diff --git a/lib/rawHandler.js b/lib/rawHandler.js
index <HASH>..<HASH> 100644
--- a/lib/rawHandler.js
+++ b/lib/rawHandler.js
@@ -114,7 +114,13 @@ function createMiddleware(options) {
     const { owner } = req.params;
     const repoName = req.params.repo;
     const refName = req.params.ref;
-    const fpath = req.params[0];
+    let fpath = req.params[0];
+
+    // issue #247: lenient handling of redundant leading slashes in path
+    while (fpath.length && fpath[0] === '/') {
+      // trim leading slash
+      fpath = fpath.substr(1);
+    }
 
     // TODO: handle branch names containing '/' (e.g. 'foo/bar')
#<I>: lenient handling of redundant leading slashes in path