diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/upload-service.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/upload-service.ts
index c08a08ad60..6afe1e02db 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/upload-service.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/services/upload/upload-service.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ import {
 import { detectFileTypeInfoFromChunk } from "@/new/photos/utils/detect-type";
 import { readStream } from "@/new/photos/utils/native-stream";
 import { mergeUint8Arrays } from "@/utils/array";
-import { ensure, ensureInteger, ensureNumber } from "@/utils/ensure";
+import { ensureInteger, ensureNumber } from "@/utils/ensure";
 import { CustomError, handleUploadError } from "@ente/shared/error";
 import { addToCollection } from "services/collectionService";
 import {
@@ -857,7 +857,7 @@ const readImageOrVideoDetails = async (uploadItem: UploadItem) => {
 
     const fileTypeInfo = await detectFileTypeInfoFromChunk(async () => {
         const reader = stream.getReader();
-        const chunk = ensure((await reader.read()).value);
+        const chunk = (await reader.read())!.value;
         await reader.cancel();
         return chunk;
     }, uploadItemFileName(uploadItem));
diff --git a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/photoFrame/index.ts b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/photoFrame/index.ts
index 3665478a05..8d752d1bd8 100644
--- a/web/apps/photos/src/utils/photoFrame/index.ts
+++ b/web/apps/photos/src/utils/photoFrame/index.ts
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ export const handleSelectCreator =
                                 collectionID: 0,
                                 context: {
                                     mode: selected.context?.mode,
-                                    personID: ensure(activePersonID),
+                                    personID: activePersonID!,
                                 },
                             };
                         }
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ export const handleSelectCreator =
                                 collectionID: 0,
                                 context: {
                                     mode: selected.context?.mode,
-                                    collectionID: ensure(activeCollectionID),
+                                    collectionID: activeCollectionID!,
                                 },
                             };
                         }
@@ -194,8 +194,8 @@ export const handleSelectCreator =
             const newContext: SelectionContext | undefined = !mode
                 ? undefined
                 : mode == "people"
-                  ? { mode, personID: ensure(activePersonID) }
-                  : { mode, collectionID: ensure(activeCollectionID) };
+                  ? { mode, personID: activePersonID! }
+                  : { mode, collectionID: activeCollectionID! };
 
             const handleCounterChange = (count: number) => {
                 if (selected[id] === checked) {
diff --git a/web/packages/base/local-user.ts b/web/packages/base/local-user.ts
index 5a3eeafaac..c2a446eb3c 100644
--- a/web/packages/base/local-user.ts
+++ b/web/packages/base/local-user.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 // TODO: This file belongs to the accounts package
 
-import { ensure } from "@/utils/ensure";
 import { z } from "zod";
 import { getKVS } from "./kv";
 
@@ -57,4 +56,8 @@ export const ensureLocalUser = (): LocalUser => {
  * The underlying data is stored in IndexedDB, and can be accessed from web
  * workers.
  */
-export const ensureAuthToken = async () => ensure(await getKVS("token"));
+export const ensureAuthToken = async () => {
+    const token = await getKVS("token");
+    if (!token) throw new Error("Not logged in");
+    return token;
+};
diff --git a/web/packages/utils/ensure.ts b/web/packages/utils/ensure.ts
index a7508eb8ad..ec31167a68 100644
--- a/web/packages/utils/ensure.ts
+++ b/web/packages/utils/ensure.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,3 @@
-/**
- * Throw an exception if the given value is `null` or `undefined`.
- *
- * This is different from TypeScript's built in null assertion operator `!` in
- * that `ensure` involves a runtime check, and will throw if the given value is
- * null-ish. On the other hand the TypeScript null assertion is only an
- * indication to the type system and does not involve any runtime checks.
- */
-export const ensure = <T>(v: T | null | undefined): T => {
-    if (v === null) throw new Error("Required value was null");
-    if (v === undefined) throw new Error("Required value was undefined");
-    return v;
-};
-
 /**
  * Throw an exception if the given value is not a string.
  */