diff --git a/core/client/models/settings.js b/core/client/models/settings.js
index f5b2c93710..8ffe3ec7b5 100644
--- a/core/client/models/settings.js
+++ b/core/client/models/settings.js
@@ -1,10 +1,20 @@
-/*global Ghost */
+/*global Ghost, _ */
 (function () {
     'use strict';
     //id:0 is used to issue PUT requests
     Ghost.Models.Settings = Ghost.ProgressModel.extend({
         url: Ghost.paths.apiRoot + '/settings/?type=blog,theme,app',
-        id: '0'
+        id: '0',
+
+        parse: function (response) {
+            var result = _.reduce(response.settings, function (settings, setting) {
+                settings[setting.key] = setting.value;
+
+                return settings;
+            }, {});
+
+            return result;
+        }
     });
 
 }());
diff --git a/core/server/api/db.js b/core/server/api/db.js
index e0ee749c46..835819aa0e 100644
--- a/core/server/api/db.js
+++ b/core/server/api/db.js
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ db = {
                 return when.reject({code: 500, message: 'Please select a .json file to import.'});
             }
 
-            return api.settings.read({ key: 'databaseVersion' }).then(function (setting) {
+            return api.settings.read({ key: 'databaseVersion' }).then(function (response) {
+                var setting = response.settings[0];
+                
                 return when(setting.value);
             }, function () {
                 return when('002');
diff --git a/core/server/api/settings.js b/core/server/api/settings.js
index b50c9f1333..5082eb651a 100644
--- a/core/server/api/settings.js
+++ b/core/server/api/settings.js
@@ -4,34 +4,16 @@ var _            = require('lodash'),
     errors       = require('../errorHandling'),
     config       = require('../config'),
     settings,
-    settingsObject,
     settingsCollection,
     settingsFilter,
     updateSettingsCache,
     readSettingsResult,
     filterPaths,
+    settingsResult,
     // Holds cached settings
     settingsCache = {};
 
 // ### Helpers
-// Turn a settings collection into a single object/hashmap
-settingsObject = function (settings) {
-    if (_.isObject(settings)) {
-        return _.reduce(settings, function (res, item, key) {
-            if (_.isArray(item)) {
-                res[key] = item;
-            } else {
-                res[key] = item.value;
-            }
-            return res;
-        }, {});
-    }
-    return (settings.toJSON ? settings.toJSON() : settings).reduce(function (res, item) {
-        if (item.toJSON) { item = item.toJSON(); }
-        if (item.key) { res[item.key] = item.value; }
-        return res;
-    }, {});
-};
 // Turn an object into a collection
 settingsCollection = function (settings) {
     return _.map(settings, function (value, key) {
@@ -57,45 +39,53 @@ updateSettingsCache = function (settings) {
 
     if (!_.isEmpty(settings)) {
         _.map(settings, function (setting, key) {
-            settingsCache[key].value = setting.value;
-        });
-    } else {
-        return when(dataProvider.Settings.findAll()).then(function (result) {
-            return when(readSettingsResult(result)).then(function (s) {
-                settingsCache = s;
-            });
+            settingsCache[key] = setting;
         });
+
+        return when(settingsCache);
     }
+
+    return dataProvider.Settings.findAll()
+        .then(function (result) {
+            settingsCache = readSettingsResult(result.models);
+
+            return settingsCache;
+        });
 };
 
-readSettingsResult = function (result) {
-    var settings = {};
-    return when(_.map(result.models, function (member) {
-        if (!settings.hasOwnProperty(member.attributes.key)) {
-            var val = {};
-            val.value = member.attributes.value;
-            val.type = member.attributes.type;
-            settings[member.attributes.key] = val;
-        }
-    })).then(function () {
-        return when(config().paths.availableThemes).then(function (themes) {
-            var res = filterPaths(themes, settings.activeTheme.value);
-            settings.availableThemes = {
-                value: res,
-                type: 'theme'
-            };
-            return settings;
-        });
-    }).then(function () {
-        return when(config().paths.availableApps).then(function (apps) {
-            var res = filterPaths(apps, JSON.parse(settings.activeApps.value));
-            settings.availableApps = {
-                value: res,
-                type: 'app'
-            };
-            return settings;
-        });
-    });
+readSettingsResult = function (settingsModels) {
+    var settings = _.reduce(settingsModels, function (memo, member) {
+            if (!memo.hasOwnProperty(member.attributes.key)) {
+                memo[member.attributes.key] = member.attributes;
+            }
+
+            return memo;
+        }, {}),
+        themes = config().paths.availableThemes,
+        apps = config().paths.availableApps,
+        res;
+
+    if (settings.activeTheme) {
+        res = filterPaths(themes, settings.activeTheme.value);
+
+        settings.availableThemes = {
+            key: 'availableThemes',
+            value: res,
+            type: 'theme'
+        };
+    }
+
+    if (settings.activeApps) {
+        res = filterPaths(apps, JSON.parse(settings.activeApps.value));
+        
+        settings.availableApps = {
+            key: 'availableApps',
+            value: res,
+            type: 'app'
+        };
+    }
+
+    return settings;
 };
 
 
@@ -119,9 +109,9 @@ filterPaths = function (paths, active) {
 
     _.each(pathKeys, function (key) {
         //do not include hidden files or _messages
-        if (key.indexOf('.') !== 0
-                && key !== '_messages'
-                && key !== 'README.md'
+        if (key.indexOf('.') !== 0 &&
+                key !== '_messages' &&
+                key !== 'README.md'
                 ) {
             item = {
                 name: key
@@ -141,18 +131,31 @@ filterPaths = function (paths, active) {
     return res;
 };
 
+settingsResult = function (settings, type) {
+    var filteredSettings = _.values(settingsFilter(settings, type)),
+        result = {
+            settings: filteredSettings
+        };
+
+    if (type) {
+        result.meta = {
+            filters: {
+                type: type
+            }
+        };
+    }
+
+    return result;
+};
+
 settings = {
     // #### Browse
 
