diff --git a/lib/waterline/utils/query/forge-stage-two-query.js b/lib/waterline/utils/query/forge-stage-two-query.js
index ab14685ed..a03968e90 100644
--- a/lib/waterline/utils/query/forge-stage-two-query.js
+++ b/lib/waterline/utils/query/forge-stage-two-query.js
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ module.exports = function forgeStageTwoQuery(query, orm) {
     //  └─    ┴└     ┴ ┴ ┴┴└─┘  ┴└─┘  ┴ ┴  ╚  ╩╝╚╝═╩╝  ╚═╝╝╚╝╚═╝  └─┘└└─┘└─┘┴└─ ┴     ─┘
     // If this is a `findOne` query, then if `where` clause is not defined, or if it is `{}`,
     // then fail with a usage error for clarity.
-    if (query.method === 'findOne' && Object.keys(query.criteria.where).length === 0) {
+    if (query.method === 'findOne' && _.isEqual(query.criteria.where, {})) {
 
       throw buildUsageError('E_INVALID_CRITERIA', 'Cannot `findOne()` without specifying a more specific `where` clause.  (If you want to work around this, use `.find().limit(1)`.)', query.using);
 
diff --git a/lib/waterline/utils/query/private/normalize-criteria.js b/lib/waterline/utils/query/private/normalize-criteria.js
index 7b2afdf22..dade6d5fa 100644
--- a/lib/waterline/utils/query/private/normalize-criteria.js
+++ b/lib/waterline/utils/query/private/normalize-criteria.js
@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ var NAMES_OF_RECOGNIZED_CLAUSES = ['where', 'limit', 'skip', 'sort', 'select', '
  *        The Waterline ORM instance.
  *        > Useful for accessing the model definitions.
  *
+ * @param {Dictionary?} meta
+ *        The contents of the `meta` query key, if one was provided.
+ *        > Useful for propagating query options to low-level functions like this one.
+ *
  * --
  *
  * @returns {Dictionary}
@@ -85,7 +89,7 @@ var NAMES_OF_RECOGNIZED_CLAUSES = ['where', 'limit', 'skip', 'sort', 'select', '
  *
  * @throws {Error} If anything else unexpected occurs.
  */
-module.exports = function normalizeCriteria(criteria, modelIdentity, orm) {
+module.exports = function normalizeCriteria(criteria, modelIdentity, orm, meta) {
 
   // Sanity checks.
   // > These are just some basic, initial usage assertions to help catch
diff --git a/lib/waterline/utils/query/private/normalize-where-clause.js b/lib/waterline/utils/query/private/normalize-where-clause.js
index 3328bc508..6a61ac4ec 100644
--- a/lib/waterline/utils/query/private/normalize-where-clause.js
+++ b/lib/waterline/utils/query/private/normalize-where-clause.js
@@ -397,17 +397,17 @@ module.exports = function normalizeWhereClause(whereClause, modelIdentity, orm)
       var soleBranchKey = _.keys(branch)[0];
 
 
-      //  ┬ ┬┌─┐┌┐┌┌┬┐┬  ┌─┐  ╔═╗╦╦ ╔╦╗╔═╗╦═╗
-      //  ├─┤├─┤│││ │││  ├┤   ╠╣ ║║  ║ ║╣ ╠╦╝
-      //  ┴ ┴┴ ┴┘└┘─┴┘┴─┘└─┘  ╚  ╩╩═╝╩ ╚═╝╩╚═
+      //  ┬ ┬┌─┐┌┐┌┌┬┐┬  ┌─┐  ╔═╗╔═╗╔╗╔╔═╗╔╦╗╦═╗╔═╗╦╔╗╔╔╦╗
+      //  ├─┤├─┤│││ │││  ├┤   ║  ║ ║║║║╚═╗ ║ ╠╦╝╠═╣║║║║ ║
+      //  ┴ ┴┴ ┴┘└┘─┴┘┴─┘└─┘  ╚═╝╚═╝╝╚╝╚═╝ ╩ ╩╚═╩ ╩╩╝╚╝ ╩
       // If this key is NOT a predicate (`and`/`or`)...
       if (!_.contains(PREDICATE_OPERATOR_KINDS, soleBranchKey)) {
 
         // ...then we know we're dealing with a constraint.
 
-        //  ╔═╗╦═╗╔═╗╔═╗╔╦╗╦ ╦╦═╗╔═╗  ┌─┐┌─┐┌┬┐┌─┐┬  ┌─┐─┐ ┬  ┌─┐┬┬ ┌┬┐┌─┐┬─┐
-        //  ╠╣ ╠╦╝╠═╣║   ║ ║ ║╠╦╝║╣   │  │ ││││├─┘│  ├┤ ┌┴┬┘  ├┤ ││  │ ├┤ ├┬┘
-        //  ╚  ╩╚═╩ ╩╚═╝ ╩ ╚═╝╩╚═╚═╝  └─┘└─┘┴ ┴┴  ┴─┘└─┘┴ └─  └  ┴┴─┘┴ └─┘┴└─
+        //  ╔═╗╦═╗╔═╗╔═╗╔╦╗╦ ╦╦═╗╔═╗  ┌─┐┌─┐┌┬┐┌─┐┬  ┌─┐─┐ ┬  ┌─┐┌─┐┌┐┌┌─┐┌┬┐┬─┐┌─┐┬┌┐┌┌┬┐
+        //  ╠╣ ╠╦╝╠═╣║   ║ ║ ║╠╦╝║╣   │  │ ││││├─┘│  ├┤ ┌┴┬┘  │  │ ││││└─┐ │ ├┬┘├─┤││││ │
+        //  ╚  ╩╚═╩ ╩╚═╝ ╩ ╚═╝╩╚═╚═╝  └─┘└─┘┴ ┴┴  ┴─┘└─┘┴ └─  └─┘└─┘┘└┘└─┘ ┴ ┴└─┴ ┴┴┘└┘ ┴
         //  ┌─  ┬┌─┐  ┬┌┬┐  ┬┌─┐  ┌┬┐┬ ┬┬ ┌┬┐┬   ┬┌─┌─┐┬ ┬  ─┐
         //  │   │├┤   │ │   │└─┐  ││││ ││  │ │───├┴┐├┤ └┬┘   │
         //  └─  ┴└    ┴ ┴   ┴└─┘  ┴ ┴└─┘┴─┘┴ ┴   ┴ ┴└─┘ ┴   ─┘