diff --git a/lib/waterline/utils/query/forge-stage-two-query.js b/lib/waterline/utils/query/forge-stage-two-query.js
index 7de1ef6fe..ab14685ed 100644
--- a/lib/waterline/utils/query/forge-stage-two-query.js
+++ b/lib/waterline/utils/query/forge-stage-two-query.js
@@ -246,7 +246,8 @@ module.exports = function forgeStageTwoQuery(query, orm) {
   }//>-•
 
 
-  // Now check a few different model settings, and set `meta` keys accordingly.
+  // Now check a few different model settings that correspond with `meta` keys,
+  // and set the relevant `meta` keys accordingly.
   //
   // > Remember, we rely on waterline-schema to have already validated
   // > these model settings when the ORM was first initialized.
@@ -337,22 +338,22 @@ module.exports = function forgeStageTwoQuery(query, orm) {
 
   }//>-
 
-  //  ┌┬┐┌─┐┌┐┌┌┬┐  ┌─┐┬  ┌─┐┌┐┌┌─┐  ┌─┐┬─┐┌─┐┬ ┬┌┬┐┌─┐┌┐┌┌┬┐┌─┐┌─┐
-  //   │││ ││││ │   │  │  │ ││││├┤   ├─┤├┬┘│ ┬│ ││││├┤ │││ │ └─┐ ┌┘
-  //  ─┴┘└─┘┘└┘ ┴   └─┘┴─┘└─┘┘└┘└─┘  ┴ ┴┴└─└─┘└─┘┴ ┴└─┘┘└┘ ┴ └─┘ o
-  if (!_.isUndefined(WLModel.dontCloneArguments)) {
-    if (!_.isBoolean(WLModel.dontCloneArguments)) {
-      throw new Error('Consistency violation: If specified, expecting `dontCloneArguments` model setting to be `true` or `false`.  But instead, got: '+util.inspect(WLModel.dontCloneArguments, {depth:5})+'');
+  //  ┌─┐┬  ┬  ┌─┐┬ ┬  ┌┬┐┬ ┬┌┬┐┌─┐┌┬┐┬┌┐┌┌─┐  ┌─┐┬─┐┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐
+  //  ├─┤│  │  │ ││││  ││││ │ │ ├─┤ │ │││││ ┬  ├─┤├┬┘│ ┬└─┐ ┌┘
+  //  ┴ ┴┴─┘┴─┘└─┘└┴┘  ┴ ┴└─┘ ┴ ┴ ┴ ┴ ┴┘└┘└─┘  ┴ ┴┴└─└─┘└─┘ o
+  if (!_.isUndefined(WLModel.allowMutatingArgs)) {
+    if (!_.isBoolean(WLModel.allowMutatingArgs)) {
+      throw new Error('Consistency violation: If specified, expecting `allowMutatingArgs` model setting to be `true` or `false`.  But instead, got: '+util.inspect(WLModel.allowMutatingArgs, {depth:5})+'');
     }
 
-    // Only bother setting the `dontCloneArguments` meta key if the corresponding
+    // Only bother setting the `allowMutatingArgs` meta key if the corresponding
     // model setting is `true`  (because otherwise it's `false`, which is the default anyway)
-    if (WLModel.dontCloneArguments) {
+    if (WLModel.allowMutatingArgs) {
       query.meta = query.meta || {};
-      query.meta.dontCloneArguments = WLModel.dontCloneArguments;
+      query.meta.allowMutatingArgs = WLModel.allowMutatingArgs;
     }
 
-  }//>-
+  }//fi
 
 
   //  ┌─┐┬─┐┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐┌─┐┌┬┐┌─┐  ┌┐┌┌─┐┌┐┌   ┌─┐┌┐  ┬┌─┐┌─┐┌┬┐  ┬┌┬┐  ┌┬┐┌─┐┬  ┌─┐┬─┐┌─┐┌┐┌┌─┐┌─┐
@@ -387,34 +388,46 @@ module.exports = function forgeStageTwoQuery(query, orm) {
   })();
 
 
-  // Next, check specific meta keys, to make sure they're valid.
+  //  ┬  ┬┌─┐┬  ┬┌┬┐┌─┐┌┬┐┌─┐  ┌─┐┌─┐┌┬┐┌┬┐┌─┐┌┐┌  ┌┬┐┌─┐┌┬┐┌─┐  ┬┌─┌─┐┬ ┬┌─┐
+  //  └┐┌┘├─┤│  │ ││├─┤ │ ├┤   │  │ ││││││││ ││││  │││├┤  │ ├─┤  ├┴┐├┤ └┬┘└─┐
+  //   └┘ ┴ ┴┴─┘┴─┴┘┴ ┴ ┴ └─┘  └─┘└─┘┴ ┴┴ ┴└─┘┘└┘  ┴ ┴└─┘ ┴ ┴ ┴  ┴ ┴└─┘ ┴ └─┘
+  // Next, check specific `meta` keys, to make sure they're valid.
   // (Not all `meta` keys can be checked, obviously, because there could be **anything**
   // in there, such as meta keys proprietary to particular adapters.  But certain core
-  // `meta` keys can be properly verified.)
+  // `meta` keys can be properly verified.  Currently, we only validate _some_ of the
+  // ones that are more commonly used.)
+  if (query.meta !== undefined) {
 
-  //  ┌─┐┌─┐┌┬┐┌─┐┬ ┬
-  //  ├┤ ├┤  │ │  ├─┤
-  //  └  └─┘ ┴ └─┘┴ ┴
-  if (query.meta.fetch !== undefined) {
-    if (!_.isBoolean(query.meta.fetch)) {
-      throw buildUsageError(
-        'E_INVALID_META',
-        'If provided, `fetch` should be a boolean.',
-        query.using
-      );
-    }
+    //  ┌─┐┌─┐┌┬┐┌─┐┬ ┬
+    //  ├┤ ├┤  │ │  ├─┤
+    //  └  └─┘ ┴ └─┘┴ ┴
+    if (query.meta.fetch !== undefined) {
+
+      if (!_.isBoolean(query.meta.fetch)) {
+        throw buildUsageError(
+          'E_INVALID_META',
+          'If provided, `fetch` should be a boolean.',
+          query.using
+        );
+      }
+
+      // If this is a findOrCreate query, make sure that the `fetch` meta key hasn't
+      // been explicitly set (because that wouldn't make any sense).
+      if (query.method === 'findOrCreate') {
+        throw buildUsageError(
+          'E_INVALID_META',
+          'The `fetch` meta key should not be provided when calling .findOrCreate().  '+
+          'This method always behaves as if `fetch` was set to `true`, and, if successful, '+
+          'guarantees a result.',
+          query.using
+        );
+      }
+
+    }//fi
+
+
+    // …
 
-    // If this is a findOrCreate query, make sure that the `fetch` meta key hasn't
-    // been explicitly set (because that wouldn't make any sense).
-    if (query.method === 'findOrCreate') {
-      throw buildUsageError(
-        'E_INVALID_META',
-        'The `fetch` meta key should not be provided when calling .findOrCreate().  '+
-        'This method always behaves as if `fetch` was set to `true`, and, if successful, '+
-        'guarantees a result.',
-        query.using
-      );
-    }
   }//fi
 
 
@@ -567,7 +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' && (_.isEqual(query.criteria.where, {}))) {
+    if (query.method === 'findOne' && Object.keys(query.criteria.where).length === 0) {
 
       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);