diff --git a/docs/backend/backend_python/openapi.json b/docs/backend/backend_python/openapi.json
index 4ab3ffa44..ad1b7cdc8 100644
--- a/docs/backend/backend_python/openapi.json
+++ b/docs/backend/backend_python/openapi.json
@@ -2073,119 +2073,6 @@
         ],
         "title": "DeleteFoldersResponse"
       },
-      "app__schemas__folders__ErrorResponse": {
-        "properties": {
-          "success": {
-            "type": "boolean",
-            "title": "Success",
-            "default": false
-          },
-          "message": {
-            "anyOf": [
-              {
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              {
-                "type": "null"
-              }
-            ],
-            "title": "Message"
-          },
-          "error": {
-            "anyOf": [
-              {
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              {
-                "type": "null"
-              }
-            ],
-            "title": "Error"
-          }
-        },
-        "type": "object",
-        "title": "ErrorResponse"
-      },
-      "app__schemas__face_clusters__ErrorResponse": {
-        "properties": {
-          "success": {
-            "type": "boolean",
-            "title": "Success",
-            "default": false
-          },
-          "message": {
-            "anyOf": [
-              {
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              {
-                "type": "null"
-              }
-            ],
-            "title": "Message"
-          },
-          "error": {
-            "anyOf": [
-              {
-                "type": "string"
-              },
-              {
-                "type": "null"
-              }
-            ],
-            "title": "Error"
-          }
-        },
-        "type": "object",
-        "title": "ErrorResponse"
-      },
-      "app__schemas__images__ErrorResponse": {
-        "properties": {
-          "success": {
-            "type": "boolean",
-            "title": "Success",
-            "default": false
-          },
-          "message": {
-            "type": "string",
-            "title": "Message"
-          },
-          "error": {
-            "type": "string",
-            "title": "Error"
-          }
-        },
-        "type": "object",
-        "required": [
-          "message",
-          "error"
-        ],
-        "title": "ErrorResponse"
-      },
-      "app__schemas__user_preferences__ErrorResponse": {
-        "properties": {
-          "success": {
-            "type": "boolean",
-            "title": "Success"
-          },
-          "error": {
-            "type": "string",
-            "title": "Error"
-          },
-          "message": {
-            "type": "string",
-            "title": "Message"
-          }
-        },
-        "type": "object",
-        "required": [
-          "success",
-          "error",
-          "message"
-        ],
-        "title": "ErrorResponse",
-        "description": "Error response model"
-      },
       "FaceSearchRequest": {
         "properties": {
           "path": {
@@ -3407,6 +3294,119 @@
           "type"
         ],
         "title": "ValidationError"
+      },
+      "app__schemas__face_clusters__ErrorResponse": {
+        "properties": {
+          "success": {
+            "type": "boolean",
+            "title": "Success",
+            "default": false
+          },
+          "message": {
+            "anyOf": [
+              {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              {
+                "type": "null"
+              }
+            ],
+            "title": "Message"
+          },
+          "error": {
+            "anyOf": [
+              {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              {
+                "type": "null"
+              }
+            ],
+            "title": "Error"
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object",
+        "title": "ErrorResponse"
+      },
+      "app__schemas__folders__ErrorResponse": {
+        "properties": {
+          "success": {
+            "type": "boolean",
+            "title": "Success",
+            "default": false
+          },
+          "message": {
+            "anyOf": [
+              {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              {
+                "type": "null"
+              }
+            ],
+            "title": "Message"
+          },
+          "error": {
+            "anyOf": [
+              {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              {
+                "type": "null"
+              }
+            ],
+            "title": "Error"
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object",
+        "title": "ErrorResponse"
+      },
+      "app__schemas__images__ErrorResponse": {
+        "properties": {
+          "success": {
+            "type": "boolean",
+            "title": "Success",
+            "default": false
+          },
+          "message": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "title": "Message"
+          },
+          "error": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "title": "Error"
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object",
+        "required": [
+          "message",
+          "error"
+        ],
+        "title": "ErrorResponse"
+      },
+      "app__schemas__user_preferences__ErrorResponse": {
+        "properties": {
+          "success": {
+            "type": "boolean",
+            "title": "Success"
+          },
+          "error": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "title": "Error"
+          },
+          "message": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "title": "Message"
+          }
+        },
+        "type": "object",
+        "required": [
+          "success",
+          "error",
+          "message"
+        ],
+        "title": "ErrorResponse",
+        "description": "Error response model"
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/sync-microservice/app/utils/watcher.py b/sync-microservice/app/utils/watcher.py
index 902a50cf5..1cd9c302e 100644
--- a/sync-microservice/app/utils/watcher.py
+++ b/sync-microservice/app/utils/watcher.py
@@ -311,13 +311,16 @@ def watcher_util_stop_folder_watcher() -> None:
         # Signal the watcher to stop
         stop_event.set()
 
-        # Wait for thread to finish
-        watcher_thread.join(timeout=5.0)
+        # Wait for thread to finish if not called from the thread itself
+        if threading.current_thread() != watcher_thread:
+            watcher_thread.join(timeout=5.0)
 
-        if watcher_thread.is_alive():
-            logger.warning("Warning: Watcher thread did not stop gracefully")
+            if watcher_thread.is_alive():
+                logger.warning("Warning: Watcher thread did not stop gracefully")
+            else:
+                logger.info("Watcher stopped successfully")
         else:
-            logger.info("Watcher stopped successfully")
+            logger.info("Watcher stopped successfully (called from within watcher thread)")
 
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error(f"Error stopping watcher: {e}")
@@ -336,6 +339,17 @@ def watcher_util_restart_folder_watcher() -> bool:
         True if restart was successful, False otherwise
     """
     logger.info("Restarting folder watcher...")
+    
+    if watcher_thread and threading.current_thread() == watcher_thread:
+        # We are inside the watcher thread, so we can't join ourselves.
+        # Launch a background thread to do the restart.
+        def restart_worker():
+            watcher_util_stop_folder_watcher()
+            watcher_util_start_folder_watcher()
+
+        threading.Thread(target=restart_worker, daemon=True).start()
+        return True
+
     watcher_util_stop_folder_watcher()
     return watcher_util_start_folder_watcher()