diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d2c1e12..97d053e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "typesafe-routes",
-  "version": "12.0.0-beta.1",
+  "version": "12.0.0-beta.2",
   "repository": "git@github.com:kruschid/typesafe-routes.git",
   "author": "Denis Kruschinski <denis.kruschinski@gmail.com>",
   "license": "MIT",
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index e076131..0aa2061 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ export type RoutesProps<
   $render: (
     params: ComputeParamRecordMap<Params>
   ) => ReturnType<Context["renderPath"]>;
-  $parseParams: (params: Record<string, any>) => Params["path"];
-  $parseQuery: (params: Record<string, any>) => Params["query"];
+  $parseParams: (params: Record<string, any> | string) => Params["path"];
+  $parseQuery: (params: Record<string, any> | string) => Params["query"];
   $bind: (
     params: ComputeParamRecordMap<Params>
   ) => RoutesProps<Routes, Context>;
diff --git a/test/test.ts b/test/test.ts
index b461449..6a58011 100644
--- a/test/test.ts
+++ b/test/test.ts
@@ -199,10 +199,21 @@ test("parsing path params", (t) => {
     }
   );
 
+  t.deepEqual(
+    routes.blog.category.date.$parseParams(
+      "blog/false/category/24/date/2024-11-29"
+    ),
+    {
+      lang: false,
+      cid: 24,
+      date: new Date("2024-11-29T00:00:00.000Z"),
+    }
+  );
+
   t.deepEqual(
     routes.blog.category.date.$parseParams({
       lang: "true",
-      cid: "0",
+      cid: "0", // potentially falsy
       date: "2023-12-28",
     }),
     {
@@ -213,17 +224,45 @@ test("parsing path params", (t) => {
   );
 
   t.deepEqual(
-    routes.blog._.category.date.$parseParams({
-      cid: "42",
-    }),
-    { cid: 42 }
+    routes.blog.category.date.$parseParams(
+      "blog/true/category/0/date/2024-11-29"
+    ),
+    {
+      lang: true,
+      cid: 0,
+      date: new Date("2024-11-29T00:00:00.000Z"),
+    }
   );
 
   t.deepEqual(
     routes.blog._.category.date.$parseParams({
       cid: "42",
     }),
-    { cid: 42 }
+    { cid: 42 },
+    "relative path with optional params"
+  );
+
+  t.deepEqual(
+    routes.blog._.category.date.$parseParams("category/42/date"),
+    {
+      cid: 42,
+    },
+    "relative path with omitted optional params in string path"
+  );
+
+  t.deepEqual(
+    routes.blog._.category.date.$parseParams("category/244/date/2024-10-29"),
+    {
+      cid: 244,
+      date: new Date("2024-10-29T00:00:00.000Z"),
+    },
+    "relative path with all optional params in string path"
+  );
+
+  t.throws(
+    () =>
+      routes.blog.category._.date.$parseParams("category/244/date/2024-10-29"),
+    "string path mismatch"
   );
 
   t.end();
@@ -266,9 +305,21 @@ test("parsing query params", (t) => {
   );
 
   t.deepEqual(
-    routes.blog._.category.date.$parseQuery({
+    routes.blog.category.date.$parseQuery(
+      "lang=en&category=drama&shortmovie=true&month=feb"
+    ),
+    {
       lang: "en",
       category: "drama",
+      shortmovie: true,
+      month: "feb",
+    }
+  );
+
+  t.deepEqual(
+    routes.blog._.category.date.$parseQuery({
+      lang: "en", // ignores additional params
+      category: "drama",
       shortmovie: "true",
       month: "feb",
     }),
@@ -279,8 +330,20 @@ test("parsing query params", (t) => {
     }
   );
 
+  t.deepEqual(
+    routes.blog._.category.date.$parseQuery(
+      "category=drama&shortmovie=true&month=feb"
+    ),
+    {
+      category: "drama",
+      shortmovie: true,
+      month: "feb",
+    }
+  );
+
   t.throws(() => routes.blog.category._.date.$parseQuery({}));
   t.throws(() => routes.blog.category._.date.$parseQuery({ month: "jun" }));
+  t.throws(() => routes.blog._.category.date.$parseQuery("lang=en&category"));
 
   t.end();
 });
diff --git a/test/types.ts b/test/types.ts
index 0099cae..54b229b 100644
--- a/test/types.ts
+++ b/test/types.ts
@@ -107,36 +107,36 @@ expectType<
 expectType<(params: Record<string, any>) => unknown>(r.$parseParams);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     lang: string;
   }
 >(r.language.$parseParams);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     lang: string;
   }
 >(r.language.users.$parseParams);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     lang: string;
     userId: number;
   }
 >(r.language.users.show.$parseParams);
 
-expectType<(params: Record<string, any>) => {}>(
+expectType<(params: Record<string, any> | string) => {}>(
   r.language._.users.$parseParams
 );
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     userId: number;
   }
 >(r.language._.users.show.$parseParams);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     userId: number;
   }
 >(r.language.users._.show.$parseParams);
@@ -144,38 +144,40 @@ expectType<
 //
 // query
 //
-expectType<(params: Record<string, any>) => {}>(r.home.$parseQuery);
+expectType<(params: Record<string, any> | string) => {}>(r.home.$parseQuery);
 
-expectType<(params: Record<string, any>) => {}>(r.language.$parseQuery);
+expectType<(params: Record<string, any> | string) => {}>(
+  r.language.$parseQuery
+);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     page: number;
   }
 >(r.language.users.$parseQuery);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     page: number;
     filter?: boolean | undefined;
   }
 >(r.language.users.show.$parseQuery);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     page: number;
   }
 >(r.language._.users.$parseQuery);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     page: number;
     filter?: boolean | undefined;
   }
 >(r.language._.users.show.$parseQuery);
 
 expectType<
-  (params: Record<string, any>) => {
+  (params: Record<string, any> | string) => {
     filter?: boolean | undefined;
   }
 >(r.language.users._.show.$parseQuery);