     // **takes:** options object
     browse: function browse(options) {
+        //TODO: omit where type==core
         // **returns:** a promise for a settings json object
-        if (settingsCache) {
-            return when(settingsCache).then(function (settings) {
-                //TODO: omit where type==core
-                return settingsObject(settingsFilter(settings, options.type));
-            }, errors.logAndThrowError);
-        }
+        return when(settingsResult(settingsCache, options.type));
     },
 
     // #### Read
@@ -163,17 +166,16 @@ settings = {
             options = { key: options };
         }
 
-        if (settingsCache) {
-            return when(settingsCache[options.key]).then(function (setting) {
-                if (!setting) {
-                    return when.reject({code: 404, message: 'Unable to find setting: ' + options.key});
-                }
-                var res = {};
-                res.key = options.key;
-                res.value = setting.value;
-                return res;
-            }, errors.logAndThrowError);
+        var setting = settingsCache[options.key],
+            result = {};
+
+        if (!setting) {
+            return when.reject({code: 404, message: 'Unable to find setting: ' + options.key});
         }
+        
+        result[options.key] = setting;
+
+        return when(settingsResult(result));
     },
 
     // #### Edit
@@ -193,23 +195,23 @@ settings = {
 
             key = settingsCollection(key);
             return dataProvider.Settings.edit(key, {user: self.user}).then(function (result) {
-                result.models = result;
-                return when(readSettingsResult(result)).then(function (settings) {
-                    updateSettingsCache(settings);
+                var readResult = readSettingsResult(result);
+
+                return updateSettingsCache(readResult).then(function () {
+                    return config.theme.update(settings, config().url);
                 }).then(function () {
-                    return config.theme.update(settings, config().url).then(function () {
-                        return settingsObject(settingsFilter(settingsCache, type));
-                    });
+                    return settingsResult(readResult, type);
                 });
             }).otherwise(function (error) {
                 return dataProvider.Settings.read(key.key).then(function (result) {
                     if (!result) {
                         return when.reject({code: 404, message: 'Unable to find setting: ' + key});
                     }
-                    return when.reject({message: error.message});
+                    return when.reject({message: error.message, stack: error.stack});
                 });
             });
         }
+
         return dataProvider.Settings.read(key).then(function (setting) {
             if (!setting) {
                 return when.reject({code: 404, message: 'Unable to find setting: ' + key});
@@ -219,11 +221,19 @@ settings = {
             }
             setting.set('value', value);
             return dataProvider.Settings.edit(setting, {user: self.user}).then(function (result) {
-                settingsCache[_.first(result).attributes.key].value = _.first(result).attributes.value;
-            }).then(function () {
+                var updatedSetting = _.first(result).attributes;
+                settingsCache[updatedSetting.key].value = updatedSetting.value;
+
+                return updatedSetting;
+            }).then(function (updatedSetting) {
                 return config.theme.update(settings, config().url).then(function () {
-                    return settingsObject(settingsCache);
+                    return updatedSetting;
                 });
+            }).then(function (updatedSetting) {
+                var result = {};
+                result[updatedSetting.key] = updatedSetting;
+
+                return settingsResult(result);
             }).otherwise(errors.logAndThrowError);
         });
     }
diff --git a/core/server/api/users.js b/core/server/api/users.js
index adcd6c2370..1b9cd1606e 100644
--- a/core/server/api/users.js
+++ b/core/server/api/users.js
@@ -114,19 +114,22 @@ users = {
 
     generateResetToken: function generateResetToken(email) {
         var expires = Date.now() + ONE_DAY;
-        return settings.read('dbHash').then(function (dbHash) {
+        return settings.read('dbHash').then(function (response) {
+            var dbHash = response.settings[0].value;
             return dataProvider.User.generateResetToken(email, expires, dbHash);
         });
     },
 
     validateToken: function validateToken(token) {
-        return settings.read('dbHash').then(function (dbHash) {
+        return settings.read('dbHash').then(function (response) {
+            var dbHash = response.settings[0].value;
             return dataProvider.User.validateToken(token, dbHash);
         });
     },
 
     resetPassword: function resetPassword(token, newPassword, ne2Password) {
-        return settings.read('dbHash').then(function (dbHash) {
+        return settings.read('dbHash').then(function (response) {
+            var dbHash = response.settings[0].value;
             return dataProvider.User.resetPassword(token, newPassword, ne2Password, dbHash);
         });
     },
diff --git a/core/server/apps/index.js b/core/server/apps/index.js
index b4db32de2f..44626a7ada 100644
--- a/core/server/apps/index.js
+++ b/core/server/apps/index.js
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ var _           = require('lodash'),
 
 
 function getInstalledApps() {
-    return api.settings.read('installedApps').then(function (installed) {
+    return api.settings.read('installedApps').then(function (response) {
+        var installed = response.settings[0];
+
         installed.value = installed.value || '[]';
 
         try {
@@ -36,7 +38,9 @@ module.exports = {
 
         try {
             // We have to parse the value because it's a string
-            api.settings.read('activeApps').then(function (aApps) {
+            api.settings.read('activeApps').then(function (response) {
+                var aApps = response.settings[0];
+
                 appsToLoad = JSON.parse(aApps.value) || [];
             });
         } catch (e) {
diff --git a/core/server/config/theme.js b/core/server/config/theme.js
index a58ab925b7..bd1d75ec85 100644
--- a/core/server/config/theme.js
+++ b/core/server/config/theme.js
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ function update(settings, configUrl) {
     ]).then(function (globals) {
         // normalise the URL by removing any trailing slash
         themeConfig.url = configUrl.replace(/\/$/, '');
-        themeConfig.title = globals[0].value;
-        themeConfig.description = globals[1].value;
-        themeConfig.logo = globals[2] ? globals[2].value : '';
-        themeConfig.cover = globals[3] ? globals[3].value : '';
+        themeConfig.title = globals[0].settings[0].value;
+        themeConfig.description = globals[1].settings[0].value;
+        themeConfig.logo = globals[2].settings[0] ? globals[2].settings[0].value : '';
+        themeConfig.cover = globals[3].settings[0] ? globals[3].settings[0].value : '';
         return;
     });
 }
diff --git a/core/server/config/url.js b/core/server/config/url.js
index 58b92b85db..7e1f4453af 100644
--- a/core/server/config/url.js
+++ b/core/server/config/url.js
@@ -142,7 +142,9 @@ function urlFor(context, data, absolute) {
 // - post - a json object representing a post
 // - absolute (optional, default:false) - boolean whether or not the url should be absolute
 function urlForPost(settings, post, absolute) {
-    return settings.read('permalinks').then(function (permalinks) {
+    return settings.read('permalinks').then(function (response) {
+        var permalinks = response.settings[0];
+        
         return urlFor('post', {post: post, permalinks: permalinks}, absolute);
     });
 }
diff --git a/core/server/controllers/frontend.js b/core/server/controllers/frontend.js
index dce94d37b3..554982ac09 100644
--- a/core/server/controllers/frontend.js
+++ b/core/server/controllers/frontend.js
@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@ var moment      = require('moment'),
     staticPostPermalink = new Route(null, '/:slug/:edit?');
 
