diff --git a/gui/src/bitcoind.rs b/gui/src/bitcoind.rs
index eb486d28..c39c9fb2 100644
--- a/gui/src/bitcoind.rs
+++ b/gui/src/bitcoind.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 use base64::Engine;
 use bitcoin_hashes::{sha256, Hash, HashEngine, Hmac, HmacEngine};
 use liana::{
-    config::{BitcoindConfig, BitcoindRpcAuth},
+    config::BitcoindConfig,
     miniscript::bitcoin::{self, Network},
     random::{random_bytes, RandomnessError},
 };
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ impl Bitcoind {
     /// Start internal bitcoind for the given network.
     pub fn start(
         network: &bitcoin::Network,
-        mut config: BitcoindConfig,
+        config: BitcoindConfig,
         liana_datadir: &PathBuf,
     ) -> Result<Self, StartInternalBitcoindError> {
         let bitcoind_datadir = internal_bitcoind_datadir(liana_datadir);
@@ -477,10 +477,6 @@ impl Bitcoind {
             thread::sleep(time::Duration::from_millis(500));
         }
 
-        config.rpc_auth = BitcoindRpcAuth::CookieFile(cookie_path.canonicalize().map_err(|e| {
-            StartInternalBitcoindError::CouldNotCanonicalizeCookiePath(e.to_string())
-        })?);
-
         liana::BitcoinD::new(&config, "internal_bitcoind_start".to_string())
             .map_err(|e| StartInternalBitcoindError::BitcoinDError(e.to_string()))?;
 
diff --git a/gui/src/installer/step/bitcoind.rs b/gui/src/installer/step/bitcoind.rs
index 2f1ad1f2..1a8874c4 100644
--- a/gui/src/installer/step/bitcoind.rs
+++ b/gui/src/installer/step/bitcoind.rs
@@ -693,17 +693,24 @@ impl Step for InternalBitcoindStep {
                     }
                 }
                 message::InternalBitcoindMsg::Start => {
-                    if let Err(e) = self.bitcoind_datadir.canonicalize() {
-                        self.started = Some(Err(
-                            StartInternalBitcoindError::CouldNotCanonicalizeDataDir(e.to_string()),
-                        ));
-                        return Command::none();
-                    }
-
-                    let cookie_path = bitcoind::internal_bitcoind_cookie_path(
-                        &self.bitcoind_datadir,
-                        &self.network,
-                    );
+                    let bitcoind_datadir = match self.bitcoind_datadir.canonicalize() {
+                        Ok(path) => path,
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            self.started = Some(Err(
+                                StartInternalBitcoindError::CouldNotCanonicalizeDataDir(
+                                    e.to_string(),
+                                ),
+                            ));
+                            return Command::none();
+                        }
+                    };
+                    // Pass the canonicalized `bitcoind_datadir` so that the cookie path returned
+                    // by `internal_bitcoind_cookie_path` is also canonicalized. This way, the
+                    // canonicalized path will later be saved to the config file.
+                    // We cannot use `cookie_path.canonicalize()` as we have not yet started
+                    // bitcoind and so the path does not exist.
+                    let cookie_path =
+                        bitcoind::internal_bitcoind_cookie_path(&bitcoind_datadir, &self.network);
 
                     let rpc_port = self
                         .internal_bitcoind_config