diff --git a/src/backend/common/infrastructure/config/client/discord.ts b/src/backend/common/infrastructure/config/client/discord.ts
index df204442..599b65f5 100644
--- a/src/backend/common/infrastructure/config/client/discord.ts
+++ b/src/backend/common/infrastructure/config/client/discord.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,24 @@ export const statusTypeSchema = z.union([z.literal("online"), z.literal("idle"),
 
 export type StatusType = z.infer<typeof statusTypeSchema>;
 
-const ipcLocationTupleSchema = z.custom<[number, string]>((val) => Array.isArray(val) && val.length === 2 && typeof val[0] === 'number' && typeof val[1] === 'string');
+const HOST_PORT_LOOSE_REGEX = new RegExp(/.+:\d+/i)
+
+const ipcTransform = z.transform((val: string, ctx) => {
+    const sp = val.split(':');
+    if(sp.length === 1) {
+        // assume its a path
+        return val;
+    }
+    if(!HOST_PORT_LOOSE_REGEX.test(val)) {
+        ctx.issues.push({
+            code: 'custom',
+            message: "Not shaped like host:port",
+            input: val
+        });
+        return z.NEVER;
+    }
+    return [parseInt(sp[1]), sp[0]]
+})
 
 export const discordDataSchema = z.object({
     token: z.string().optional(),
@@ -16,7 +33,7 @@ export const discordDataSchema = z.object({
     artworkDefaultUrl: z.string().optional(),
     statusOverrideAllow: z.array(statusTypeSchema).optional(),
     listeningActivityAllow: z.union([z.string(), z.array(z.string())]).optional(),
-    ipcLocations: z.union([z.string(), z.array(z.union([z.string(), ipcLocationTupleSchema]))]).optional()
+    ipcLocations: z.array(z.string().pipe(ipcTransform)).optional()
 });
 
 export type DiscordData = z.infer<typeof discordDataSchema>;
@@ -25,10 +42,10 @@ const envDataSchema = z.object({
     DISCORD_TOKEN: discordDataSchema.shape.token,
     DISCORD_ARTWORK: discordDataSchema.shape.artwork,
     DISCORD_APPLICATION_ID: discordDataSchema.shape.applicationId,
-    DISCORD_IPC_LOCATIONS: discordDataSchema.shape.ipcLocations,
+    DISCORD_IPC_LOCATIONS: z.string().optional().pipe(transformSplitMaybeString),
     DISCORD_ARTWORK_DEFAULT_URL: discordDataSchema.shape.artworkDefaultUrl,
     DISCORD_STATUS_OVERRIDE_ALLOW: z.string().optional().pipe(transformSplitMaybeString).meta(discordDataSchema.shape.statusOverrideAllow.meta()),
-    DISCORD_LISTENING_ACTIVITY_ALLOW: discordDataSchema.shape.listeningActivityAllow,
+    DISCORD_LISTENING_ACTIVITY_ALLOW: z.string().optional().pipe(transformSplitMaybeString).meta(discordDataSchema.shape.listeningActivityAllow.meta()),
 });
 
 export const envSchemas: EnvClientSchema<typeof envDataSchema, DiscordClientConfig> = {
@@ -86,7 +103,7 @@ export const discordStrongDataSchema = discordDataSchema.extend({
     artwork: z.union([z.boolean(), z.array(z.string())]).optional(),
     statusOverrideAllow: z.array(statusTypeSchema).optional(),
     listeningActivityAllow: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
-    ipcLocations: z.array(z.union([z.string(), ipcLocationTupleSchema])).optional()
+    //ipcLocations: z.array(z.union([z.string(), z.tuple([z.number(),z.string()])])).optional()
 });
 
 export type DiscordStrongData = z.infer<typeof discordStrongDataSchema>;
@@ -102,7 +119,7 @@ export const discordIPCDataSchema = discordStrongDataSchema.extend({
     //ipcLocations: (string | [number, string])[]
 });
 