 function getPostPage(options) {
-    return api.settings.read('postsPerPage').then(function (postPP) {
-        var postsPerPage = parseInt(postPP.value, 10);
+    return api.settings.read('postsPerPage').then(function (response) {
+        var postPP = response.settings[0],
+            postsPerPage = parseInt(postPP.value, 10);
 
         // No negative posts per page, must be number
         if (!isNaN(postsPerPage) && postsPerPage > 0) {
@@ -121,16 +122,17 @@ frontendControllers = {
 
             // Render the page of posts
             filters.doFilter('prePostsRender', page.posts).then(function (posts) {
-                api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (activeTheme) {
-                    var paths = config().paths.availableThemes[activeTheme.value],
+                api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (response) {
+                    var activeTheme = response.settings[0],
+                        paths = config().paths.availableThemes[activeTheme.value],
                         view = paths.hasOwnProperty('tag.hbs') ? 'tag' : 'index',
 
                         // Format data for template
-                        response = _.extend(formatPageResponse(posts, page), {
+                        result = _.extend(formatPageResponse(posts, page), {
                             tag: page.meta.filters.tags ? page.meta.filters.tags[0] : ''
                         });
 
-                    res.render(view, response);
+                    res.render(view, result);
                 });
             });
         }).otherwise(handleError(next));
@@ -141,7 +143,10 @@ frontendControllers = {
             editFormat,
             usingStaticPermalink = false;
 
-        api.settings.read('permalinks').then(function (permalink) {
+        api.settings.read('permalinks').then(function (response) {
+            var permalink = response.settings[0],
+                postLookup;
+
             editFormat = permalink.value[permalink.value.length - 1] === '/' ? ':edit?' : '/:edit?';
 
             // Convert saved permalink into an express Route object
@@ -167,7 +172,7 @@ frontendControllers = {
             params = permalink.params;
 
             // Sanitize params we're going to use to lookup the post.
-            var postLookup = _.pick(permalink.params, 'slug', 'id');
+            postLookup = _.pick(permalink.params, 'slug', 'id');
             // Add author, tag and fields
             postLookup.include = 'author,tags,fields';
 
@@ -194,8 +199,9 @@ frontendControllers = {
                 setReqCtx(req, post);
 
                 filters.doFilter('prePostsRender', post).then(function (post) {
-                    api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (activeTheme) {
-                        var paths = config().paths.availableThemes[activeTheme.value],
+                    api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (response) {
+                        var activeTheme = response.settings[0],
+                            paths = config().paths.availableThemes[activeTheme.value],
                             view = template.getThemeViewForPost(paths, post);
 
                         res.render(view, {post: post});
@@ -285,11 +291,11 @@ frontendControllers = {
 
             return api.posts.browse(options).then(function (page) {
 
-                var title = result[0].value.value,
-                    description = result[1].value.value,
-                    permalinks = result[2].value,
+                var title = result[0].value.settings[0].value,
+                    description = result[1].value.settings[0].value,
+                    permalinks = result[2].value.settings[0],
                     siteUrl = config.urlFor('home', {secure: req.secure}, true),
-                    feedUrl =  config.urlFor('rss', {secure: req.secure}, true),
+                    feedUrl = config.urlFor('rss', {secure: req.secure}, true),
                     maxPage = page.meta.pagination.pages,
                     feedItems = [],
                     feed;
@@ -348,8 +354,8 @@ frontendControllers = {
                         });
                         item.description = content;
                         feed.item(item);
-                        deferred.resolve();
                         feedItems.push(deferred.promise);
+                        deferred.resolve();
                     });
                 });
 
diff --git a/core/server/data/import/000.js b/core/server/data/import/000.js
index fbc57b9d34..fd509c404c 100644
--- a/core/server/data/import/000.js
+++ b/core/server/data/import/000.js
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 var when   = require('when'),
     _      = require('lodash'),
     models = require('../../models'),
-    Importer000;
+    Importer000,
+    updatedSettingKeys;
+
+updatedSettingKeys = {
+    activePlugins: 'activeApps',
+    installedPlugins: 'installedApps'
+};
 
 
 Importer000 = function () {
@@ -121,6 +127,12 @@ function importSettings(ops, tableData, transaction) {
     tableData = _.filter(tableData, function (data) {
         return blackList.indexOf(data.type) === -1;
     });
+
+    // Clean up legacy plugin setting references
+    _.each(tableData, function (datum) {
+        datum.key = updatedSettingKeys[datum.key] || datum.key;
+    });
+
     ops.push(models.Settings.edit(tableData, {user: 1, transacting: transaction})
          // add pass-through error handling so that bluebird doesn't think we've dropped it
          .otherwise(function (error) { return when.reject(error); }));
diff --git a/core/server/errorHandling.js b/core/server/errorHandling.js
index 9452908e71..f7294605a8 100644
--- a/core/server/errorHandling.js
+++ b/core/server/errorHandling.js
@@ -125,7 +125,6 @@ errors = {
 
     renderErrorPage: function (code, err, req, res, next) {
         /*jshint unused:false*/
-
         var self = this;
 
         function parseStack(stack) {
@@ -192,7 +191,7 @@ errors = {
         }
 
         // Are we admin? If so, don't worry about the user template
-        if ((res.isAdmin && req.session.user) || userErrorTemplateExists === true) {
+        if ((res.isAdmin && req.session && req.session.user) || userErrorTemplateExists === true) {
             return renderErrorInt();
         }
 
diff --git a/core/server/helpers/index.js b/core/server/helpers/index.js
index 937d10ca75..b4d89ec52a 100644
--- a/core/server/helpers/index.js
+++ b/core/server/helpers/index.js
@@ -385,8 +385,9 @@ coreHelpers.body_class = function (options) {
         classes.push('page');
     }
 
