diff --git a/master.js b/master.js
index f92e3dd8..6ed5e4a7 100644
--- a/master.js
+++ b/master.js
@@ -379,17 +379,20 @@ POST Get metadata from a single slave. For whenever you find the data returned b
 app.post("/api/getSlaveMeta", function (req, res) {
 	endpointHitCounter.labels(req.route.path).inc();
 	console.log("body", req.body);
-    if(req.body && req.body.instanceID){
-    	if (slaves[req.body.instanceID]) {
+	if(req.body && req.body.instanceID){
+		if (slaves[req.body.instanceID]) {
 			console.log("returning meta for ", req.body.instanceID);
+			if(!slaves[req.body.instanceID].meta) {
+				slaves[req.body.instanceID].meta = {};
+			}
 			res.send(JSON.stringify(slaves[req.body.instanceID].meta))
 		} else {
     		res.status(404)
 			res.send('{"status": 404, "info": "Slave not registered"}')
 		}
 	} else {
-    	res.status(400);
-    	res.send('{"INVALID REQUEST":1}');
+		res.status(400);
+		res.send('{"INVALID_REQUEST":1}');
 	}
 });
 // mod management
diff --git a/sharedPlugins/researchSync/index.js b/sharedPlugins/researchSync/index.js
index 33b267ec..395e885a 100644
--- a/sharedPlugins/researchSync/index.js
+++ b/sharedPlugins/researchSync/index.js
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ class ResearchSync {
 
     request_cluster_data() {
         const slaves_data_url = `${this.config.masterIP}:${this.config.masterPort}/api/slaves`
-        needle.get(slaves_data_url, this.sync_researches.bind(this), {compressed:true})
+        needle.get(slaves_data_url, {compressed:true}, this.sync_researches.bind(this))
     }
 
     sync_researches(err, resp, slaves_data) {