diff --git a/core/util.rs b/core/util.rs
index b50609ebd..c4a6c3516 100644
--- a/core/util.rs
+++ b/core/util.rs
@@ -382,18 +382,24 @@ pub fn columns_from_create_table_body(body: ast::CreateTableBody) -> Result<Vec<
 
 #[derive(Debug, Default, PartialEq)]
 pub struct OpenOptions<'a> {
+    /// The authority component of the URI. may be 'localhost' or empty
     pub authority: Option<&'a str>,
+    /// The normalized path to the database file
     pub path: String,
-    pub fragment: Option<String>,
+    /// The vfs query parameter causes the database connection to be opened using the VFS called NAME
     pub vfs: Option<String>,
-    pub mode: Mode,
+    /// read-only, read-write, read-write and created if it does not exist, or pure in-memory database that never interacts with disk
+    pub mode: OpenMode,
+    /// Attempt to set the permissions of the new database file to match the existing file "filename".
     pub modeof: Option<String>,
-    pub cache: Option<CacheMode>,
-    pub immutable: Option<bool>,
+    /// Specifies Cache mode shared | private
+    pub cache: CacheMode,
+    /// immutable=1|0 specifies that the database is stored on read-only media
+    pub immutable: bool,
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone, Default, Debug, Copy, PartialEq)]
-pub enum Mode {
+pub enum OpenMode {
     ReadOnly,
     ReadWrite,
     Memory,
@@ -401,8 +407,9 @@ pub enum Mode {
     ReadWriteCreate,
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq)]
+#[derive(Debug, Default, Clone, Copy, PartialEq)]
 pub enum CacheMode {
+    #[default]
     Private,
     Shared,
 }
@@ -417,13 +424,13 @@ impl From<&str> for CacheMode {
     }
 }
 
-impl Mode {
+impl OpenMode {
     pub fn from_str(s: &str) -> Result<Self> {
         match s.trim().to_lowercase().as_str() {
-            "ro" => Ok(Mode::ReadOnly),
-            "rw" => Ok(Mode::ReadWrite),
-            "memory" => Ok(Mode::Memory),
-            "rwc" => Ok(Mode::ReadWriteCreate),
+            "ro" => Ok(OpenMode::ReadOnly),
+            "rw" => Ok(OpenMode::ReadWrite),
+            "memory" => Ok(OpenMode::Memory),
+            "rwc" => Ok(OpenMode::ReadWriteCreate),
             _ => Err(LimboError::InvalidArgument(format!(
                 "Invalid mode: '{}'. Expected one of 'ro', 'rw', 'memory', 'rwc'",
                 s
@@ -432,14 +439,36 @@ impl Mode {
     }
     pub fn get_flags(&self) -> OpenFlags {
         match self {
-            Mode::ReadWriteCreate => OpenFlags::Create,
+            OpenMode::ReadWriteCreate => OpenFlags::Create,
             _ => OpenFlags::None,
         }
     }
 }
 
 fn is_windows_path(path: &str) -> bool {
-    path.len() >= 3 && path.chars().nth(1) == Some(':') && path.chars().nth(2) == Some('/')
+    path.len() >= 3
+        && path.chars().nth(1) == Some(':')
+        && (path.chars().nth(2) == Some('/') || path.chars().nth(2) == Some('\\'))
+}
+
+/// converts windows-style paths to forward slashes, per SQLite spec.
+fn normalize_windows_path(path: &str) -> String {
+    let mut normalized = path.replace("\\", "/");
+
+    // remove duplicate slashes (`//` → `/`)
+    while normalized.contains("//") {
+        normalized = normalized.replace("//", "/");
+    }
+
+    // if absolute windows path (`C:/...`), ensure it starts with `/`
+    if normalized.len() >= 3
+        && !normalized.starts_with('/')
+        && normalized.chars().nth(1) == Some(':')
+        && normalized.chars().nth(2) == Some('/')
+    {
+        normalized.insert(0, '/');
+    }
+    normalized
 }
 
 /// Parses a SQLite URI, handling Windows and Unix paths separately.
@@ -454,23 +483,20 @@ pub fn parse_sqlite_uri(uri: &str) -> Result<OpenOptions> {
     let mut opts = OpenOptions::default();
     let without_scheme = &uri[5..];
 
-    let (without_fragment, fragment) = without_scheme
+    let (without_fragment, _) = without_scheme
         .split_once('#')
         .unwrap_or((without_scheme, ""));
-    if !fragment.is_empty() {
-        opts.fragment = Some(decode_percent(fragment));
-    }
 
     let (without_query, query) = without_fragment
         .split_once('?')
         .unwrap_or((without_fragment, ""));
     parse_query_params(query, &mut opts)?;
 
