diff --git a/extensions/websockets-next/deployment/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/deployment/WebSocketProcessor.java b/extensions/websockets-next/deployment/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/deployment/WebSocketProcessor.java
index cf2040a7e2c2a..c6c4444aef4e7 100644
--- a/extensions/websockets-next/deployment/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/deployment/WebSocketProcessor.java
+++ b/extensions/websockets-next/deployment/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/deployment/WebSocketProcessor.java
@@ -599,6 +599,9 @@ static String mergePath(String prefix, String path) {
     }
 
     static String getPath(String path) {
+        if (path.isEmpty()) {
+            return path;
+        }
         StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
         Matcher m = PATH_PARAM_PATTERN.matcher(path);
         while (m.find()) {
diff --git a/extensions/websockets-next/deployment/src/test/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/test/client/ClientEndpointEmptyPathTest.java b/extensions/websockets-next/deployment/src/test/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/test/client/ClientEndpointEmptyPathTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..c166af3e8362b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/websockets-next/deployment/src/test/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/test/client/ClientEndpointEmptyPathTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+package io.quarkus.websockets.next.test.client;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArrayList;
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+
+import jakarta.inject.Inject;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.extension.RegisterExtension;
+
+import io.quarkus.test.QuarkusUnitTest;
+import io.quarkus.test.common.http.TestHTTPResource;
+import io.quarkus.websockets.next.OnClose;
+import io.quarkus.websockets.next.OnTextMessage;
+import io.quarkus.websockets.next.WebSocket;
+import io.quarkus.websockets.next.WebSocketClient;
+import io.quarkus.websockets.next.WebSocketClientConnection;
+import io.quarkus.websockets.next.WebSocketConnector;
+
+public class ClientEndpointEmptyPathTest {
+
+    @RegisterExtension
+    public static final QuarkusUnitTest test = new QuarkusUnitTest()
+            .withApplicationRoot(root -> {
+                root.addClasses(ServerEndpoint.class, ClientEndpoint.class);
+            });
+
+    @Inject
+    WebSocketConnector<ClientEndpoint> connector;
+
+    @TestHTTPResource("/")
+    URI uri;
+
+    @Test
+    void testClient() throws InterruptedException {
+        WebSocketClientConnection connection = connector
+                .baseUri(uri)
+                .connectAndAwait();
+        connection.sendTextAndAwait("Hi!");
+
+        assertTrue(ClientEndpoint.MESSAGE_LATCH.await(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS));
+        assertEquals("Hi!", ClientEndpoint.MESSAGES.get(0));
+
+        connection.closeAndAwait();
+        assertTrue(ClientEndpoint.CLOSED_LATCH.await(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS));
+        assertTrue(ServerEndpoint.CLOSED_LATCH.await(5, TimeUnit.SECONDS));
+    }
+
+    @WebSocket(path = "")
+    public static class ServerEndpoint {
+
+        static final CountDownLatch CLOSED_LATCH = new CountDownLatch(1);
+
+        @OnTextMessage
+        String echo(String message) {
+            return message;
+        }
+
+        @OnClose
+        void close() {
+            CLOSED_LATCH.countDown();
+        }
+
+    }
+
+    @WebSocketClient(path = "")
+    public static class ClientEndpoint {
+
+        static final CountDownLatch MESSAGE_LATCH = new CountDownLatch(1);
+
+        static final List<String> MESSAGES = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
+
+        static final CountDownLatch CLOSED_LATCH = new CountDownLatch(1);
+
+        @OnTextMessage
+        void onMessage(String message, WebSocketClientConnection connection) {
+            MESSAGES.add(message);
+            MESSAGE_LATCH.countDown();
+        }
+
+        @OnClose
+        void close() {
+            CLOSED_LATCH.countDown();
+        }
+
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/extensions/websockets-next/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/runtime/BasicWebSocketConnectorImpl.java b/extensions/websockets-next/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/runtime/BasicWebSocketConnectorImpl.java
index 6442502058725..b9e3af7e7395f 100644
--- a/extensions/websockets-next/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/runtime/BasicWebSocketConnectorImpl.java
+++ b/extensions/websockets-next/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/runtime/BasicWebSocketConnectorImpl.java
@@ -265,26 +265,26 @@ public Void call() {
     }
 
     private String mergePath(String path1, String path2) {
-        StringBuilder path = new StringBuilder();
+        StringBuilder ret = new StringBuilder();
         if (path1 != null) {
-            path.append(path1);
+            ret.append(path1);
         }
         if (path2 != null) {
             if (path1.endsWith("/")) {
                 if (path2.startsWith("/")) {
-                    path.append(path2.substring(1));
+                    ret.append(path2.substring(1));
                 } else {
-                    path.append(path2);
+                    ret.append(path2);
                 }
             } else {
                 if (path2.startsWith("/")) {
-                    path.append(path2);
+                    ret.append(path2);
                 } else {
-                    path.append(path2.substring(1));
+                    ret.append("/").append(path2);
                 }
             }
         }
-        return path.toString();
+        return ret.toString();
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/extensions/websockets-next/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/runtime/WebSocketConnectorBase.java b/extensions/websockets-next/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/runtime/WebSocketConnectorBase.java
index dcc142d80aea5..754961b6c3492 100644
--- a/extensions/websockets-next/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/runtime/WebSocketConnectorBase.java
+++ b/extensions/websockets-next/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkus/websockets/next/runtime/WebSocketConnectorBase.java
@@ -123,6 +123,9 @@ Set<String> getPathParamNames(String path) {
     }
 
     String replacePathParameters(String path) {
+        if (path.isEmpty()) {
+            return path;
+        }
         StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
         Matcher m = PATH_PARAM_PATTERN.matcher(path);
         while (m.find()) {