diff --git a/lib/metadata.js b/lib/metadata.js
index 73f82b6ea..6231ea224 100644
--- a/lib/metadata.js
+++ b/lib/metadata.js
@@ -205,6 +205,7 @@ Meta.createLineHandler = function (ref, errorHandler) {
                 line: JSON.stringify(line),
             });
         }
+        if (typeof(line) === 'undefined') { return; }
 
         if (Array.isArray(line)) {
             try {
diff --git a/storage/file.js b/storage/file.js
index 52b1d38e9..b67132268 100644
--- a/storage/file.js
+++ b/storage/file.js
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ var Fse = require("fs-extra");
 var Path = require("path");
 var nThen = require("nthen");
 var Semaphore = require("saferphore");
-var Once = require("../lib/once");
+var Util = require("../lib/common-util");
+const Readline = require("readline");
 const ToPull = require('stream-to-pull-stream');
 const Pull = require('pull-stream');
 
@@ -52,37 +53,54 @@ var channelExists = function (filepath, cb) {
 };
 
 // reads classic metadata from a channel log and aborts
-var getMetadataAtPath = function (Env, path, cb) {
-    var remainder = '';
-    var stream = Fs.createReadStream(path, { encoding: 'utf8' });
-    var complete = function (err, data) {
-        var _cb = cb;
-        cb = undefined;
-        if (_cb) { _cb(err, data); }
-    };
-    stream.on('data', function (chunk) {
-        if (!/\n/.test(chunk)) {
-            remainder += chunk;
-            return;
-        }
-        stream.close();
-        var metadata = chunk.split('\n')[0];
+// returns undefined if the first message was not an object (not an array)
+var getMetadataAtPath = function (Env, path, _cb) {
+    var stream;
 
-        var parsed = null;
+    // cb implicitly destroys the stream, if it exists
+    // and calls back asynchronously no more than once
+    var cb = Util.once(Util.both(function () {
         try {
-            parsed = JSON.parse(metadata);
-            complete(undefined, parsed);
-        }
-        catch (e) {
-            console.log("getMetadataAtPath");
-            console.error(e);
-            complete('INVALID_METADATA', metadata);
+            stream.destroy();
+        } catch (err) {
+            return err;
         }
+    }, Util.mkAsync(_cb)));
+
+    try {
+        // stream creation can throw... probably ENOENT
+        stream = Fs.createReadStream(path, { encoding: 'utf8' });
+    } catch (err) {
+        return void cb(err);
+    }
+
+    // stream lines
+    const rl = Readline.createInterface({
+        input: stream,
     });
-    stream.on('end', function () {
-        complete();
-    });
-    stream.on('error', function (e) { complete(e); });
+
+    var i = 0;
+    rl
+    .on('line', function (line) {
+        // metadata should always be on the first line or not exist in the channel at all
+        if (i++ > 0) { return void cb(); }
+        var metadata;
+        try {
+            metadata = JSON.parse(line);
+            // if it parses, is a truthy object, and is not an array
+            // then it's what you were looking for
+            if (metadata && typeof(metadata) === 'object' && !Array.isArray(metadata)) {
+                return void cb(void 0, metadata);
+            } else { // it parsed, but isn't metadata
+                return void cb(); // call back without an error or metadata
+            }
+        } catch (err) {
+            // if you can't parse, that's bad
+            return void cb("INVALID_METADATA");
+        }
+    })
+    .on('end', cb)
+    .on('error', cb);
 };
 
 var closeChannel = function (env, channelName, cb) {
@@ -98,18 +116,14 @@ var closeChannel = function (env, channelName, cb) {
 };
 
 // truncates a file to the end of its metadata line
-var clearChannel = function (env, channelId, cb) {
+// TODO write the metadata in a dedicated file
+var clearChannel = function (env, channelId, _cb) {
+    var cb = Util.once(Util.mkAsync(_cb));
+
     var path = mkPath(env, channelId);
     getMetadataAtPath(env, path, function (e, metadata) {
         if (e) { return cb(new Error(e)); }
-        if (!metadata) {
-            return void Fs.truncate(path, 0, function (err) {
-                if (err) {
-                    return cb(err);
-                }
-                cb(void 0);
-            });
-        }
+        if (!metadata) { return void Fs.truncate(path, 0, cb); }
 
         var len = JSON.stringify(metadata).length + 1;
 
@@ -214,7 +228,7 @@ How to proceed
                 // 'INVALID_METADATA' if it can't parse
                 // stream errors if anything goes wrong at a lower level
                     // ENOENT (no channel here)
-                return void handler(err);
+                return void handler(err, data);
             }
             // disregard anything that isn't a map
             if (!data || typeof(data) !== 'object' || Array.isArray(data)) { return; }
@@ -347,7 +361,7 @@ var removeChannel = function (env, channelName, cb) {
     var channelPath = mkPath(env, channelName);
     var metadataPath = mkMetadataPath(env, channelName);
 
-    var CB = Once(cb);
+    var CB = Util.once(cb);
 
     var errors = 0;
     nThen(function (w) {
@@ -387,7 +401,7 @@ var removeArchivedChannel = function (env, channelName, cb) {
     var channelPath = mkArchivePath(env, channelName);
     var metadataPath = mkArchiveMetadataPath(env, channelName);
 
-    var CB = Once(cb);
+    var CB = Util.once(cb);
 
     nThen(function (w) {
         Fs.unlink(channelPath, w(function (err) {
@@ -602,7 +616,7 @@ var unarchiveChannel = function (env, channelName, cb) {
     var metadataPath = mkMetadataPath(env, channelName);
 
     // don't call the callback multiple times
-    var CB = Once(cb);
+    var CB = Util.once(cb);
 
     // if a file exists in the unarchived path, you probably don't want to clobber its data
     // so unlike 'archiveChannel' we won't overwrite.
@@ -690,7 +704,7 @@ var channelBytes = function (env, chanName, cb) {
     var channelPath = mkPath(env, chanName);
     var dataPath = mkMetadataPath(env, chanName);
 
-    var CB = Once(cb);
+    var CB = Util.once(cb);
 
     var channelSize = 0;
     var dataSize = 0;
@@ -820,6 +834,7 @@ const messageBin = (env, chanName, msgBin, cb) => {
         chan.onError.push(complete);
         chan.writeStream.write(msgBin, function () {
             /*::if (!chan) { throw new Error("Flow unreachable"); }*/
+            // TODO replace ad hoc queuing with WriteQueue
             chan.onError.splice(chan.onError.indexOf(complete), 1);
             chan.atime = +new Date();
             if (!cb) { return; }