-    return api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (activeTheme) {
-        var paths = config().paths.availableThemes[activeTheme.value],
+    return api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (response) {
+        var activeTheme = response.settings[0],
+            paths = config().paths.availableThemes[activeTheme.value],
             view;
 
         if (post) {
@@ -445,8 +446,8 @@ coreHelpers.ghost_head = function (options) {
 
     head.push('<meta name="generator" content="Ghost ' + trimmedVersion + '" />');
 
-    head.push('<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="'
-        + _.escape(blog.title)  + '" href="' + config.urlFor('rss') + '">');
+    head.push('<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="' +
+        _.escape(blog.title)  + '" href="' + config.urlFor('rss') + '">');
 
     return coreHelpers.url.call(self, {hash: {absolute: true}}).then(function (url) {
         head.push('<link rel="canonical" href="' + url + '" />');
@@ -530,9 +531,9 @@ coreHelpers.e = function (key, defaultString, options) {
         api.settings.read('defaultLang'),
         api.settings.read('forceI18n')
     ]).then(function (values) {
-        if (values[0].value === 'en'
-                && _.isEmpty(options.hash)
-                && _.isEmpty(values[1].value)) {
+        if (values[0].settings.value === 'en' &&
+                _.isEmpty(options.hash) &&
+                _.isEmpty(values[1].settings.value)) {
             output = defaultString;
         } else {
             output = polyglot().t(key, options.hash);
@@ -651,18 +652,18 @@ coreHelpers.pagination = function (options) {
         errors.logAndThrowError('pagination data is not an object or is a function');
         return;
     }
-    if (_.isUndefined(this.pagination.page) || _.isUndefined(this.pagination.pages)
-            || _.isUndefined(this.pagination.total) || _.isUndefined(this.pagination.limit)) {
+    if (_.isUndefined(this.pagination.page) || _.isUndefined(this.pagination.pages) ||
+            _.isUndefined(this.pagination.total) || _.isUndefined(this.pagination.limit)) {
         errors.logAndThrowError('All values must be defined for page, pages, limit and total');
         return;
     }
-    if ((!_.isNull(this.pagination.next) && !_.isNumber(this.pagination.next))
-            || (!_.isNull(this.pagination.prev) && !_.isNumber(this.pagination.prev))) {
+    if ((!_.isNull(this.pagination.next) && !_.isNumber(this.pagination.next)) ||
+            (!_.isNull(this.pagination.prev) && !_.isNumber(this.pagination.prev))) {
         errors.logAndThrowError('Invalid value, Next/Prev must be a number');
         return;
     }
-    if (!_.isNumber(this.pagination.page) || !_.isNumber(this.pagination.pages)
-            || !_.isNumber(this.pagination.total) || !_.isNumber(this.pagination.limit)) {
+    if (!_.isNumber(this.pagination.page) || !_.isNumber(this.pagination.pages) ||
+            !_.isNumber(this.pagination.total) || !_.isNumber(this.pagination.limit)) {
         errors.logAndThrowError('Invalid value, check page, pages, limit and total are numbers');
         return;
     }
diff --git a/core/server/index.js b/core/server/index.js
index b25226585c..d9888fda3f 100644
--- a/core/server/index.js
+++ b/core/server/index.js
@@ -53,19 +53,21 @@ function doFirstRun() {
 }
 
 function initDbHashAndFirstRun() {
-    return when(api.settings.read('dbHash')).then(function (hash) {
-        // we already ran this, chill
-        // Holds the dbhash (mainly used for cookie secret)
-        dbHash = hash.value;
+    return when(api.settings.read('dbHash')).then(function (response) {
+        var hash = response.settings[0].value,
+            initHash;
+
+        dbHash = hash;
 
         if (dbHash === null) {
-            var initHash = uuid.v4();
-            return when(api.settings.edit.call({user: 1}, 'dbHash', initHash)).then(function (settings) {
-                dbHash = settings.dbHash;
+            initHash = uuid.v4();
+            return when(api.settings.edit.call({user: 1}, 'dbHash', initHash)).then(function (response) {
+                dbHash = response.settings[0].value;
                 return dbHash;
             }).then(doFirstRun);
         }
-        return dbHash.value;
+        
+        return dbHash;
     });
 }
 
diff --git a/core/server/mail.js b/core/server/mail.js
index 3aa37c7cb6..08453d3ec7 100644
--- a/core/server/mail.js
+++ b/core/server/mail.js
@@ -108,8 +108,10 @@ GhostMailer.prototype.send = function (message) {
         return when.reject(new Error('Email Error: Incomplete message data.'));
     }
 
