diff --git a/static/skin/index.js b/static/skin/index.js
index c4e40d22..082d3428 100644
--- a/static/skin/index.js
+++ b/static/skin/index.js
@@ -238,7 +238,8 @@
             let finalValue = (keysToURIEncode.indexOf(key) >= 0) ? encodeURIComponent(value) : value;
             output += `&${key}=${finalValue}`;
         }
-        return output;
+        // exclude first char so the first params are not prefixed with &
+        return output.substring(1);
     }
 
     /* hack for library.kiwix.org magnet links (created by MirrorBrain)
diff --git a/test/server.cpp b/test/server.cpp
index a0ef64e3..98483f0d 100644
--- a/test/server.cpp
+++ b/test/server.cpp
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ const ResourceCollection resources200Compressible{
   { DYNAMIC_CONTENT, "/ROOT%23%3F/skin/index.css" },
   { STATIC_CONTENT,  "/ROOT%23%3F/skin/index.css?cacheid=ae79e41a" },
   { DYNAMIC_CONTENT, "/ROOT%23%3F/skin/index.js" },
-  { STATIC_CONTENT,  "/ROOT%23%3F/skin/index.js?cacheid=8f4b6a1e" },
+  { STATIC_CONTENT,  "/ROOT%23%3F/skin/index.js?cacheid=cc456f1f" },
   { DYNAMIC_CONTENT, "/ROOT%23%3F/skin/iso6391To3.js" },
   { STATIC_CONTENT,  "/ROOT%23%3F/skin/iso6391To3.js?cacheid=ecde2bb3" },
   { DYNAMIC_CONTENT, "/ROOT%23%3F/skin/isotope.pkgd.min.js" },
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ R"EXPECTEDRESULT(      href="/ROOT%23%3F/skin/kiwix.css?cacheid=2158fad9"
     <script type="text/javascript" src="/ROOT%23%3F/skin/languages.js?cacheid=ee7d95b5" defer></script>
     <script src="/ROOT%23%3F/skin/isotope.pkgd.min.js?cacheid=2e48d392" defer></script>
     <script src="/ROOT%23%3F/skin/iso6391To3.js?cacheid=ecde2bb3"></script>
-    <script type="text/javascript" src="/ROOT%23%3F/skin/index.js?cacheid=8f4b6a1e" defer></script>
+    <script type="text/javascript" src="/ROOT%23%3F/skin/index.js?cacheid=cc456f1f" defer></script>
         <img src="/ROOT%23%3F/skin/feed.svg?cacheid=055b333f"
         <img src="/ROOT%23%3F/skin/langSelector.svg?cacheid=00b59961"
 )EXPECTEDRESULT"