diff --git a/pkg/arvo/app/chat-store.hoon b/pkg/arvo/app/chat-store.hoon
index a21211cfc..c993d37e4 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/app/chat-store.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/app/chat-store.hoon
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@
   =/  app-rid=resource
     (path-to-resource path)
   =/  group-rid=resource
-    (fall (group-from-app-resource:met %graph app-rid) [nobody %bad-group])
+    (fall (peek-group:met %graph app-rid) [nobody %bad-group])
   =/  group=(unit group)
     (scry-group:grp group-rid)
   :-  (add-graph app-rid mailbox)
diff --git a/pkg/arvo/app/graph-push-hook.hoon b/pkg/arvo/app/graph-push-hook.hoon
index 420311729..3fecbb701 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/app/graph-push-hook.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/app/graph-push-hook.hoon
@@ -25,13 +25,13 @@
   ^-  ?
   =/  grp  ~(. group bowl)
   =/  met  ~(. metadata bowl)
-  =/  groups  
-    (groups-from-resource:met [%graph resource])
-  ?~  groups  %.n
+  =/  group=(unit resource:res)
+    (peek-group:met [%graph resource])
+  ?~  group  %.n
   ?:  requires-admin
-    (is-admin:grp src.bowl i.groups)
-  ?|  (is-member:grp src.bowl i.groups)
-      (is-admin:grp src.bowl i.groups)
+    (is-admin:grp src.bowl u.group)
+  ?|  (is-member:grp src.bowl u.group)
+      (is-admin:grp src.bowl u.group)
   ==
 ::
 ++  is-allowed-remove
diff --git a/pkg/arvo/app/hark-graph-hook.hoon b/pkg/arvo/app/hark-graph-hook.hoon
index 68dfd65e3..25d6dd954 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/app/hark-graph-hook.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/app/hark-graph-hook.hoon
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@
     |=  rid=resource
     ^-  (quip card _state)
     =/  group-rid=(unit resource)
-      (group-from-app-resource:met %graph rid) 
+      (peek-group:met %graph rid) 
     ?~  group-rid
       ~&  no-group+rid
       `state
@@ -217,12 +217,12 @@
             rid=resource
         ==
     =/  group=(unit resource)
-      (group-from-app-resource:met %graph rid)
+      (peek-group:met %graph rid)
     ?~  group  
       ~&  no-group+rid
       `state
     =/  metadata=(unit metadata:metadata-store)
-      (peek-metadata:met %graph u.group rid)
+      (peek-metadata:met %graph rid)
     ?~  metadata  `state
     abet:check:(abed:handle-update:ha rid nodes u.group module.u.metadata)
   --
diff --git a/pkg/arvo/lib/metadata-json.hoon b/pkg/arvo/lib/metadata-json.hoon
index 329471412..2f6a6bb13 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/lib/metadata-json.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/lib/metadata-json.hoon
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 /-  *metadata-store
 /+  resource
+^?
 |%
 ++  associations-to-json
   |=  =associations
diff --git a/pkg/arvo/lib/metadata.hoon b/pkg/arvo/lib/metadata.hoon
index 279f4852c..fb1913de8 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/lib/metadata.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/lib/metadata.hoon
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ::  metadata: helpers for getting data from the metadata-store
 ::
 /-  *metadata-store
-/+  res=resource
+/+  resource
 ::
 |_  =bowl:gall
 ++  app-paths-from-group
@@ -22,38 +22,20 @@
   ?.  =(app-name.md-resource app-name)  ~
   `resource.md-resource
 ::
-++  peek-metadata
-  |=  [app-name=term =group=resource:res =app=resource:res]
-  ^-  (unit metadata)
-  =/  group-cord=cord  (scot %t (spat (en-path:res group-resource)))
-  =/  app-cord=cord    (scot %t (spat (en-path:res app-resource)))
-  =/  our=cord  (scot %p our.bowl)
-  =/  now=cord  (scot %da now.bowl)
-  .^  (unit metadata)
+++  peek-association
+  |=  [app-name=term rid=resource]
+  .^  (unit association)
     %gx  (scot %p our.bowl)  %metadata-store  (scot %da now.bowl)
-    %metadata  group-cord  app-name  app-cord  /noun
+    %metadata  app-name  (en-path:resource rid)  %noun
   ==
 ::
-++  group-from-app-resource
+++  peek-metadata
   |=  =md-resource
-  ^-  (unit resource:res)
-  =/  groups  (groups-from-resource md-resource)
-  ?~  groups  ~
-  `i.groups
+  %+  bind  (peek-association md-resource)
+  |=(association metadata)
 ::
-++  groups-from-resource
+++  peek-group
   |=  =md-resource
-  ^-  (list resource)
-  =;  resources
-    %~  tap  in
-    %+  ~(gut by resources)
-      md-resource
-    *(set resource)
-  .^  (jug ^md-resource resource)
-    %gy
-    (scot %p our.bowl)
-    %metadata-store
-    (scot %da now.bowl)
-    /resource-indices
-  ==
+  %+  bind  (peek-association md-resource)
+  |=(association group)
 --
diff --git a/pkg/arvo/mar/metadata/update.hoon b/pkg/arvo/mar/metadata/update.hoon
index aed47bd2d..50760233c 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/mar/metadata/update.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/mar/metadata/update.hoon
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+/-  *metadata-store
 /+  *metadata-json
 |_  upd=metadata-update
 ++  grad  %noun
diff --git a/pkg/arvo/sur/metadata-store.hoon b/pkg/arvo/sur/metadata-store.hoon
index 4e61af3e3..acdc9d2fb 100644
--- a/pkg/arvo/sur/metadata-store.hoon
+++ b/pkg/arvo/sur/metadata-store.hoon
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 /-  *resource
+^?
 |%
 ::
 +$  group-path    path