-export type DiscordIPCData = z.infer<typeof discordIPCDataSchema>;
+export type DiscordIPCData = Omit<z.infer<typeof discordIPCDataSchema>, 'ipcLocations'> & {ipcLocations: (string | [number, string])[]};
 
 export interface ActivityAssets {
     largeImage?: string
diff --git a/src/backend/common/vendor/discord/DiscordIPCClient.ts b/src/backend/common/vendor/discord/DiscordIPCClient.ts
index 21106a7b..a837d255 100644
--- a/src/backend/common/vendor/discord/DiscordIPCClient.ts
+++ b/src/backend/common/vendor/discord/DiscordIPCClient.ts
@@ -185,7 +185,8 @@ export const configToIPCConfig = (data: DiscordStrongData): DiscordIPCData => {
     const parsedPaths: (string | [number, string])[] = [];
     for(const p of ipcLocations) {
         if(Array.isArray(p)) {
-            parsedPaths.push(p)
+            if(typeof p[0] === 'number' && typeof p[1] === 'string')
+            parsedPaths.push([p[0],p[1]]);
         } else {
             const sp = p.split(':');
             if(sp.length > 1) {
diff --git a/src/backend/tests/config/config.test.ts b/src/backend/tests/config/config.test.ts
index 94506f59..9c9efd60 100644
--- a/src/backend/tests/config/config.test.ts
+++ b/src/backend/tests/config/config.test.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import { prettifyError, ZodError } from 'zod';
 import { getClientEnvSchema, validateClientJson } from '../../common/infrastructure/config/client/clientsMap.ts';
 import type { MSBackendEventMap } from '../../common/infrastructure/MSBackendEventMap.ts';
 import { zocker } from "zocker";
-import pEvent from 'p-event';
 import { generateCommonComponentEnvConfigSchema } from '../../common/infrastructure/config/common.ts';
 import { serializeError } from 'serialize-error';
 
@@ -113,7 +112,7 @@ describe('Sample Configs', function () {
                 });
 
                 it(`Sample ${componentType} ENV parses and validates in ScrobbleSources`, async function () {
-                    this.timeout(500000);
+                    this.timeout(5000);
 
                     const emitter = new WildcardEmitter<MSBackendEventMap>();
                     
@@ -202,7 +201,7 @@ describe('Sample Configs', function () {
                 });
 
                 it(`Sample ${componentType}.json parses and validates in ScrobbleClients`, async function () {
-                    this.timeout(500000);
+                    this.timeout(5000);
 
                     const emitter = new WildcardEmitter<MSBackendEventMap>();
                     await copyFile(samplePath(componentType), `${componentType}.json`);
@@ -229,7 +228,8 @@ describe('Sample Configs', function () {
                             zocObj = zocObj.supply(envSchema.env.shape.ROCKSKY_TOKEN, 'eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJkaWQ')
                             break;
                         case 'discord':
-                            zocObj = zocObj.supply(envSchema.env.shape.DISCORD_STATUS_OVERRIDE_ALLOW, 'online')
+                            zocObj = zocObj.supply(envSchema.env.shape.DISCORD_STATUS_OVERRIDE_ALLOW, 'online');
+                            zocObj = zocObj.supply(envSchema.env.shape.DISCORD_IPC_LOCATIONS, '/path/to/ipc,192.168.0.100:8999')
                     }
                     const componentMockData = zocObj.generate();
                     const primitives = generateCommonComponentEnvConfigSchema(envSchema.prefix.toLocaleUpperCase());
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/StringUtils.ts b/src/backend/utils/StringUtils.ts
index 8affc5a3..3cc9d687 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/StringUtils.ts
+++ b/src/backend/utils/StringUtils.ts
@@ -415,9 +415,9 @@ interface ArrParseOpts {
     lower?: boolean
 }
 
-export const parseArrayFromMaybeString = (value: string | string[] = '', opts: ArrParseOpts = {}) => {
+export const parseArrayFromMaybeString = (value: string | string[] = '', opts: ArrParseOpts = {}): string[] => {
     const {lower = false} = opts;
-    let arr: string[] = [];
+    let arr: string[];
     if (Array.isArray(value)) {
         arr = value;
     } else if (value.trim() === '') {