-    return api.settings.read('email').then(function (email) {
-        var to = message.to || email.value;
+    return api.settings.read('email').then(function (response) {
+
+        var email = response.settings[0],
+            to = message.to || email.value;
 
         message = _.extend(message, {
             from: self.fromAddress(),
diff --git a/core/server/middleware/index.js b/core/server/middleware/index.js
index 77e6404fb0..111a8a42bc 100644
--- a/core/server/middleware/index.js
+++ b/core/server/middleware/index.js
@@ -149,7 +149,9 @@ function manageAdminAndTheme(req, res, next) {
         expressServer.enable(expressServer.get('activeTheme'));
         expressServer.disable('admin');
     }
-    api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (activeTheme) {
+    api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (response) {
+        var activeTheme = response.settings[0];
+        
         // Check if the theme changed
         if (activeTheme.value !== expressServer.get('activeTheme')) {
             // Change theme
diff --git a/core/server/middleware/middleware.js b/core/server/middleware/middleware.js
index 0f67ffe178..e998c4bd3b 100644
--- a/core/server/middleware/middleware.js
+++ b/core/server/middleware/middleware.js
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ var middleware = {
     // Check if we're logged in, and if so, redirect people back to dashboard
     // Login and signup forms in particular
     redirectToDashboard: function (req, res, next) {
-        if (req.session.user) {
+        if (req.session && req.session.user) {
             return res.redirect(config().paths.subdir + '/ghost/');
         }
 
@@ -170,7 +170,8 @@ var middleware = {
 
     // to allow unit testing
     forwardToExpressStatic: function (req, res, next) {
-        api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (activeTheme) {
+        api.settings.read('activeTheme').then(function (response) {
+            var activeTheme = response.settings[0];
             // For some reason send divides the max age number by 1000
             express['static'](path.join(config().paths.themePath, activeTheme.value), {maxAge: ONE_HOUR_MS})(req, res, next);
         });
diff --git a/core/server/models/settings.js b/core/server/models/settings.js
index 56ad6e54b6..35ea9bfdb3 100644
--- a/core/server/models/settings.js
+++ b/core/server/models/settings.js
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ function parseDefaultSettings() {
     var defaultSettingsInCategories = require('../data/default-settings.json'),
         defaultSettingsFlattened = {};
 
-
     _.each(defaultSettingsInCategories, function (settings, categoryName) {
         _.each(settings, function (setting, settingName) {
             setting.type = categoryName;
@@ -46,7 +45,6 @@ Settings = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
         validation.validateSettings(defaultSettings, this);
     },
 
-
     saving: function () {
          // disabling sanitization until we can implement a better version
          // All blog setting keys that need their values to be escaped.
@@ -63,9 +61,7 @@ Settings = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
         if (!_.isObject(_key)) {
             _key = { key: _key };
         }
-        return when(ghostBookshelf.Model.read.call(this, _key)).then(function (element) {
-            return element;
-        });
+        return when(ghostBookshelf.Model.read.call(this, _key));
     },
 
     edit: function (_data, options) {
@@ -77,13 +73,16 @@ Settings = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
         return when.map(_data, function (item) {
             // Accept an array of models as input
             if (item.toJSON) { item = item.toJSON(); }
+            if (!(_.isString(item.key) && item.key.length > 0)) {
+                return when.reject(new Error('Setting key cannot be empty.'));
+            }
             return Settings.forge({ key: item.key }).fetch(options).then(function (setting) {
 
                 if (setting) {
                     return setting.save({value: item.value}, options);
                 }
 
-                return Settings.forge({ key: item.key, value: item.value }).save(null, options);
+                return when.reject(new Error('Unable to find setting to update: ' + item.key));
 
             }, errors.logAndThrowError);
         });
diff --git a/core/server/update-check.js b/core/server/update-check.js
index d595d02c1c..8e2631f8ee 100644
--- a/core/server/update-check.js
+++ b/core/server/update-check.js
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ function updateCheckData() {
     ops.push(api.settings.read('dbHash').otherwise(errors.rejectError));
     ops.push(api.settings.read('activeTheme').otherwise(errors.rejectError));
     ops.push(api.settings.read('activeApps')
-        .then(function (apps) {
+        .then(function (response) {
+            var apps = response.settings[0];
             try {
                 apps = JSON.parse(apps.value);
             } catch (e) {
@@ -73,8 +74,8 @@ function updateCheckData() {
     data.email_transport = mailConfig && (mailConfig.options && mailConfig.options.service ? mailConfig.options.service : mailConfig.transport);
 
     return when.settle(ops).then(function (descriptors) {
-        var hash             = descriptors[0].value,
-            theme            = descriptors[1].value,
+        var hash             = descriptors[0].value.settings[0],
+            theme            = descriptors[1].value.settings[0],
             apps             = descriptors[2].value,
             posts            = descriptors[3].value,
             users            = descriptors[4].value,
@@ -85,9 +86,9 @@ function updateCheckData() {
         data.blog_id         = crypto.createHash('md5').update(blogId).digest('hex');
         data.theme           = theme ? theme.value : '';
         data.apps            = apps || '';
-        data.post_count      = posts && posts.total ? posts.total : 0;
-        data.user_count      = users && users.length ? users.length : 0;
-        data.blog_created_at = users && users[0] && users[0].created_at ? moment(users[0].created_at).unix() : '';
+        data.post_count      = posts && posts.posts && posts.posts.total ? posts.total : 0;
+        data.user_count      = users && users.users && users.users.length ? users.length : 0;
+        data.blog_created_at = users && users.users && users.users[0] && users.users[0].created_at ? moment(users.users[0].created_at).unix() : '';
         data.npm_version     = _.isArray(npm) && npm[0] ? npm[0].toString().replace(/\n/, '') : '';
 
         return data;
@@ -170,7 +171,9 @@ function updateCheck() {
         // No update check
         deferred.resolve();
     } else {
-        api.settings.read('nextUpdateCheck').then(function (nextUpdateCheck) {
+        api.settings.read('nextUpdateCheck').then(function (result) {
+            var nextUpdateCheck = result.settings[0];
+
             if (nextUpdateCheck && nextUpdateCheck.value && nextUpdateCheck.value > moment().unix()) {
                 // It's not time to check yet
                 deferred.resolve();
@@ -188,7 +191,9 @@ function updateCheck() {
 }
 
