, action_ok, action_main_fail, cond_original) \
+    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s_index_main.ndjson.zst", index_path);              \
+    if (0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {                                                 \
+        action_ok;                                                                      \
+    } else {                                                                            \
+        action_main_fail;                                                               \
+    }                                                                                   \
+    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s_index_original.ndjson.zst", index_path);          \
+    if ((cond_original) && 0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {                              \
+        action_ok;                                                                      \
+    }                                                                                   \
+
+
 #endif
diff --git a/src/main.c b/src/main.c
index 8bad80c..5b8cd88 100644
--- a/src/main.c
+++ b/src/main.c
@@ -305,23 +305,15 @@ void load_incremental_index(const scan_args_t *args) {
     }
 
     char descriptor_path[PATH_MAX];
-    snprintf(descriptor_path, PATH_MAX, "%s/descriptor.json", args->incremental);
+    snprintf(descriptor_path, PATH_MAX, "%sdescriptor.json", args->incremental);
     index_descriptor_t original_desc = read_index_descriptor(descriptor_path);
 
     if (strcmp(original_desc.version, Version) != 0) {
         LOG_FATALF("main.c", "Version mismatch! Index is %s but executable is %s", original_desc.version, Version)
     }
 
-    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s_index_main.ndjson.zst", args->incremental);
-    if (0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {
-        incremental_read(ScanCtx.original_table, file_path, &original_desc);
-    } else {
-        LOG_FATALF("main.c", "Could not open original main index for incremental scan: %s", strerror(errno));
-    }
-    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s_index_original.ndjson.zst", args->incremental);
-    if (0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {
-        incremental_read(ScanCtx.original_table, file_path, &original_desc);
-    }
+    READ_INDICES(file_path, args->incremental, incremental_read(ScanCtx.original_table, file_path, &original_desc),
+                 LOG_FATALF("main.c", "Could not open original main index for incremental scan: %s", strerror(errno)), 1);
 
     closedir(dir);
 
@@ -351,17 +343,8 @@ void save_incremental_index(scan_args_t* args) {
     snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s_index_delete.list.zst", ScanCtx.index.path);
     incremental_delete(file_path, ScanCtx.original_table, ScanCtx.new_table);
 
-    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s_index_main.ndjson.zst", args->incremental);
-    if (0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {
-        incremental_copy(source, ScanCtx.index.store, file_path, dst_path, ScanCtx.copy_table);
-    } else {
-        perror("incremental_copy");
-        return;
-    }
-    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s_index_original.ndjson.zst", args->incremental);
-    if (0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {
-        incremental_copy(source, ScanCtx.index.store, file_path, dst_path, ScanCtx.copy_table);
-    }
+    READ_INDICES(file_path, args->incremental, incremental_copy(source, ScanCtx.index.store, file_path, dst_path, ScanCtx.copy_table), 
+                 perror("incremental_copy"), 1);
 
     closedir(dir);
     store_destroy(source);
@@ -458,7 +441,7 @@ void sist2_index(index_args_t *args) {
     }
 
     char descriptor_path[PATH_MAX];
-    snprintf(descriptor_path, PATH_MAX, "%s/descriptor.json", args->index_path);
+    snprintf(descriptor_path, PATH_MAX, "%sdescriptor.json", args->index_path);
 
     index_descriptor_t desc = read_index_descriptor(descriptor_path);
 
@@ -474,11 +457,11 @@ void sist2_index(index_args_t *args) {
     }
 
     char path_tmp[PATH_MAX];
-    snprintf(path_tmp, sizeof(path_tmp), "%s/tags", args->index_path);
+    snprintf(path_tmp, sizeof(path_tmp), "%stags", args->index_path);
     IndexCtx.tag_store = store_create(path_tmp, STORE_SIZE_TAG);
     IndexCtx.tags = store_read_all(IndexCtx.tag_store);
 
-    snprintf(path_tmp, sizeof(path_tmp), "%s/meta", args->index_path);
+    snprintf(path_tmp, sizeof(path_tmp), "%smeta", args->index_path);
     IndexCtx.meta_store = store_create(path_tmp, STORE_SIZE_META);
     IndexCtx.meta = store_read_all(IndexCtx.meta_store);
 
@@ -499,17 +482,11 @@ void sist2_index(index_args_t *args) {
     IndexCtx.pool = tpool_create(args->threads, cleanup, FALSE, args->print == 0);
     tpool_start(IndexCtx.pool);
 
-    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s/_index_original.ndjson.zst", args->index_path);
-    if (!args->incremental && 0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {
+    READ_INDICES(file_path, args->index_path, {
         read_index(file_path, desc.id, desc.type, f);
-        LOG_DEBUGF("main.c", "Read index file %s (%s)", file_path, desc.type)
-    }
-    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s/_index_main.ndjson.zst", args->index_path);
-    if (0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {
-        read_index(file_path, desc.id, desc.type, f);
-        LOG_DEBUGF("main.c", "Read index file %s (%s)", file_path, desc.type)
-    }
-    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s/_index_delete.list.zst", args->index_path);
+        LOG_DEBUGF("main.c", "Read index file %s (%s)", file_path, desc.type);
+    }, {}, !args->incremental);
+    snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s_index_delete.list.zst", args->index_path);
     if (0 == access(file_path, R_OK)) {
         read_lines(file_path, (line_processor_t) {
             .data = desc.id,
@@ -539,7 +516,7 @@ void sist2_exec_script(exec_args_t *args) {
     LogCtx.verbose = TRUE;
 
     char descriptor_path[PATH_MAX];
-    snprintf(descriptor_path, PATH_MAX, "%s/descriptor.json", args->index_path);
+    snprintf(descriptor_path, PATH_MAX, "%sdescriptor.json", args->index_path);
     index_descriptor_t desc = read_index_descriptor(descriptor_path);
 
     IndexCtx.es_url = args->es_url;
diff --git a/src/stats.c b/src/stats.c
index b2292c9..b90604f 100644
--- a/src/stats.c
+++ b/src/stats.c
@@ -96,16 +96,8 @@ void fill_tables(cJSON *document, UNUSED(const char index_id[MD5_STR_LENGTH])) {
 }
 
 void read_index_into_tables(index_t *index) {
-    DIR *dir = opendir(index->path);
-    struct dirent *de;
-    while ((de = readdir(dir)) != NULL) {
-        if (strncmp(de->d_name, "_index_", sizeof("_index_") - 1) == 0) {
-            char file_path[PATH_MAX];
-            snprintf(file_path, PATH_MAX, "%s%s", index->path, de->d_name);
-            read_index(file_path, index->desc.id, index->desc.type, fill_tables);
-        }
-    }
-    closedir(dir);
+    char file_path[PATH_MAX];
+    READ_INDICES(file_path, index->path, read_index(file_path, index->desc.id, index->desc.type, fill_tables), {}, 1);
 }
 
 static size_t rfind(const char *str, int c) {