diff --git a/packages/backend/src/nest/connections-manager/connections-manager.service.ts b/packages/backend/src/nest/connections-manager/connections-manager.service.ts
index 8ab0b5988d..7a804d7b60 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/nest/connections-manager/connections-manager.service.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/nest/connections-manager/connections-manager.service.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ import Logger from '../common/logger'
 import { emitError } from '../socket/socket.errors'
 import { toString as uint8ArrayToString } from 'uint8arrays/to-string'
 import { fromString as uint8ArrayFromString } from 'uint8arrays/from-string'
+import { isPSKcodeValid } from '@quiet/common'
 
 @Injectable()
 export class ConnectionsManagerService extends EventEmitter implements OnModuleInit {
@@ -280,7 +281,7 @@ export class ConnectionsManagerService extends EventEmitter implements OnModuleI
     const psk = community.psk
     if (psk) {
       console.log('createNetwork got psk', psk)
-      if (!validator.isBase64(psk)) {
+      if (!isPSKcodeValid(psk)) {
         emitError(this.serverIoProvider.io, {
           type: SocketActionTypes.NETWORK,
           message: ErrorMessages.NETWORK_SETUP_FAILED,
diff --git a/packages/common/src/invitationCode.test.ts b/packages/common/src/invitationCode.test.ts
index f44588fe1f..ed405f723c 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/invitationCode.test.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/invitationCode.test.ts
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ describe('Invitation code helper', () => {
     expect(composeInvitationShareUrl(pairs)).toEqual(expected)
   })
 
-  it('builds proper invitation share url', () => {
+  it('builds proper invitation share url from peers addresses', () => {
     const peerList = [
       '/dns4/gloao6h5plwjy4tdlze24zzgcxll6upq2ex2fmu2ohhyu4gtys4nrjad.onion/tcp/443/wss/p2p/QmZoiJNAvCffeEHBjk766nLuKVdkxkAT7wfFJDPPLsbKSE',
       'invalidAddress',
@@ -94,6 +94,17 @@ describe('Invitation code helper', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it.each([['12345'], ['a2FzemE='], 'a2FycGllIHcgZ2FsYXJlY2llIGVjaWUgcGVjaWUgYWxlIGkgdGFrIHpqZWNpZQ=='])(
+    'parsing invitation code throws error if psk is invalid: (%s)',
+    (psk: string) => {
+      expect(() => {
+        parseInvitationCodeDeepUrl(
+          `quiet://?${peerId1}=${address1}&${peerId2}=${address2}&${Site.PSK_PARAM_KEY}=${psk}`
+        )
+      }).toThrow()
+    }
+  )
+
   it('retrieves invitation codes from deep url with partly invalid codes', () => {
     const peerId2 = 'QmZoiJNAvCffeEHBjk766nLuKVdkxkAT7wfFJDPPLs'
     const address2 = 'y7yczmugl2tekami7sbdz5pfaemvx7bahwthrdvcbzw5vex2crsr26qd'
diff --git a/packages/common/src/invitationCode.ts b/packages/common/src/invitationCode.ts
index 4cc50616b8..ab3bf0b50a 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/invitationCode.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/invitationCode.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { InvitationData, InvitationPair } from '@quiet/types'
-import { ONION_ADDRESS_REGEX, PEER_ID_REGEX, QUIET_JOIN_PAGE, Site } from './static'
-import { createLibp2pAddress } from './libp2p'
+import { ONION_ADDRESS_REGEX, PEER_ID_REGEX, PSK_LENGTH, QUIET_JOIN_PAGE, Site } from './static'
+import { createLibp2pAddress, isPSKcodeValid } from './libp2p'
 import validator from 'validator'
 
 const parseDeepUrl = ({ url, expectedProtocol = `quiet:` }: { url: string; expectedProtocol?: string }) => {
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ const parseDeepUrl = ({ url, expectedProtocol = `quiet:` }: { url: string; expec
   if (!psk) throw new Error(`No psk found in invitation code '${url}'`)
 
   psk = decodeURIComponent(psk)
-  if (!validator.isBase64(psk)) throw new Error(`Invalid psk in invitation code '${url}'`)
+  if (!isPSKcodeValid(psk)) throw new Error(`Invalid psk in invitation code '${url}'`)
 
   params.delete(Site.PSK_PARAM_KEY)
 
diff --git a/packages/common/src/libp2p.ts b/packages/common/src/libp2p.ts
index e86ee508e2..24154f8e4e 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/libp2p.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/libp2p.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import validator from 'validator'
+import { PSK_LENGTH } from './static'
+
 const ONION = '.onion'
 
 export const createLibp2pAddress = (address: string, peerId: string) => {
@@ -9,3 +12,8 @@ export const createLibp2pListenAddress = (address: string) => {
   if (!address.endsWith(ONION)) address += ONION
   return `/dns4/${address}/tcp/80/ws`
 }
+
+export const isPSKcodeValid = (psk: string): boolean => {
+  const _psk = psk.trim()
+  return validator.isBase64(_psk) && _psk.length === PSK_LENGTH
+}
diff --git a/packages/common/src/static.ts b/packages/common/src/static.ts
index df3b741511..aad1efffa4 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/static.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/static.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 export const ONION_ADDRESS_REGEX = /^[a-z0-9]{56}$/g
 export const PEER_ID_REGEX = /^[a-zA-Z0-9]{46}$/g
+export const PSK_LENGTH = 44 // PSK is 256 bits/8 = 32 bytes which encodes to 44 characters base64
 
 export enum Site {
   DEEP_URL_SCHEME_WITH_SEPARATOR = 'quiet://',