diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4c672841..8bdb6693 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ Arrays whose elements will be copied exactly into the respective config files (c
 EC2 Configuration Attributes
 ----------------------------
 
-* `openstack["compute"]["enabled_apis"]` - Which apis have been enabled in nova compute
+* `openstack["compute"]["enabled_apis"]` - Which apis have been enabled in nova compute, only for ec2 and osapi_compute. For metadata, include the api-metadata recipe.
 
 Notification Attributes
 -----------------------
diff --git a/attributes/default.rb b/attributes/default.rb
index d92bdf13..1470271d 100644
--- a/attributes/default.rb
+++ b/attributes/default.rb
@@ -548,7 +548,11 @@ default['openstack']['compute']['misc_paste'] = nil
 
 # To disable the EC2 API endpoint, simply remove 'ec2,' from the list
 # of enabled API services.
-default['openstack']['compute']['enabled_apis'] = 'ec2,osapi_compute,metadata'
+# NOTE: The metadata api service is enabled via including it's recipe
+# NOTE: api-metadata.  By default the api-metadata recipe is included in
+# NOTE: the os-compute-api role which is included in the
+# NOTE: os-compute-single-controller role.
+default['openstack']['compute']['enabled_apis'] = 'ec2,osapi_compute'
 
 # VMware driver
 default['openstack']['compute']['vmware']['secret_name'] = 'openstack_vmware_secret_name'
diff --git a/recipes/compute.rb b/recipes/compute.rb
index 1d8fd906..529a1249 100644
--- a/recipes/compute.rb
+++ b/recipes/compute.rb
@@ -29,7 +29,10 @@ end
 
 include_recipe 'openstack-compute::nova-common'
 if node['openstack']['compute']['enabled_apis'].include?('metadata')
-  include_recipe 'openstack-compute::api-metadata'
+  Chef::Log.warn('Attribute enabled_apis contains metadata, this '\
+                 'could result in a timing issue starting the service. '\
+                 'Please remove this value and include the api-metadata '\
+                 'recipe instead')
 end
 include_recipe 'openstack-compute::network'
 
diff --git a/spec/compute_spec.rb b/spec/compute_spec.rb
index a4d9f88c..444eac9d 100644
--- a/spec/compute_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/compute_spec.rb
@@ -20,16 +20,11 @@ describe 'openstack-compute::compute' do
       end
     end
 
-    it 'includes api-metadata recipe' do
-      expect(chef_run).to include_recipe 'openstack-compute::api-metadata'
+    it 'does not include the api-metadata recipe' do
+      expect(chef_run).not_to include_recipe 'openstack-compute::api-metadata'
     end
 
     it 'does not include api-metadata recipe' do
-      chef_run = ::ChefSpec::SoloRunner.new ::UBUNTU_OPTS
-      node = chef_run.node
-      node.set['openstack']['compute']['enabled_apis'] = 'ec2,osapi_compute'
-      chef_run.converge 'openstack-compute::compute'
-
       expect(chef_run).not_to include_recipe 'openstack-compute::api-metadata'
     end
 
diff --git a/spec/identity_registration_spec.rb b/spec/identity_registration_spec.rb
index f0e882eb..6bb57ac9 100644
--- a/spec/identity_registration_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/identity_registration_spec.rb
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ describe 'openstack-compute::identity_registration' do
 
     describe "when 'ec2' is not in the list of enabled_apis" do
       before do
-        node.set['openstack']['compute']['enabled_apis'] = 'osapi_compute,metadata'
+        node.set['openstack']['compute']['enabled_apis'] = 'osapi_compute'
       end
 
       it 'does not register ec2 service' do