diff --git a/ursh/indico_ursh/controllers.py b/ursh/indico_ursh/controllers.py
index 1ac5f4e..e1c013d 100644
--- a/ursh/indico_ursh/controllers.py
+++ b/ursh/indico_ursh/controllers.py
@@ -60,31 +60,37 @@ class RHCustomShortURLPage(RHManageEventBase):
     def _make_absolute_url(self, url):
         return posixpath.join(config.BASE_URL, url[1:]) if url.startswith('/') else url
 
-    def _get_error_msg(self, response):
-        if response['status'] == 403:
+    def _get_error_msg(self, result):
+        if result['status'] == 409:
             return _('Shortcut already exists')
+        elif result['status'] == 400:
+            return _('Malformed shortcut')
+        return result['error'].get('description')
 
     def _process_args(self):
         from indico_ursh.plugin import UrshPlugin
         super(RHCustomShortURLPage, self)._process_args()
         api_host = url_parse(UrshPlugin.settings.get('api_host'))
-        self.ursh_host = strip_end(api_host.to_url(), api_host.path[1:])
+        self.ursh_host = strip_end(api_host.to_url(), api_host.path[1:]).rstrip('/') + '/'
 
     def _process_GET(self):
         original_url = self._make_absolute_url(request.args['original_url'])
         return WPShortenURLPage.render_template('ursh_custom_shortener_page.html',
                                                 event=self.event,
                                                 ursh_host=self.ursh_host,
-                                                original_url=original_url)
+                                                original_url=original_url,
+                                                submitted=False)
 
     def _process_POST(self):
         original_url = self._make_absolute_url(request.args['original_url'])
-        shortcut = request.form['shortcut']
+        shortcut = request.form['shortcut'].strip()
         result = register_shortcut(original_url, shortcut)
 
-        error = result.get('error')
-        kwargs = {'success': True} if not error else {'success': False, 'msg': self._get_error_msg(result)}
+        if result.get('error'):
+            kwargs = {'success': False, 'msg': self._get_error_msg(result)}
+        else:
+            kwargs = {'success': True, 'shorturl': result['short_url']}
 
         return jsonify_template('ursh_custom_shortener_page.html', render_plugin_template,
                                 event=self.event, ursh_host=self.ursh_host, shortcut=shortcut,
-                                original_url=original_url, **kwargs)
+                                original_url=original_url, submitted=True, **kwargs)
diff --git a/ursh/indico_ursh/plugin.py b/ursh/indico_ursh/plugin.py
index d5cf08e..37da0b8 100644
--- a/ursh/indico_ursh/plugin.py
+++ b/ursh/indico_ursh/plugin.py
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ from wtforms.fields.html5 import URLField
 from wtforms.validators import DataRequired
 
 from indico.core.plugins import IndicoPlugin
-from indico.web.flask.util import url_for
 from indico.web.forms.base import IndicoForm
 from indico.web.views import WPBase
 
@@ -56,5 +55,4 @@ class UrshPlugin(IndicoPlugin):
                                           dropdown=dropdown, element_class=element_class, text=text, **kwargs)
 
     def _inject_ursh_footer(self, **kwargs):
-        url = url_for('plugin_ursh.shorten_url')
         return render_plugin_template('ursh_footer.html')
diff --git a/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_custom_shortener_page.html b/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_custom_shortener_page.html
index 70e2870..30c4721 100644
--- a/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_custom_shortener_page.html
+++ b/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_custom_shortener_page.html
@@ -7,14 +7,14 @@
 {%- endblock %}
 
