diff --git a/resources/augeas.go b/resources/augeas.go
index 09ec17ac..89c82025 100644
--- a/resources/augeas.go
+++ b/resources/augeas.go
@@ -71,7 +71,11 @@ type AugeasSet struct {
 
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *AugeasRes) Default() Res {
-	return &AugeasRes{}
+	return &AugeasRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // Validate if the params passed in are valid data.
diff --git a/resources/exec.go b/resources/exec.go
index 8d9ffa33..09ef4a07 100644
--- a/resources/exec.go
+++ b/resources/exec.go
@@ -52,7 +52,11 @@ type ExecRes struct {
 
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *ExecRes) Default() Res {
-	return &ExecRes{}
+	return &ExecRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // Validate if the params passed in are valid data.
diff --git a/resources/file.go b/resources/file.go
index cd375c51..8664f3aa 100644
--- a/resources/file.go
+++ b/resources/file.go
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ type FileRes struct {
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *FileRes) Default() Res {
 	return &FileRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
 		State: "exists",
 	}
 }
diff --git a/resources/hostname.go b/resources/hostname.go
index 909fac50..d39b86dd 100644
--- a/resources/hostname.go
+++ b/resources/hostname.go
@@ -71,7 +71,11 @@ type HostnameRes struct {
 
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *HostnameRes) Default() Res {
-	return &HostnameRes{}
+	return &HostnameRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // Validate if the params passed in are valid data.
diff --git a/resources/msg.go b/resources/msg.go
index 5a3fb004..48ae4dee 100644
--- a/resources/msg.go
+++ b/resources/msg.go
@@ -54,7 +54,11 @@ type MsgUID struct {
 
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *MsgRes) Default() Res {
-	return &MsgRes{}
+	return &MsgRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // Validate the params that are passed to MsgRes.
diff --git a/resources/noop.go b/resources/noop.go
index 2a3ed853..9b41fbb4 100644
--- a/resources/noop.go
+++ b/resources/noop.go
@@ -37,7 +37,11 @@ type NoopRes struct {
 
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *NoopRes) Default() Res {
-	return &NoopRes{}
+	return &NoopRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // Validate if the params passed in are valid data.
diff --git a/resources/nspawn.go b/resources/nspawn.go
index 41328e36..bc984d14 100644
--- a/resources/nspawn.go
+++ b/resources/nspawn.go
@@ -60,6 +60,9 @@ type NspawnRes struct {
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *NspawnRes) Default() Res {
 	return &NspawnRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
 		State: running,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/resources/password.go b/resources/password.go
index e5e5ad75..69ad1c45 100644
--- a/resources/password.go
+++ b/resources/password.go
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ type PasswordRes struct {
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *PasswordRes) Default() Res {
 	return &PasswordRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
 		Length: 64, // safe default
 	}
 }
diff --git a/resources/pkg.go b/resources/pkg.go
index cb50035e..daa04e99 100644
--- a/resources/pkg.go
+++ b/resources/pkg.go
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ type PkgRes struct {
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *PkgRes) Default() Res {
 	return &PkgRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
 		State: "installed", // i think this is preferable to "latest"
 	}
 }
diff --git a/resources/resources.go b/resources/resources.go
index dff23411..b1c42662 100644
--- a/resources/resources.go
+++ b/resources/resources.go
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ type BaseRes struct {
 
 // UnmarshalYAML is the custom unmarshal handler for the BaseRes struct. It is
 // primarily useful for setting the defaults, in particular if meta is absent!
-// FIXME: uncommenting this seems to block the graph from exiting, how come???
+// FIXME: how come we can't get this to work properly without dropping fields?
 //func (obj *BaseRes) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
 //	DefaultBaseRes := BaseRes{
 //		// without specifying a default here, if we don't specify *any*
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ type BaseRes struct {
 //		MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
 //	}
 
-//	type rawBaseRes BaseRes // indirection to avoid infinite recursion
+//	type rawBaseRes BaseRes           // indirection to avoid infinite recursion
 //	raw := rawBaseRes(DefaultBaseRes) // convert; the defaults go here
 //	//raw := rawBaseRes{}
 
diff --git a/resources/svc.go b/resources/svc.go
index b1f30248..35fcdfcd 100644
--- a/resources/svc.go
+++ b/resources/svc.go
@@ -46,7 +46,11 @@ type SvcRes struct {
 
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *SvcRes) Default() Res {
-	return &SvcRes{}
+	return &SvcRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // Validate checks if the resource data structure was populated correctly.
diff --git a/resources/timer.go b/resources/timer.go
index 41b12440..3f8c087a 100644
--- a/resources/timer.go
+++ b/resources/timer.go
@@ -46,7 +46,11 @@ type TimerUID struct {
 
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *TimerRes) Default() Res {
-	return &TimerRes{}
+	return &TimerRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // Validate the params that are passed to TimerRes.
diff --git a/resources/virt.go b/resources/virt.go
index 8a1dad63..b6418a7e 100644
--- a/resources/virt.go
+++ b/resources/virt.go
@@ -81,7 +81,11 @@ type VirtRes struct {
 
 // Default returns some sensible defaults for this resource.
 func (obj *VirtRes) Default() Res {
-	return &VirtRes{}
+	return &VirtRes{
+		BaseRes: BaseRes{
+			MetaParams: DefaultMetaParams, // force a default
+		},
+	}
 }
 
 // Init runs some startup code for this resource.