 function showUpdateNotification() {
-    return api.settings.read('displayUpdateNotification').then(function (display) {
+    return api.settings.read('displayUpdateNotification').then(function (response) {
+        var display = response.settings[0];
+
         // Version 0.4 used boolean to indicate the need for an update. This special case is
         // translated to the version string.
         // TODO: remove in future version.
diff --git a/core/test/functional/routes/api/settings_test.js b/core/test/functional/routes/api/settings_test.js
index c8047e1149..f4398c8e41 100644
--- a/core/test/functional/routes/api/settings_test.js
+++ b/core/test/functional/routes/api/settings_test.js
@@ -113,8 +113,10 @@ describe('Settings API', function () {
                 var jsonResponse = res.body;
 
                 jsonResponse.should.exist;
-                testUtils.API.checkResponseValue(jsonResponse, ['key', 'value']);
-                jsonResponse.key.should.eql('title');
+                jsonResponse.settings.should.exist;
+
+                testUtils.API.checkResponseValue(jsonResponse.settings[0], ['id','uuid','key','value','type','created_at','created_by','updated_at','updated_by']);
+                jsonResponse.settings[0].key.should.eql('title');
                 done();
             });
     });
@@ -144,13 +146,17 @@ describe('Settings API', function () {
                 }
 
                 var jsonResponse = res.body,
-                    changedValue = 'Ghost changed';
+                    changedValue = 'Ghost changed',
+                    settingToChange = {
+                        title: changedValue
+                    };
+
                 jsonResponse.should.exist;
-                jsonResponse.title = changedValue;
+                jsonResponse.settings.should.exist;
 
                 request.put(testUtils.API.getApiQuery('settings/'))
                     .set('X-CSRF-Token', csrfToken)
-                    .send(jsonResponse)
+                    .send(settingToChange)
                     .expect(200)
                     .end(function (err, res) {
                         if (err) {
@@ -161,7 +167,7 @@ describe('Settings API', function () {
                         res.headers['x-cache-invalidate'].should.eql('/*');
                         res.should.be.json;
                         putBody.should.exist;
-                        putBody.title.should.eql(changedValue);
+                        putBody.settings[0].value.should.eql(changedValue);
                         testUtils.API.checkResponse(putBody, 'settings');
                         done();
                     });
diff --git a/core/test/integration/api/api_settings_spec.js b/core/test/integration/api/api_settings_spec.js
index 7e302f4c0f..cbf3f26288 100644
--- a/core/test/integration/api/api_settings_spec.js
+++ b/core/test/integration/api/api_settings_spec.js
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ describe('Settings API', function () {
             .then(function () {
                 return testUtils.insertDefaultFixtures();
             })
+            .then(function () {
+                return SettingsAPI.updateSettingsCache();
+            })
             .then(function () {
                 done();
             }, done);
@@ -31,12 +34,46 @@ describe('Settings API', function () {
     });
 
     it('can browse', function (done) {
-        SettingsAPI.updateSettingsCache().then(function () {
-            SettingsAPI.browse('blog').then(function (results) {
-                should.exist(results);
-                testUtils.API.checkResponse(results, 'settings');
-                done();
-            });
-        });
+        return SettingsAPI.browse('blog').then(function (results) {
+            should.exist(results);
+            testUtils.API.checkResponse(results, 'settings');
+            results.settings.length.should.be.above(0);
+            testUtils.API.checkResponse(results.settings[0], 'setting');
+
+            done();
+        }).catch(done);
+    });
+
+    it('can read by string', function (done) {
+        return SettingsAPI.read('title').then(function (response) {
+            should.exist(response);
+            testUtils.API.checkResponse(response, 'settings');
+            response.settings.length.should.equal(1);
+            testUtils.API.checkResponse(response.settings[0], 'setting');
+
+            done();
+        }).catch(done);
+    });
+
+    it('can read by object key', function (done) {
+        return SettingsAPI.read({ key: 'title' }).then(function (response) {
+            should.exist(response);
+            testUtils.API.checkResponse(response, 'settings');
+            response.settings.length.should.equal(1);
+            testUtils.API.checkResponse(response.settings[0], 'setting');
+
+            done();
+        }).catch(done);
+    });
+
+    it('can edit', function (done) {
+        return SettingsAPI.edit('title', 'UpdatedGhost').then(function (response) {
+            should.exist(response);
+            testUtils.API.checkResponse(response, 'settings');
+            response.settings.length.should.equal(1);
+            testUtils.API.checkResponse(response.settings[0], 'setting');
+
+            done();
+        }).catch(done);
     });
 });
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/test/integration/model/model_settings_spec.js b/core/test/integration/model/model_settings_spec.js
index c9c3c84c0c..fd08f9e2da 100644
--- a/core/test/integration/model/model_settings_spec.js
+++ b/core/test/integration/model/model_settings_spec.js
@@ -206,9 +206,8 @@ describe('Settings Model', function () {
                 return SettingsModel.findAll();
             }).then(function (allSettings) {
                 allSettings.length.should.be.above(0);
-                return SettingsModel.read('description').then(function (descriptionSetting) {
-                    return descriptionSetting;
-                });
+
+                return SettingsModel.read('description');
             }).then(function (descriptionSetting) {
                 // Testing against the actual value in default-settings.json feels icky,
                 // but it's easier to fix the test if that ever changes than to mock out that behaviour
@@ -218,7 +217,7 @@ describe('Settings Model', function () {
         });
 
         it('doesn\'t overwrite any existing settings', function (done) {
-            SettingsModel.edit({key: 'description', value: 'Adam\'s Blog'}, {user: 1}).then(function () {
+            SettingsModel.add({key: 'description', value: 'Adam\'s Blog'}, {user: 1}).then(function () {
                 return SettingsModel.populateDefaults();
             }).then(function () {
                 return SettingsModel.read('description');
diff --git a/core/test/unit/config_spec.js b/core/test/unit/config_spec.js
index e7eada4db8..2640137848 100644
--- a/core/test/unit/config_spec.js
+++ b/core/test/unit/config_spec.js
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ describe('Config', function () {
             settings = {'read': function read() {}};
 
             settingsStub = sandbox.stub(settings, 'read', function () {
-                return when({value: 'casper'});
+                return when({ settings: [{value: 'casper'}] });
             });
 
