diff --git a/pkg/rhttp/datatx/utils/download/download.go b/pkg/rhttp/datatx/utils/download/download.go
index 4b745ab621e..f96e9d03285 100644
--- a/pkg/rhttp/datatx/utils/download/download.go
+++ b/pkg/rhttp/datatx/utils/download/download.go
@@ -56,16 +56,15 @@ func GetOrHeadFile(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, fs storage.FS, spaceI
 		// build a storage space reference
 		storageid, opaqeid, err := utils.SplitStorageSpaceID(spaceID)
 		if err != nil {
-			ref = &provider.Reference{
-				ResourceId: &provider.ResourceId{StorageId: storageid, OpaqueId: opaqeid},
-				// ensure the relative path starts with '.'
-				Path: utils.MakeRelativePath(fn),
-			}
-		} else {
 			sublog.Error().Str("space_id", spaceID).Str("path", fn).Msg("invalid reference")
 			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
 			return
 		}
+		ref = &provider.Reference{
+			ResourceId: &provider.ResourceId{StorageId: storageid, OpaqueId: opaqeid},
+			// ensure the relative path starts with '.'
+			Path: utils.MakeRelativePath(fn),
+		}
 	}
 	// TODO check preconditions like If-Range, If-Match ...
 
diff --git a/pkg/storage/utils/decomposedfs/decomposedfs.go b/pkg/storage/utils/decomposedfs/decomposedfs.go
index fd8b1501b8e..5b3770c18dc 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/utils/decomposedfs/decomposedfs.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/utils/decomposedfs/decomposedfs.go
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ package decomposedfs
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"math"
 	"net/url"
@@ -31,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
+	"syscall"
 
 	userv1beta1 "github.com/cs3org/go-cs3apis/cs3/identity/user/v1beta1"
 	provider "github.com/cs3org/go-cs3apis/cs3/storage/provider/v1beta1"
@@ -217,14 +217,14 @@ func (fs *Decomposedfs) CreateHome(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 	}
 
 	// add storage space
-	if err := fs.createStorageSpace("personal", h.ID); err != nil {
+	if err := fs.createStorageSpace(ctx, "personal", h.ID); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
 	return
 }
 
-func (fs *Decomposedfs) createStorageSpace(spaceType, nodeID string) error {
+func (fs *Decomposedfs) createStorageSpace(ctx context.Context, spaceType, nodeID string) error {
 
 	// create space type dir
 	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Join(fs.o.Root, "spaces", spaceType), 0700); err != nil {
@@ -234,12 +234,28 @@ func (fs *Decomposedfs) createStorageSpace(spaceType, nodeID string) error {
 	// we can reuse the node id as the space id
 	err := os.Symlink("../../nodes/"+nodeID, filepath.Join(fs.o.Root, "spaces", spaceType, nodeID))
 	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Printf("could not create symlink for '%s' space %s, %s\n", spaceType, nodeID, err)
+		if isAlreadyExists(err) {
+			appctx.GetLogger(ctx).Debug().Err(err).Str("node", nodeID).Str("spacetype", spaceType).Msg("symlink already exists")
+		} else {
+			// TODO how should we handle error cases here?
+			appctx.GetLogger(ctx).Error().Err(err).Str("node", nodeID).Str("spacetype", spaceType).Msg("could not create symlink")
+		}
 	}
 
 	return nil
 }
 
+// The os not exists error is buried inside the xattr error,
+// so we cannot just use os.IsNotExists().
+func isAlreadyExists(err error) bool {
+	if xerr, ok := err.(*os.LinkError); ok {
+		if serr, ok2 := xerr.Err.(syscall.Errno); ok2 {
+			return serr == syscall.EEXIST
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 // GetHome is called to look up the home path for a user
 // It is NOT supposed to return the internal path but the external path
 func (fs *Decomposedfs) GetHome(ctx context.Context) (string, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/storage/utils/decomposedfs/grants.go b/pkg/storage/utils/decomposedfs/grants.go
index bb8a9ff431d..ae74fe00692 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/utils/decomposedfs/grants.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/utils/decomposedfs/grants.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func (fs *Decomposedfs) AddGrant(ctx context.Context, ref *provider.Reference, g
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if err := fs.createStorageSpace("share", node.ID); err != nil {
+	if err := fs.createStorageSpace(ctx, "share", node.ID); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}