diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 5d7f92ef..276cfb39 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -186,6 +186,7 @@ importFrom(tibble,as_tibble)
 importFrom(tibble,new_tibble)
 importFrom(tibble,validate_tibble)
 importFrom(tidyr,unnest)
+importFrom(tidyselect,any_of)
 importFrom(tidyselect,eval_select)
 importFrom(tidyselect,starts_with)
 importFrom(tsibble,as_tsibble)
diff --git a/R/archive.R b/R/archive.R
index 14918678..f72e4032 100644
--- a/R/archive.R
+++ b/R/archive.R
@@ -455,6 +455,9 @@ as_epi_archive <- function(
     clobberable_versions_start = NULL,
     versions_end = NULL) {
   assert_data_frame(x)
+  x <- guess_time_column_name(x)
+  x <- guess_geo_column_name(x)
+  x <- guess_version_column_name(x)
   if (!test_subset(c("geo_value", "time_value", "version"), names(x))) {
     cli_abort(
       "Columns `geo_value`, `time_value`, and `version` must be present in `x`."
diff --git a/R/epi_df.R b/R/epi_df.R
index 6ac1b7db..712c4b0e 100644
--- a/R/epi_df.R
+++ b/R/epi_df.R
@@ -256,34 +256,15 @@ as_epi_df.epi_df <- function(x, ...) {
 #'   (stored in its attributes); if this fails, then the current day-time will
 #'   be used.
 #' @importFrom rlang .data
+#' @importFrom tidyselect any_of
 #' @importFrom cli cli_inform
 #' @export
 as_epi_df.tbl_df <- function(x, geo_type, time_type, as_of,
                              additional_metadata = list(),
-                             substitutions = NULL, ...) {
-  # possible standard substitutions
-  if (!("time_value" %in% names(x))) {
-    if (("forecast_date" %in% names(x)) && ("target_date" %in% names(x))) {
-      cli_abort("both `forecast_date` and `target_date` are present without a `time_value`
-column, so it is ambiguous which to choose as `time_value`.")
-    }
-    name_substitutions <- substitutions %||% c(
-      time_value = "date",
-      time_value = "forecast_date",
-      time_value = "target_date",
-      time_value = "dates",
-      time_value = "time_values",
-      time_value = "forecast_dates",
-      time_value = "target_dates"
-    )
-    x <- tryCatch(x %>% rename(any_of(name_substitutions)),
-      error = function(cond) {
-        cli_abort("There are multiple `time_value` candidate columns.
-Either `rename` on yourself or drop some.")
-      }
-    )
-    cli_inform("inferring `time_value` column.")
-  }
+                             ...) {
+  # possible standard substitutions for time_value
+  x <- guess_time_column_name(x)
+  x <- guess_geo_column_name(x)
   if (!test_subset(c("geo_value", "time_value"), names(x))) {
     cli_abort(
       "Columns `geo_value` and `time_value` must be present in `x`."
diff --git a/R/utils.R b/R/utils.R
index a7f7649f..04836eaf 100644
--- a/R/utils.R
+++ b/R/utils.R
@@ -448,6 +448,112 @@ guess_time_type <- function(time_value) {
   return("custom")
 }
 
