diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat.hs
index 9615a9acc6..280dbd0458 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat.hs
@@ -6151,7 +6151,7 @@ getCreateActiveUser st testView = do
               loop
             Left e -> putStrLn ("database error " <> show e) >> exitFailure
             Right user -> do
-              void . withTransaction st $ \db -> runExceptT $ createNoteFolder db user
+              void . withTransaction st $ \db -> runExceptT $ createNoteFolder db user >> createNoteFolder db user
               pure user
     selectUser :: [User] -> IO User
     selectUser [user@User {userId}] = do
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Migrations/M20240102_note_folders.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Migrations/M20240102_note_folders.hs
index 6a5d6a0217..6e0fbe5e41 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Migrations/M20240102_note_folders.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Migrations/M20240102_note_folders.hs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ m20240102_note_folders =
 
     CREATE INDEX chat_items_note_folder_id ON chat_items(note_folder_id);
     CREATE INDEX files_note_folder_id ON files(note_folder_id);
-    CREATE UNIQUE INDEX note_folders_user_id ON note_folders(user_id); -- drop UNIQUE for more folders per user
+    CREATE INDEX note_folders_user_id ON note_folders(user_id);
 
     INSERT INTO note_folders (user_id) SELECT user_id FROM users;
 |]
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Migrations/chat_schema.sql b/src/Simplex/Chat/Migrations/chat_schema.sql
index 01d4a4f0cb..c8445f8572 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Migrations/chat_schema.sql
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Migrations/chat_schema.sql
@@ -825,4 +825,4 @@ CREATE INDEX idx_msg_deliveries_agent_msg_id ON "msg_deliveries"(
 );
 CREATE INDEX chat_items_note_folder_id ON chat_items(note_folder_id);
 CREATE INDEX files_note_folder_id ON files(note_folder_id);
-CREATE UNIQUE INDEX note_folders_user_id ON note_folders(user_id);
+CREATE INDEX note_folders_user_id ON note_folders(user_id);
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/NoteFolders.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/NoteFolders.hs
index 217962e340..b480432def 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/NoteFolders.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/NoteFolders.hs
@@ -1,25 +1,28 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE DuplicateRecordFields #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE LambdaCase #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE NamedFieldPuns #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE QuasiQuotes #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE ScopedTypeVariables #-}
 
 module Simplex.Chat.Store.NoteFolders where
 
-import Control.Monad.Except (ExceptT (..))
+import Control.Monad.Except (ExceptT (..), throwError)
 import Control.Monad.IO.Class (liftIO)
 import Data.Time (getCurrentTime)
 import Database.SQLite.Simple (Only (..))
 import Database.SQLite.Simple.QQ (sql)
-import Simplex.Chat.Store.Shared (StoreError (..), checkConstraint)
+import Simplex.Chat.Store.Shared (StoreError (..))
 import Simplex.Chat.Types (NoteFolder (..), NoteFolderId, NoteFolderName, User (..))
 import Simplex.Messaging.Agent.Protocol (UserId)
 import Simplex.Messaging.Agent.Store.SQLite (firstRow)
 import qualified Simplex.Messaging.Agent.Store.SQLite.DB as DB
 
 createNoteFolder :: DB.Connection -> User -> ExceptT StoreError IO ()
-createNoteFolder db User {userId} =
-  checkConstraint SENoteFolderAlreadyCreated . liftIO $
-    DB.execute db "INSERT INTO note_folders (user_id) VALUES (?)" (Only userId)
+createNoteFolder db User {userId} = do
+  liftIO (DB.query db "SELECT note_folder_id FROM note_folders WHERE user_id = ? LIMIT 1" $ Only userId) >>= \case
+    [] -> liftIO $ DB.execute db "INSERT INTO note_folders (user_id) VALUES (?)" (Only userId)
+    Only noteFolderId : _ -> throwError $ SENoteFolderAlreadyCreated {noteFolderId}
 
 getNoteFolderIdByName :: DB.Connection -> User -> NoteFolderName -> ExceptT StoreError IO NoteFolderId
 getNoteFolderIdByName db User {userId} ldn =
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Shared.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Shared.hs
index 58fc9ce4bf..a2d18105a5 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Shared.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Store/Shared.hs
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ data StoreError
   | SEDuplicateGroupMember
   | SEGroupAlreadyJoined
   | SEGroupInvitationNotFound
-  | SENoteFolderAlreadyCreated
+  | SENoteFolderAlreadyCreated {noteFolderId :: NoteFolderId}
   | SENoteFolderNotFound {noteFolderId :: NoteFolderId}
   | SENoteFolderNotFoundByName {noteFolderName :: NoteFolderName}
   | SESndFileNotFound {fileId :: FileTransferId}