diff --git a/doc/technical/elemental-deviation.markdown b/doc/technical/elemental-deviation.markdown
index 2217056..81d63ce 100644
--- a/doc/technical/elemental-deviation.markdown
+++ b/doc/technical/elemental-deviation.markdown
@@ -52,3 +52,17 @@ servers and check.  Bots or pseudoservices may also uses these lines to perform
 additional actions (such as `AKILL`s or logging to channels) as needed by the
 bot author.
 
+#### METADATA
+
+The old ShadowIRCD implementation of METADATA used `ADD` and `DELETE` verbs for
+adding and deleting metadata to channels and clients. This, in practice looks
+something like:
+
+    <<< :45X ENCAP * METADATA ADD 1NRAAAABR OPERSTRING :is an IRC Administrator
+    <<< :45X ENCAP * METADATA DELETE 1NRAAAABR OPERSTRING
+
+Functionality is identical to the new `SET` and `CLEAR` verbs, but this deviates
+from the spec by being **only** a server to server command. Support for client
+to server and server to client metadata setting/getting will come in a future
+version of elemental-ircd.
+
diff --git a/modules/core/m_metadata.c b/modules/core/m_metadata.c
index 77fe0fe..47925de 100644
--- a/modules/core/m_metadata.c
+++ b/modules/core/m_metadata.c
@@ -30,6 +30,11 @@ mapi_clist_av1 metadata_clist[] = {
 
 DECLARE_MODULE_AV1(metadata, NULL, NULL, metadata_clist, NULL, NULL, "$Revision$");
 
+/*
+ * Follows the specification for IRCv3 METADATA
+ * http://ircv3.org/specification/metadata-3.2
+ */
+
 static int
 me_metadata(struct Client *client_p, struct Client *source_p, int parc, const char *parv[])
 {
@@ -40,10 +45,17 @@ me_metadata(struct Client *client_p, struct Client *source_p, int parc, const ch
 		if((chptr = find_channel(parv[2])) == NULL)
 			return 0;
 
+		//XXX need to support the old, nonstandard verbs for compatability reasons
 		if(!strcmp(parv[1], "ADD") && parv[4] != NULL)
 			channel_metadata_add(chptr, parv[3], parv[4], 0);
 		if(!strcmp(parv[1], "DELETE") && parv[3] != NULL)
 			channel_metadata_delete(chptr, parv[3], 0);
+
+		//Now moving on to the standard ones
+		if(!strcmp(parv[1], "SET") && parv[4] != NULL)
+			channel_metadata_add(chptr, parv[3], parv[4], 0);
+		if(!strcmp(parv[1], "CLEAR") && parv[3] != NULL)
+			channel_metadata_delete(chptr, parv[3], 0);
 	}
 
 	else
@@ -56,10 +68,17 @@ me_metadata(struct Client *client_p, struct Client *source_p, int parc, const ch
 		if(!target_p->user)
 			return 0;
 
+		//XXX need to support the old, nonstandard verbs for compatability reasons
 		if(!strcmp(parv[1], "ADD") && parv[4] != NULL)
 			user_metadata_add(target_p, parv[3], parv[4], 0);
 		if(!strcmp(parv[1], "DELETE") && parv[3] != NULL)
 			user_metadata_delete(target_p, parv[3], 0);
+
+		//Now moving on to the standard ones
+		if(!strcmp(parv[1], "SET") && parv[4] != NULL)
+			user_metadata_add(target_p, parv[3], parv[4], 0);
+		if(!strcmp(parv[1], "CLEAR") && parv[3] != NULL)
+			user_metadata_delete(target_p, parv[3], 0);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/channel.c b/src/channel.c
index 44c1ba3..fdfa8ec 100644
--- a/src/channel.c
+++ b/src/channel.c
@@ -2102,7 +2102,7 @@ channel_metadata_add(struct Channel *target, const char *name, const char *value
 	irc_dictionary_add(target->metadata, md->name, md);
 	
 	if(propegate)
-		sendto_match_servs(&me, "*", CAP_ENCAP, NOCAPS, "ENCAP * METADATA ADD %s %s :%s",
+		sendto_match_servs(&me, "*", CAP_ENCAP, NOCAPS, "ENCAP * METADATA SET %s %s :%s",
 				target->chname, name, value);
 
 	return md;
@@ -2155,7 +2155,7 @@ channel_metadata_delete(struct Channel *target, const char *name, int propegate)
 	rb_free(md);
 
 	if(propegate)
-		sendto_match_servs(&me, "*", CAP_ENCAP, NOCAPS, "ENCAP * METADATA DELETE %s %s",
+		sendto_match_servs(&me, "*", CAP_ENCAP, NOCAPS, "ENCAP * METADATA CLEAR %s %s",
 				target->chname, name);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/client.c b/src/client.c
index cf95175..6f9abe9 100644
--- a/src/client.c
+++ b/src/client.c
@@ -1955,7 +1955,7 @@ user_metadata_add(struct Client *target, const char *name, const char *value, in
 	irc_dictionary_add(target->user->metadata, md->name, md);
 	
 	if(propegate)
-		sendto_match_servs(&me, "*", CAP_ENCAP, NOCAPS, "ENCAP * METADATA ADD %s %s :%s",
+		sendto_match_servs(&me, "*", CAP_ENCAP, NOCAPS, "ENCAP * METADATA SET %s %s :%s",
 				target->id, name, value);
 
 	return md;
@@ -1983,7 +1983,7 @@ user_metadata_delete(struct Client *target, const char *name, int propegate)
 	rb_free(md);
 
 	if(propegate)
-		sendto_match_servs(&me, "*", CAP_ENCAP, NOCAPS, "ENCAP * METADATA DELETE %s %s",
+		sendto_match_servs(&me, "*", CAP_ENCAP, NOCAPS, "ENCAP * METADATA CLEAR %s %s",
 				target->id, name);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/s_serv.c b/src/s_serv.c
index 46fbcf0..e4576c6 100644
--- a/src/s_serv.c
+++ b/src/s_serv.c
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ burst_TS6(struct Client *client_p)
 
 		DICTIONARY_FOREACH(md, &iter, target_p->user->metadata)
 		{
-			sendto_one(client_p, ":%s ENCAP * METADATA ADD %s %s :%s",
+			sendto_one(client_p, ":%s ENCAP * METADATA SET %s %s :%s",
 				   use_id(&me), use_id(target_p), md->name, md->value);
 		}
 
@@ -666,7 +666,7 @@ burst_TS6(struct Client *client_p)
 		{
 			/* don't bother bursting +J metadata */
 			if(!(md->name[0] == 'K'))
-				sendto_one(client_p, ":%s ENCAP * METADATA ADD %s %s :%s",
+				sendto_one(client_p, ":%s ENCAP * METADATA SET %s %s :%s",
 					   use_id(&me), chptr->chname, md->name, md->value);
 		}