             theme.update(settings, 'http://my-ghost-blog.com')
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ describe('Config', function () {
         it('should output correct url for post', function (done) {
             var settings = {'read': function read() {}},
                 settingsStub = sandbox.stub(settings, 'read', function () {
-                    return when({value: '/:slug/'});
+                    return when({ settings: [{value: '/:slug/'}] });
                 }),
                 testData = testUtils.DataGenerator.Content.posts[2],
                 postLink = '/short-and-sweet/';
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ describe('Config', function () {
         it('should output correct url for post with date permalink', function (done) {
             var settings = {'read': function read() {}},
                 settingsStub = sandbox.stub(settings, 'read', function () {
-                    return when({value: '/:year/:month/:day/:slug/'});
+                    return when({ settings: [{value: '/:year/:month/:day/:slug/'}] });
                 }),
                 testData = testUtils.DataGenerator.Content.posts[2],
                 today = new Date(),
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ describe('Config', function () {
         it('should output correct url for page with date permalink', function (done) {
             var settings = {'read': function read() {}},
                 settingsStub = sandbox.stub(settings, 'read', function () {
-                    return when({value: '/:year/:month/:day/:slug/'});
+                    return when({ settings: [{value: '/:year/:month/:day/:slug/'}] });
                 }),
                 testData = testUtils.DataGenerator.Content.posts[5],
                 postLink = '/static-page-test/';
diff --git a/core/test/unit/frontend_spec.js b/core/test/unit/frontend_spec.js
index 787768f730..c517da59bc 100644
--- a/core/test/unit/frontend_spec.js
+++ b/core/test/unit/frontend_spec.js
@@ -44,9 +44,11 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             });
 
             apiSettingsStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read');
-            apiSettingsStub.withArgs('postsPerPage').returns(when({
-                'key': 'postsPerPage',
-                'value': 6
+            apiSettingsStub.withArgs('postsPerPage').returns(when({ 
+                settings: [{
+                    'key': 'postsPerPage',
+                    'value': 6
+                }]
             }));
         });
 
@@ -199,13 +201,17 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             apiSettingsStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read');
  
             apiSettingsStub.withArgs('activeTheme').returns(when({
-                'key': 'activeTheme',
-                'value': 'casper'
+                settings: [{
+                    'key': 'activeTheme',
+                    'value': 'casper'
+                }]
             }));
  
             apiSettingsStub.withArgs('postsPerPage').returns(when({
-                'key': 'postsPerPage',
-                'value': '10'
+                settings: [{
+                    'key': 'postsPerPage',
+                    'value': '10'
+                }]
             }));
  
             frontend.__set__('config',  sandbox.stub().returns({
@@ -265,8 +271,10 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
 
             apiSettingsStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read');
             apiSettingsStub.withArgs('postsPerPage').returns(when({
-                'key': 'postsPerPage',
-                'value': 6
+                settings: [{
+                    'key': 'postsPerPage',
+                    'value': 6
+                }]
             }));
         });
 
@@ -415,8 +423,10 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             apiSettingsStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read');
 
             apiSettingsStub.withArgs('activeTheme').returns(when({
-                'key': 'activeTheme',
-                'value': 'casper'
+                settings: [{
+                    'key': 'activeTheme',
+                    'value': 'casper'
+                }]
             }));
 
             frontend.__set__('config',  sandbox.stub().returns({
@@ -441,7 +451,9 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             describe('custom page templates', function () {
                 beforeEach(function () {
                     apiSettingsStub.withArgs('permalinks').returns(when({
-                        value: '/:slug/'
+                            settings: [{
+                            value: '/:slug/'
+                        }]
                     }));
                 });
 
@@ -463,7 +475,9 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             describe('permalink set to slug', function () {
                 beforeEach(function () {
                     apiSettingsStub.withArgs('permalinks').returns(when({
-                        value: '/:slug/'
+                        settings: [{
+                            value: '/:slug/'
+                        }]
                     }));
                 });
 
@@ -532,7 +546,9 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             describe('permalink set to date', function () {
                 beforeEach(function () {
                     apiSettingsStub.withArgs('permalinks').returns(when({
+                        settings: [{
                         value: '/:year/:month/:day/:slug/'
+                        }] 
                     }));
                 });
 
@@ -603,7 +619,9 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             describe('permalink set to slug', function () {
                 beforeEach(function () {
                     apiSettingsStub.withArgs('permalinks').returns(when({
-                        value: '/:slug'
+                        settings: [{
+                            value: '/:slug'
+                        }] 
                     }));
                 });
 
@@ -674,7 +692,9 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             describe('permalink set to date', function () {
                 beforeEach(function () {
                     apiSettingsStub.withArgs('permalinks').returns(when({
-                        value: '/:year/:month/:day/:slug'
+                        settings: [{
+                            value: '/:year/:month/:day/:slug'
+                        }] 
                     }));
                 });
 
@@ -762,7 +782,9 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
             describe('permalink set to custom format', function () {
                 beforeEach(function () {
                     apiSettingsStub.withArgs('permalinks').returns(when({
-                        value: '/:year/:slug'
+                        settings: [{
+                            value: '/:year/:slug'
+                        }] 
                     }));
                 });
 
