diff --git a/openmdao/core/driver.py b/openmdao/core/driver.py
index 3724efefb..b41c8d463 100644
--- a/openmdao/core/driver.py
+++ b/openmdao/core/driver.py
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ def _setup(self):
                 rootmeta = root.unknowns.metadata(name)
                 if newitem is desvars:
                     rootmeta['is_desvar'] = True
+                    rootmeta['desvar_meta'] = item[name]
                     if not rootmeta.get('_canset_', False):
                         raise RuntimeError("'%s' has been specified as a design "
                                            "variable but that var is a component "
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@ def _setup(self):
                     rootmeta['is_objective'] = True
                 if newitem is cons:
                     rootmeta['is_constraint'] = True
+                    rootmeta['constraint_meta'] = item[name]
 
                 if MPI and 'src_indices' in rootmeta:
                     raise ValueError("'%s' is a distributed variable and may "
diff --git a/openmdao/docs/usr-guide/tutorials/recording.rst b/openmdao/docs/usr-guide/tutorials/recording.rst
index 29ab6bfac..870303c66 100644
--- a/openmdao/docs/usr-guide/tutorials/recording.rst
+++ b/openmdao/docs/usr-guide/tutorials/recording.rst
@@ -574,6 +574,7 @@ The name of the SQLite table containing the derivatives is called `metadata`.
                 'top_promoted_name': 'p.f_xy',
                 'val': 0.0},
      'p1.x': {'_canset_': True,
+              'desvar_meta': OrderedDict([('lower', -50.0), ('upper', 50.0), ('adder', 0.0), ('scaler', 1.0), ('size', 1)]),
               'is_desvar': True,
               'pathname': 'p1.x',
               'shape': 1,
@@ -581,6 +582,7 @@ The name of the SQLite table containing the derivatives is called `metadata`.
               'top_promoted_name': 'p1.x',
               'val': 3.0},
      'p2.y': {'_canset_': True,
+              'desvar_meta': OrderedDict([('lower', -50.0), ('upper', 50.0), ('adder', 0.0), ('scaler', 1.0), ('size', 1)]),
               'is_desvar': True,
               'pathname': 'p2.y',
               'shape': 1,
@@ -610,6 +612,7 @@ This code prints out the following:
                 'top_promoted_name': 'p.f_xy',
                 'val': 0.0},
      'p1.x': {'_canset_': True,
+              'desvar_meta': OrderedDict([('lower', -50.0), ('upper', 50.0), ('adder', 0.0), ('scaler', 1.0), ('size', 1)]),
               'is_desvar': True,
               'pathname': 'p1.x',
               'shape': 1,
@@ -617,6 +620,7 @@ This code prints out the following:
               'top_promoted_name': 'p1.x',
               'val': 3.0},
      'p2.y': {'_canset_': True,
+              'desvar_meta': OrderedDict([('lower', -50.0), ('upper', 50.0), ('adder', 0.0), ('scaler', 1.0), ('size', 1)]),
               'is_desvar': True,
               'pathname': 'p2.y',
               'shape': 1,
diff --git a/openmdao/recorders/hdf5_recorder.py b/openmdao/recorders/hdf5_recorder.py
index 1a8574480..5db2e5e2f 100644
--- a/openmdao/recorders/hdf5_recorder.py
+++ b/openmdao/recorders/hdf5_recorder.py
@@ -88,9 +88,14 @@ def record_metadata(self, group):
         for grp, data in pairings:
             for key, val in data:
                 meta_group = grp.create_group(key)
-
                 for mkey, mval in iteritems(val):
-                    meta_group.create_dataset(mkey, data=mval)
+                    if isinstance(mval, dict):
+                        cgrp = meta_group.create_group(mkey)
+                        for ckey, cval in iteritems(mval):
+                            if cval:
+                                cgrp.create_dataset(ckey, data=cval)
+                    else:
+                        meta_group.create_dataset(mkey, data=mval)
                     # if isinstance(val, (np.ndarray, Number)):
                     #    grp.create_dataset(key, data=val)
                     #    # TODO: Compression/Checksum?