-    // Handle authority + path separately
+    // handle authority + path separately
     if let Some(after_slashes) = without_query.strip_prefix("//") {
         let (authority, path) = after_slashes.split_once('/').unwrap_or((after_slashes, ""));
 
-        // SQLite allows only `localhost` or empty authority.
+        // sqlite allows only `localhost` or empty authority.
         if !(authority.is_empty() || authority == "localhost") {
             return Err(LimboError::InvalidArgument(format!(
                 "Invalid authority '{}'. Only '' or 'localhost' allowed.",
@@ -484,7 +510,7 @@ pub fn parse_sqlite_uri(uri: &str) -> Result<OpenOptions> {
         };
 
         if is_windows_path(path) {
-            opts.path = format!("/{}", decode_percent(path)); // Ensure `/C:/` format
+            opts.path = normalize_windows_path(&decode_percent(path));
         } else if !path.is_empty() {
             opts.path = format!("/{}", decode_percent(path));
         } else {
@@ -504,10 +530,10 @@ fn parse_query_params(query: &str, opts: &mut OpenOptions) -> Result<()> {
         if let Some((key, value)) = param.split_once('=') {
             let decoded_value = decode_percent(value);
             match key {
-                "mode" => opts.mode = Mode::from_str(value)?,
+                "mode" => opts.mode = OpenMode::from_str(value)?,
                 "modeof" => opts.modeof = Some(decoded_value),
-                "cache" => opts.cache = Some(decoded_value.as_str().into()),
-                "immutable" => opts.immutable = Some(decoded_value == "1"),
+                "cache" => opts.cache = decoded_value.as_str().into(),
+                "immutable" => opts.immutable = decoded_value == "1",
                 "vfs" => opts.vfs = Some(decoded_value),
                 _ => {}
             }
@@ -516,29 +542,64 @@ fn parse_query_params(query: &str, opts: &mut OpenOptions) -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
-/// Decodes percent-encoded characters (e.g., `%20` → `' '`).
-fn decode_percent(input: &str) -> String {
-    let mut result = String::new();
-    let mut chars = input.chars().peekable();
+/// Decodes percent-encoded characters
+/// this function was adapted from the 'urlencoding' crate. MIT
+pub fn decode_percent(uri: &str) -> String {
+    let from_hex_digit = |digit: u8| -> Option<u8> {
+        match digit {
+            b'0'..=b'9' => Some(digit - b'0'),
+            b'A'..=b'F' => Some(digit - b'A' + 10),
+            b'a'..=b'f' => Some(digit - b'a' + 10),
+            _ => None,
+        }
+    };
 
-    while let Some(c) = chars.next() {
-        if c == '%' {
-            if let (Some(h1), Some(h2)) = (chars.next(), chars.next()) {
-                if let Ok(byte) = u8::from_str_radix(&format!("{}{}", h1, h2), 16) {
-                    result.push(byte as char);
-                } else {
-                    result.push('%');
-                    result.push(h1);
-                    result.push(h2);
+    let offset = uri.chars().take_while(|&c| c != '%').count();
+
+    if offset >= uri.len() {
+        return uri.to_string();
+    }
+
+    let mut decoded: Vec<u8> = Vec::with_capacity(uri.len());
+    let (ascii, mut data) = uri.as_bytes().split_at(offset);
+    decoded.extend_from_slice(ascii);
+
+    loop {
+        let mut parts = data.splitn(2, |&c| c == b'%');
+        let non_escaped_part = parts.next().unwrap();
+        let rest = parts.next();
+        if rest.is_none() && decoded.is_empty() {
+            return String::from_utf8_lossy(data).to_string();
+        }
+        decoded.extend_from_slice(non_escaped_part);
+        match rest {
+            Some(rest) => match rest.get(0..2) {
+                Some([first, second]) => match from_hex_digit(*first) {
+                    Some(first_val) => match from_hex_digit(*second) {
+                        Some(second_val) => {
+                            decoded.push((first_val << 4) | second_val);
+                            data = &rest[2..];
+                        }
+                        None => {
+                            decoded.extend_from_slice(&[b'%', *first]);
+                            data = &rest[1..];
+                        }
+                    },
+                    None => {
+                        decoded.push(b'%');
+                        data = rest;
+                    }
+                },
+                _ => {
+                    decoded.push(b'%');
+                    decoded.extend_from_slice(rest);
+                    break;
                 }
-            } else {
-                result.push('%');
-            }
-        } else {
-            result.push(c);
+            },
+            None => break,
         }
     }
-    result
+    String::from_utf8_lossy(&decoded).to_string()
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
@@ -826,8 +887,8 @@ pub mod tests {
         let opts = parse_sqlite_uri(uri).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "/home/user/db.sqlite");
         assert_eq!(opts.vfs, Some("unix".to_string()));
-        assert_eq!(opts.mode, Mode::ReadOnly);
-        assert_eq!(opts.immutable, Some(true));
+        assert_eq!(opts.mode, OpenMode::ReadOnly);
+        assert_eq!(opts.immutable, true);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -835,7 +896,6 @@ pub mod tests {
         let uri = "file:/home/user/db.sqlite#section1";
         let opts = parse_sqlite_uri(uri).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "/home/user/db.sqlite");
-        assert_eq!(opts.fragment, Some("section1".to_string()));
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -867,7 +927,7 @@ pub mod tests {
         let uri = "file:/home/user/db.sqlite?mode=rw";
         let opts = parse_sqlite_uri(uri).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "/home/user/db.sqlite");
-        assert_eq!(opts.mode, Mode::ReadWrite);
+        assert_eq!(opts.mode, OpenMode::ReadWrite);
         assert_eq!(opts.vfs, None);
     }
 