+#'  given a vector of characters, add the same values, but upcased, e.g.
+#'   "date" -> c("date", "Date")
+#'   "target_date" -> c("target_date", "Target_Date")
+#' @keywords internal
+upcase_snake_case <- function(x) {
+  X <- strsplit(x, "_") %>%
+    map(function(name) paste0(toupper(substr(name, 1, 1)), substr(name, 2, nchar(name)), collapse = "_")) %>%
+    unlist()
+  c(x, X)
+}
+
+#' given an arbitrary
+#' @keywords internal
+guess_time_column_name <- function(x, substitutions = NULL) {
+  if (!("time_value" %in% names(x))) {
+    if (is.null(substitutions)) {
+      substitutions <- c(
+        time_value = "date",
+        time_value = "time",
+        time_value = "datetime",
+        time_value = "dateTime",
+        tmie_value = "date_time",
+        time_value = "forecast_date",
+        time_value = "target_date",
+        time_value = "week",
+        time_value = "day",
+        time_value = "epiweek",
+        time_value = "month",
+        time_value = "year",
+        time_value = "yearmon",
+        time_value = "yearMon",
+        time_value = "dates",
+        time_value = "time_values",
+        time_value = "forecast_dates",
+        time_value = "target_dates"
+      )
+      substitutions <- upcase_snake_case(substitutions)
+    }
+    strsplit(name_substitutions, "_") %>%
+      map(function(name) paste0(toupper(substr(name, 1, 1)), substr(name, 2, nchar(name)), collapse = "_")) %>%
+      unlist()
+    x <- tryCatch(x %>% rename(any_of(name_substitutions)),
+      error = function(cond) {
+        cli_abort("There are multiple `time_value` candidate columns.
+Either `rename` some yourself or drop some.")
+      }
+    )
+    cli_inform("inferring `time_value` column.")
+  }
+  return(x)
+}
+
+
+#' @keywords internal
+guess_geo_column_name <- function(x, substitutions = NULL) {
+  if (!("time_value" %in% names(x))) {
+    substitutions <- substitutions %||% c(
+      geo_value = "geo_values",
+      geo_value = "geo_id",
+      geo_value = "geos",
+      geo_value = "location",
+      geo_value = "jurisdiction",
+      geo_value = "fips",
+      geo_value = "zip",
+      geo_value = "county",
+      geo_value = "hrr",
+      geo_value = "msa",
+      geo_value = "state",
+      geo_value = "province",
+      geo_value = "nation",
+      geo_value = "states",
+      geo_value = "provinces",
+      geo_value = "counties"
+    )
+    substitutions <- upcase_snake_case(substitutions)
+    x <- tryCatch(x %>% rename(any_of(substitutions)),
+      error = function(cond) {
+        cli_abort("There are multiple `geo_value` candidate columns.
+Either `rename` some yourself or drop some.")
+      }
+    )
+    cli_inform("inferring `time_value` column.")
+  }
+  return(x)
+}
+
+guess_version_column_name <- function(x, substitutions = NULL) {
+  if (!("version" %in% names(x))) {
+    if (is.null(substitutions)) {
+      substitutions <- c(
+        version = "issue",
+        version = "release"
+      )
+      substitutions <- upcase_snake_case(substitutions)
+    }
+    x <- tryCatch(x %>% rename(any_of(substitutions)),
+      error = function(cond) {
+        cli_abort("There are multiple `geo_value` candidate columns.
+Either `rename` some yourself or drop some.")
+      }
+    )
+    cli_inform("inferring `time_value` column.")
+  }
+  return(x)
+}
+
 ##########
 
 
diff --git a/man/as_epi_df.Rd b/man/as_epi_df.Rd
index 82bd8882..22faa265 100644
--- a/man/as_epi_df.Rd
+++ b/man/as_epi_df.Rd
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ as_epi_df(x, ...)
   geo_type,
   time_type,
   as_of,
+  other_keys = character(0),
   additional_metadata = list(),
-  substitutions = NULL,
   ...
 )
 
diff --git a/man/guess_time_column_name.Rd b/man/guess_time_column_name.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..45a173b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/guess_time_column_name.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/utils.R
+\name{guess_time_column_name}
+\alias{guess_time_column_name}
+\title{given an arbitrary}
+\usage{
+guess_time_column_name(x, substitutions = NULL)
+}
+\description{
+given an arbitrary
+}
+\keyword{internal}
diff --git a/man/upcase_snake_case.Rd b/man/upcase_snake_case.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..398f6a0b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/upcase_snake_case.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/utils.R
+\name{upcase_snake_case}
+\alias{upcase_snake_case}
+\title{given a vector of characters, add the same values, but upcased, e.g.
+"date" -> c("date", "Date")
+"target_date" -> c("target_date", "Target_Date")}
+\usage{
+upcase_snake_case(x)
+}
+\description{
+given a vector of characters, add the same values, but upcased, e.g.
+"date" -> c("date", "Date")
+"target_date" -> c("target_date", "Target_Date")
+}
+\keyword{internal}