@@ -891,16 +913,22 @@ describe('Frontend Controller', function () {
 
             apiSettingsStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read');
             apiSettingsStub.withArgs('title').returns(when({
-                'key': 'title',
-                'value': 'Test'
+                settings: [{
+                    'key': 'title',
+                    'value': 'Test'
+                }]
             }));
             apiSettingsStub.withArgs('description').returns(when({
-                'key': 'description',
-                'value': 'Some Text'
+                settings: [{
+                    'key': 'description',
+                    'value': 'Some Text'
+                }]
             }));
             apiSettingsStub.withArgs('permalinks').returns(when({
-                'key': 'permalinks',
-                'value': '/:slug/'
+                settings: [{
+                    'key': 'permalinks',
+                    'value': '/:slug/'
+                }]
             }));
         });
 
diff --git a/core/test/unit/import_spec.js b/core/test/unit/import_spec.js
index eee562cffc..e0dcb71a82 100644
--- a/core/test/unit/import_spec.js
+++ b/core/test/unit/import_spec.js
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ describe("Import", function () {
             }).then(function () {
                 (1).should.eql(0, 'Data import should not resolve promise.');
             }, function (error) {
-                error.should.eql('Error importing data: Value in [settings.key] cannot be blank.');
+                error.should.eql('Error importing data: Setting key cannot be empty.');
 
                 when.all([
                     knex("users").select(),
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ describe("Import", function () {
                 done();
             }).otherwise(function (error) {
                 done(new Error(error));
-            })
+            });
         });
 
         it("doesn't import invalid post data from 002", function (done) {
@@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ describe("Import", function () {
             }).then(function () {
                 (1).should.eql(0, 'Data import should not resolve promise.');
             }, function (error) {
-                error.should.eql('Error importing data: Value in [settings.key] cannot be blank.');
+                error.should.eql('Error importing data: Setting key cannot be empty.');
 
                 when.all([
                     knex("users").select(),
diff --git a/core/test/unit/server_helpers_index_spec.js b/core/test/unit/server_helpers_index_spec.js
index e7727a4dd5..3c632563ab 100644
--- a/core/test/unit/server_helpers_index_spec.js
+++ b/core/test/unit/server_helpers_index_spec.js
@@ -32,7 +32,9 @@ describe('Core Helpers', function () {
         helpers = rewire('../../server/helpers');
         sandbox = sinon.sandbox.create();
         apiStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read', function (arg) {
-            return when({value: 'casper'});
+            return when({
+                settings: [{value: 'casper'}]
+            });
         });
 
         config = helpers.__get__('config');
@@ -1186,7 +1188,9 @@ describe('Core Helpers', function () {
             apiStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read', function () {
                 var futureversion = packageInfo.version.split('.');
                 futureversion[futureversion.length - 1] = parseInt(futureversion[futureversion.length - 1], 10) + 1;
-                return when({value: futureversion.join('.')});
+                return when({
+                    settings: [{value: futureversion.join('.')}]
+                });
             });
 
             helpers.update_notification.call({currentUser: {name: 'bob'}}).then(function (rendered) {
@@ -1208,7 +1212,7 @@ describe('Core Helpers', function () {
         it('does NOT output a correctly formatted notification when db version equals package version', function (done) {
             apiStub.restore();
             apiStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read', function () {
-                return when({value: packageInfo.version});
+                return when({ settings: [{value: packageInfo.version}] });
             });
 
             helpers.update_notification.call({currentUser: {name: 'bob'}}).then(function (rendered) {
@@ -1223,7 +1227,7 @@ describe('Core Helpers', function () {
 
             apiStub.restore();
             apiStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read', function () {
-                return when({value: 'true'});
+                return when({ settings: [{value: 'true'}] });
             });
 
             helpers.update_notification.call({currentUser: {name: 'bob'}}).then(function (rendered) {
@@ -1238,7 +1242,7 @@ describe('Core Helpers', function () {
             apiStub = sandbox.stub(api.settings, 'read', function () {
                 var futureversion = packageInfo.version.split('.');
                 futureversion[futureversion.length-1] = parseInt(futureversion[futureversion.length-1], 10) + 1;
-                return when({value: futureversion.join('.')});
+                return when({ settings: [{value: futureversion.join('.')}] });
             });
 
             helpers.update_notification.call().then(function (rendered) {
diff --git a/core/test/unit/xmlrpc_spec.js b/core/test/unit/xmlrpc_spec.js
index 312d885e65..47c7e9d75e 100644
--- a/core/test/unit/xmlrpc_spec.js
+++ b/core/test/unit/xmlrpc_spec.js
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ describe('XMLRPC', function () {
             ping2 = nock('http://rpc.pingomatic.com').post('/').reply(200),
             testPost = testUtils.DataGenerator.Content.posts[2],
             settingsStub = sandbox.stub(settings, 'read', function () {
-                return when({value: '/:slug/'});
+                return when({ settings: [{value: '/:slug/'}] });
             });
 
         xmlrpc.ping(testPost).then(function () {
diff --git a/core/test/utils/api.js b/core/test/utils/api.js
index 211c792e6d..eb87fdc6ef 100644
--- a/core/test/utils/api.js
+++ b/core/test/utils/api.js
@@ -10,10 +10,8 @@ var _ = require('lodash'),
         post: ['id', 'uuid', 'title', 'slug', 'markdown', 'html', 'meta_title', 'meta_description',
             'featured', 'image', 'status', 'language', 'created_at', 'created_by', 'updated_at',
             'updated_by', 'published_at', 'published_by', 'page', 'author', 'tags', 'fields'],
-        // TODO: remove databaseVersion, dbHash
-        settings: ['databaseVersion', 'dbHash', 'title', 'description', 'email', 'logo', 'cover', 'defaultLang',
-            "permalinks", 'postsPerPage', 'forceI18n', 'activeTheme', 'activeApps', 'installedApps',
-            'availableThemes', 'availableApps', 'nextUpdateCheck', 'displayUpdateNotification'],
+        settings: ['settings'],
+        setting: ['id','uuid','key','value','type','created_at','created_by','updated_at','updated_by'],
         tag: ['id', 'uuid', 'name', 'slug', 'description', 'parent',
             'meta_title', 'meta_description', 'created_at', 'created_by', 'updated_at', 'updated_by'],
         user: ['id', 'uuid', 'name', 'slug', 'email', 'image', 'cover', 'bio', 'website',
@@ -44,6 +42,10 @@ function checkResponse (jsonResponse, objectType) {
 function checkResponseValue (jsonResponse, properties) {
     Object.keys(jsonResponse).length.should.eql(properties.length);
     for(var i=0; i<properties.length; i = i + 1) {
+        // For some reason, settings response objects do not have the 'hasOwnProperty' method
+        if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(jsonResponse, properties[i])) {
+            continue;
+        }
         jsonResponse.should.have.property(properties[i]);
     }
 }