 {% block content -%}
-    {% if success == False %}
+    {% if submitted and not success %}
         <div class="error-message-box">
             <div class="message-box-content">
                 <span class="icon"></span>
                 <div class="message-text">{% trans %}Custom URL creation failed:{% endtrans %} {{ msg }}</div>
             </div>
         </div>
-    {% elif success == True %}
+    {% elif submitted and success %}
         <div class="success-message-box">
             <div class="message-box-content">
                 <span class="icon"></span>
@@ -27,15 +27,16 @@
         <input type="url" style="font-family:monospace;" value="{{ original_url }}" disabled>
     </div>
     <p>{% trans %}Please enter the desired shortcut below (at least 5 chars).{% endtrans %}</p>
-    <form id="ursh-custom-shortcut-form" method="POST">
+    <form method="POST">
         <div class="i-has-action">
-            <button id="ursh-host-button" type="button" class="i-button" style="font-family:monospace;" disabled>
+            <button type="button" class="i-button" style="font-family:monospace;" disabled>
                 {{- ursh_host -}}
             </button>
             <input id="ursh-custom-shortcut-input" name="shortcut" type="text" style="font-family:monospace;"
-                spellcheck="false" autocomplete="off" autocapitalize="off"
-                {% if shortcut %}value="{{ shortcut }}"{% endif %}
-                placeholder="{% trans %}Enter a shortcut...{% endtrans %}">
+                   spellcheck="false" autocomplete="off" autocapitalize="off"
+                   pattern="^[0-9a-zA-Z-]{5,}$"
+                   {% if shortcut %}value="{{ shortcut }}"{% endif %}
+                   placeholder="{% trans %}Enter a shortcut...{% endtrans %}">
             <button id="ursh-custom-shortcut-submit-button" type="submit" class="i-button" disabled>
                 {% trans -%}Create{%- endtrans %}
             </button>
@@ -43,16 +44,13 @@
     </form>
     <script>
         $(document).ready(() => {
-            const inputField = $('#ursh-custom-shortcut-input');
-            inputField.focus().select();
+            $('#ursh-custom-shortcut-input').focus().select();
         });
     </script>
-    {% if success == True %}
+    {% if submitted and success and shorturl %}
         <script>
             $(document).ready(() => {
-                const hostButton = $('#ursh-host-button');
-                const inputField = $('#ursh-custom-shortcut-input');
-                inputField.copyURLTooltip(`${hostButton.text()}${inputField.val()}`, 'unfocus');
+                $('#ursh-custom-shortcut-input').copyURLTooltip({{ shorturl | tojson }}, 'unfocus');
             });
         </script>
     {% endif %}
diff --git a/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_footer.html b/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_footer.html
index fdd36f5..7732352 100644
--- a/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_footer.html
+++ b/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_footer.html
@@ -1,12 +1,8 @@
-{% if url %}
-    <a href="{{ url }}">{% trans %}URL Shortener{% endtrans %}</a>
-{% else %}
-    <a href="{{ url_for('plugin_ursh.shorten_url') }}"
-       data-title="{{ _("URL Shortener") }}"
-       data-href="{{ url_for('plugin_ursh.shorten_url') }}"
-       data-ajax-dialog
-       data-hide-page-header
-       data-close-button>
-        {% trans %}URL Shortener{% endtrans %}
-    </a>
-{% endif %}
+<a href="{{ url_for('plugin_ursh.shorten_url') }}"
+   data-title="{{ _("URL Shortener") }}"
+   data-href="{{ url_for('plugin_ursh.shorten_url', url=request.url) }}"
+   data-ajax-dialog
+   data-hide-page-header
+   data-close-button>
+    {% trans %}URL Shortener{% endtrans %}
+</a>
diff --git a/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_shortener_page.html b/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_shortener_page.html
index e6e2287..fc512b8 100644
--- a/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_shortener_page.html
+++ b/ursh/indico_ursh/templates/ursh_shortener_page.html
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
     <div id="ursh-shorten-request-form" class="i-has-action">
         <input id="ursh-shorten-input" name="ursh-shorten-original-url" type="url" style="font-family:monospace;"
                spellcheck="false" autocomplete="off" autocapitalize="off"
+               value="{{ request.args.url }}"
                placeholder="{% trans %}Enter an Indico URL to shorten...{% endtrans %}">
         <button id="ursh-shorten-button" type="button" class="i-button">{% trans %}Shorten{% endtrans %}</button>
     </div>
diff --git a/ursh/indico_ursh/util.py b/ursh/indico_ursh/util.py
index 2280b74..8484f6a 100644
--- a/ursh/indico_ursh/util.py
+++ b/ursh/indico_ursh/util.py
@@ -27,31 +27,29 @@ def _get_settings():
 def request_short_url(original_url):
     api_key, api_host = _get_settings()
     headers = {'Authorization': 'Bearer {api_key}'.format(api_key=api_key)}
+    url = posixpath.join(api_host, 'urls/')
 
-    response = requests.post(api_host, data=dict(url=original_url, allow_reuse=True), headers=headers)
-    if response.status_code not in (400, ):
+    response = requests.post(url, data={'url': original_url, 'allow_reuse': True}, headers=headers)
+    if response.status_code not in (400,):
         response.raise_for_status()
 
     data = response.json()
-    return data.get('short_url')
+    return data['short_url']
 
 
 def register_shortcut(original_url, shortcut):
     api_key, api_host = _get_settings()
     headers = {'Authorization': 'Bearer {api_key}'.format(api_key=api_key)}
+    url = posixpath.join(api_host, 'urls', shortcut)
 
-    # ursh expects shortcut as a path argument
-    api_host = posixpath.join(api_host, shortcut)
-
-    response = requests.put(api_host, data=dict(url=original_url), headers=headers)
-    if response.status_code not in (403, ):
+    response = requests.put(url, data={'url': original_url, 'allow_reuse': True}, headers=headers)
+    if not (400 <= response.status_code < 500):
         response.raise_for_status()
 
-    data = response.json()
-    return data
+    return response.json()
 
 
 def strip_end(text, suffix):
     if not text.endswith(suffix):
         return text
-    return text[:len(text)-len(suffix)]
+    return text[:len(text) - len(suffix)]
diff --git a/ursh/indico_ursh/views.py b/ursh/indico_ursh/views.py
index 5e86be9..d47b840 100644
--- a/ursh/indico_ursh/views.py
+++ b/ursh/indico_ursh/views.py
@@ -12,5 +12,5 @@ from indico.web.views import WPDecorated
 
 
 class WPShortenURLPage(WPJinjaMixinPlugin, WPDecorated):
-    def _getBody(self, params):
-        return self._getPageContent(params)
+    def _get_body(self, params):
+        return self._get_page_content(params)