diff --git a/weed/command/filer_remote_gateway_buckets.go b/weed/command/filer_remote_gateway_buckets.go
index 53fb50da7..5238e7fc5 100644
--- a/weed/command/filer_remote_gateway_buckets.go
+++ b/weed/command/filer_remote_gateway_buckets.go
@@ -390,11 +390,10 @@ func (option *RemoteGatewayOptions) detectBucketInfo(actualDir string) (bucket u
 }
 
 func extractBucketPath(bucketsDir, dir string) (util.FullPath, bool) {
-	if !strings.HasPrefix(dir, bucketsDir+"/") {
-		return "", false
+	if bucketPath, ok := util.ExtractBucketPath(bucketsDir, dir, false); ok {
+		return util.FullPath(bucketPath), true
 	}
-	parts := strings.SplitN(dir[len(bucketsDir)+1:], "/", 2)
-	return util.FullPath(bucketsDir).Child(parts[0]), true
+	return "", false
 }
 
 func (option *RemoteGatewayOptions) collectRemoteStorageConf() (err error) {
diff --git a/weed/filer/empty_folder_cleanup/empty_folder_cleaner.go b/weed/filer/empty_folder_cleanup/empty_folder_cleaner.go
index 370d5275b..943d86c6f 100644
--- a/weed/filer/empty_folder_cleanup/empty_folder_cleaner.go
+++ b/weed/filer/empty_folder_cleanup/empty_folder_cleaner.go
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ func (efc *EmptyFolderCleaner) deleteFolder(ctx context.Context, folder string)
 }
 
 func (efc *EmptyFolderCleaner) getBucketCleanupPolicy(ctx context.Context, folder string) (bucketPath string, autoRemove bool, source string, attrValue string, err error) {
-	bucketPath, ok := extractBucketPath(folder, efc.bucketPath)
+	bucketPath, ok := util.ExtractBucketPath(efc.bucketPath, folder, true)
 	if !ok {
 		return "", true, "default", "<not_bucket_path>", nil
 	}
@@ -375,26 +375,6 @@ func (efc *EmptyFolderCleaner) getBucketCleanupPolicy(ctx context.Context, folde
 	return bucketPath, autoRemove, "filer", attrValue, nil
 }
 
-func extractBucketPath(folder string, bucketPath string) (string, bool) {
-	if bucketPath == "" {
-		return "", false
-	}
-
-	cleanBucketPath := strings.TrimSuffix(bucketPath, "/")
-	prefix := cleanBucketPath + "/"
-	if !strings.HasPrefix(folder, prefix) {
-		return "", false
-	}
-
-	rest := strings.TrimPrefix(folder, prefix)
-	bucketName, _, found := strings.Cut(rest, "/")
-	if !found || bucketName == "" {
-		return "", false
-	}
-
-	return prefix + bucketName, true
-}
-
 func autoRemoveEmptyFoldersEnabled(attrs map[string][]byte) (bool, string) {
 	if attrs == nil {
 		return true, "<no_attrs>"
diff --git a/weed/filer/empty_folder_cleanup/empty_folder_cleaner_test.go b/weed/filer/empty_folder_cleanup/empty_folder_cleaner_test.go
index 4fdd0687a..25cf1ec68 100644
--- a/weed/filer/empty_folder_cleanup/empty_folder_cleaner_test.go
+++ b/weed/filer/empty_folder_cleanup/empty_folder_cleaner_test.go
@@ -96,50 +96,6 @@ func Test_isUnderBucketPath(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func Test_extractBucketPath(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name       string
-		folder     string
-		bucketRoot string
-		expected   string
-		ok         bool
-	}{
-		{
-			name:       "folder under bucket",
-			folder:     "/buckets/test/a/b",
-			bucketRoot: "/buckets",
-			expected:   "/buckets/test",
-			ok:         true,
-		},
-		{
-			name:       "bucket root folder should not match",
-			folder:     "/buckets/test",
-			bucketRoot: "/buckets",
-			expected:   "",
-			ok:         false,
-		},
-		{
-			name:       "outside buckets",
-			folder:     "/data/test/a",
-			bucketRoot: "/buckets",
-			expected:   "",
-			ok:         false,
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			gotPath, gotOK := extractBucketPath(tt.folder, tt.bucketRoot)
-			if gotOK != tt.ok {
-				t.Fatalf("expected ok=%v, got %v", tt.ok, gotOK)
-			}
-			if gotPath != tt.expected {
-				t.Fatalf("expected path %q, got %q", tt.expected, gotPath)
-			}
-		})
-	}
-}
-
 func Test_autoRemoveEmptyFoldersEnabled(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name      string
@@ -750,7 +706,7 @@ func TestEmptyFolderCleaner_executeCleanup_bucketPolicyDisabledSkips(t *testing.
 		},
 		attrsFn: func(path util.FullPath) (map[string][]byte, error) {
 			if string(path) == "/buckets/test" {
-			return map[string][]byte{s3_constants.ExtAllowEmptyFolders: []byte("true")}, nil
+				return map[string][]byte{s3_constants.ExtAllowEmptyFolders: []byte("true")}, nil
 			}
 			return nil, nil
 		},
diff --git a/weed/util/buckets.go b/weed/util/buckets.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8a4189a82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/weed/util/buckets.go
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package util
+
+import "strings"
+
+// ExtractBucketPath returns the bucket path under basePath that contains target.
+// If requireChild is true, the target must include additional segments beyond the bucket itself.
+func ExtractBucketPath(basePath, target string, requireChild bool) (string, bool) {
+	cleanBase := strings.TrimSuffix(basePath, "/")
+	if cleanBase == "" {
+		return "", false
+	}
+
+	prefix := cleanBase + "/"
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(target, prefix) {
+		return "", false
+	}
+
+	rest := strings.TrimPrefix(target, prefix)
+	if rest == "" {
+		return "", false
+	}
+
+	bucketName, _, found := strings.Cut(rest, "/")
+	if bucketName == "" {
+		return "", false
+	}
+
+	if requireChild && !found {
+		return "", false
+	}
+
+	return prefix + bucketName, true
+}
diff --git a/weed/util/buckets_test.go b/weed/util/buckets_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3ae9d9f51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/weed/util/buckets_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+package util
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestExtractBucketPath(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tt := range []struct {
+		name         string
+		base         string
+		target       string
+		requireChild bool
+		expected     string
+		ok           bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:         "child paths return bucket",
+			base:         "/buckets",
+			target:       "/buckets/test/folder/file",
+			requireChild: true,
+			expected:     "/buckets/test",
+			ok:           true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "bucket root without child fails when required",
+			base:         "/buckets",
+			target:       "/buckets/test",
+			requireChild: true,
+			ok:           false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "bucket root allowed when not required",
+			base:         "/buckets",
+			target:       "/buckets/test",
+			requireChild: false,
+			expected:     "/buckets/test",
+			ok:           true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "path outside buckets fails",
+			base:         "/buckets",
+			target:       "/data/test/folder",
+			requireChild: true,
+			ok:           false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "trailing slash on base is normalized",
+			base:         "/buckets/",
+			target:       "/buckets/test/sub",
+			requireChild: true,
+			expected:     "/buckets/test",
+			ok:           true,
+		},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got, ok := ExtractBucketPath(tt.base, tt.target, tt.requireChild)
+			if ok != tt.ok {
+				t.Fatalf("expected ok=%v, got %v", tt.ok, ok)
+			}
+			if got != tt.expected {
+				t.Fatalf("expected path %q, got %q", tt.expected, got)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}