diff --git a/src/higlass/_utils.py b/src/higlass/_utils.py
index 937a865..e4b02fb 100644
--- a/src/higlass/_utils.py
+++ b/src/higlass/_utils.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
 
 
 def uid() -> str:
-    return str(uuid.uuid4())
+    return str(uuid.uuid4()).split("-")[0]
 
 
 T = TypeVar("T")