@@ -883,8 +943,8 @@ pub mod tests {
         let uri = "file:?mode=memory&cache=shared";
         let opts = parse_sqlite_uri(uri).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "");
-        assert_eq!(opts.mode, Mode::Memory);
-        assert_eq!(opts.cache, Some(CacheMode::Shared));
+        assert_eq!(opts.mode, OpenMode::Memory);
+        assert_eq!(opts.cache, CacheMode::Shared);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -892,7 +952,6 @@ pub mod tests {
         let uri = "file:#fragment";
         let opts = parse_sqlite_uri(uri).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "");
-        assert_eq!(opts.fragment, Some("fragment".to_string()));
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -909,9 +968,9 @@ pub mod tests {
         let opts = parse_sqlite_uri(uri).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "/home/user/db.sqlite");
         assert_eq!(opts.vfs, Some("unix".to_string()));
-        assert_eq!(opts.mode, Mode::ReadWrite);
-        assert_eq!(opts.cache, Some(CacheMode::Private));
-        assert_eq!(opts.immutable, Some(false));
+        assert_eq!(opts.mode, OpenMode::ReadWrite);
+        assert_eq!(opts.cache, CacheMode::Private);
+        assert_eq!(opts.immutable, false);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -995,7 +1054,7 @@ pub mod tests {
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "data.db");
         assert_eq!(opts.authority, None);
         assert_eq!(opts.vfs, None);
-        assert_eq!(opts.mode, Mode::ReadWriteCreate);
+        assert_eq!(opts.mode, OpenMode::ReadWriteCreate);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -1005,7 +1064,7 @@ pub mod tests {
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "/home/data/data.db");
         assert_eq!(opts.authority, None);
         assert_eq!(opts.vfs, None);
-        assert_eq!(opts.mode, Mode::ReadWriteCreate);
+        assert_eq!(opts.mode, OpenMode::ReadWriteCreate);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -1031,4 +1090,66 @@ pub mod tests {
         assert_eq!(opts.path, "/C:/Documents and Settings/fred/Desktop/data.db");
         assert_eq!(opts.vfs, None);
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_decode_percent_basic() {
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("hello%20world"), "hello world");
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("file%3Adata.db"), "file:data.db");
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("path%2Fto%2Ffile"), "path/to/file");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_decode_percent_edge_cases() {
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent(""), "");
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("plain_text"), "plain_text");
+        assert_eq!(
+            decode_percent("%2Fhome%2Fuser%2Fdb.sqlite"),
+            "/home/user/db.sqlite"
+        );
+        // multiple percent-encoded characters in sequence
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("%41%42%43"), "ABC");
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("%61%62%63"), "abc");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_decode_percent_invalid_sequences() {
+        // invalid percent encoding (single % without two hex digits)
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("hello%"), "hello%");
+        // only one hex digit after %
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("file%2"), "file%2");
+        // invalid hex digits (not 0-9, A-F, a-f)
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("file%2X.db"), "file%2X.db");
+
+        // Incomplete sequence at the end, leave untouched
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("path%2Fto%2"), "path/to%2");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_decode_percent_mixed_valid_invalid() {
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("hello%20world%"), "hello world%");
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("%2Fpath%2Xto%2Ffile"), "/path%2Xto/file");
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("file%3Adata.db%2"), "file:data.db%2");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_decode_percent_special_characters() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            decode_percent("%21%40%23%24%25%5E%26%2A%28%29"),
+            "!@#$%^&*()"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(decode_percent("%5B%5D%7B%7D%7C%5C%3A"), "[]{}|\\:");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_decode_percent_unmodified_valid_text() {
+        // ensure already valid text remains unchanged
+        assert_eq!(
+            decode_percent("C:/Users/Example/Database.sqlite"),
+            "C:/Users/Example/Database.sqlite"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            decode_percent("/home/user/db.sqlite"),
+            "/home/user/db.sqlite"
+        );
+    }
 }