diff --git a/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/functions/InstanceInZoneToNodeMetadata.java b/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/functions/InstanceInZoneToNodeMetadata.java
index 9c1abc26cb..98b9a149e6 100644
--- a/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/functions/InstanceInZoneToNodeMetadata.java
+++ b/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/functions/InstanceInZoneToNodeMetadata.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 package org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.compute.functions;
 
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
+import static org.jclouds.compute.util.ComputeServiceUtils.groupFromMapOrName;
 
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -77,7 +78,9 @@ public class InstanceInZoneToNodeMetadata implements Function<InstanceInZone, No
       Image image = checkNotNull(imagesMap.get(checkNotNull(input.getImage(), "image")),
               "no image for %s. images: %s", input.getImage(), imagesMap.values());
 
-      String group = nodeNamingConvention.groupInUniqueNameOrNull(input.getName());
+      String group = groupFromMapOrName(input.getMetadata().getItems(),
+              input.getName(), nodeNamingConvention);
+
       FluentIterable<String> tags = FluentIterable.from(input.getTags().getItems())
               .filter(Predicates.not(firewallTagNamingConvention.get(group).isFirewallTag()));
 
diff --git a/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/options/GoogleComputeEngineTemplateOptions.java b/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/options/GoogleComputeEngineTemplateOptions.java
index b5d74ed5d4..04ebaf4658 100644
--- a/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/options/GoogleComputeEngineTemplateOptions.java
+++ b/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/options/GoogleComputeEngineTemplateOptions.java
@@ -232,6 +232,14 @@ public class GoogleComputeEngineTemplateOptions extends TemplateOptions {
       return GoogleComputeEngineTemplateOptions.class.cast(super.userMetadata(key, value));
    }
 
+   /**
+    * {@inheritDoc}
+    */
+   @Override
+   public GoogleComputeEngineTemplateOptions nodeNames(Iterable<String> nodeNames) {
+      return GoogleComputeEngineTemplateOptions.class.cast(super.nodeNames(nodeNames));
+   }
+
    /**
     * {@inheritDoc}
     */
diff --git a/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/strategy/CreateNodesWithGroupEncodedIntoNameThenAddToSet.java b/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/strategy/CreateNodesWithGroupEncodedIntoNameThenAddToSet.java
index 0d28673bd7..52d807c466 100644
--- a/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/strategy/CreateNodesWithGroupEncodedIntoNameThenAddToSet.java
+++ b/providers/google-compute-engine/src/main/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/strategy/CreateNodesWithGroupEncodedIntoNameThenAddToSet.java
@@ -31,12 +31,12 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 import javax.inject.Named;
 
-import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 import org.jclouds.Constants;
 import org.jclouds.compute.config.CustomizationResponse;
 import org.jclouds.compute.domain.NodeMetadata;
 import org.jclouds.compute.domain.Template;
 import org.jclouds.compute.functions.GroupNamingConvention;
+import org.jclouds.compute.reference.ComputeServiceConstants;
 import org.jclouds.compute.strategy.CreateNodeWithGroupEncodedIntoName;
 import org.jclouds.compute.strategy.CustomizeNodeAndAddToGoodMapOrPutExceptionIntoBadMap;
 import org.jclouds.compute.strategy.ListNodesStrategy;
@@ -47,16 +47,16 @@ import org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.config.UserProject;
 import org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.domain.Firewall;
 import org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.domain.Network;
 import org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.domain.Operation;
-import org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.features.FirewallApi;
 import org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.domain.internal.NetworkAndAddressRange;
+import org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.features.FirewallApi;
 import org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.options.FirewallOptions;
-import org.jclouds.net.domain.IpProtocol;
 
 import com.google.common.base.Predicate;
 import com.google.common.base.Supplier;
 import com.google.common.cache.LoadingCache;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
 import com.google.common.collect.Multimap;
+import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ListenableFuture;
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.ListeningExecutorService;
 
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ public class CreateNodesWithGroupEncodedIntoNameThenAddToSet extends
       Network network = getOrCreateNetwork(templateOptions, sharedResourceName);
       getOrCreateFirewalls(templateOptions, network, firewallTagNamingConvention.get(group));
       templateOptions.network(network.getSelfLink());
+      templateOptions.userMetadata(ComputeServiceConstants.NODE_GROUP_KEY, group);
 
       return super.execute(group, count, mutableTemplate, goodNodes, badNodes, customizationResponses);
    }
diff --git a/providers/google-compute-engine/src/test/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/GoogleComputeEngineServiceExpectTest.java b/providers/google-compute-engine/src/test/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/GoogleComputeEngineServiceExpectTest.java
index c0161a09e2..c6ea7eba6e 100644
--- a/providers/google-compute-engine/src/test/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/GoogleComputeEngineServiceExpectTest.java
+++ b/providers/google-compute-engine/src/test/java/org/jclouds/googlecomputeengine/compute/GoogleComputeEngineServiceExpectTest.java
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ package org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.compute;
 import static com.google.common.collect.Iterables.getOnlyElement;
 import static org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.GoogleComputeEngineConstants.COMPUTE_READONLY_SCOPE;
 import static org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.GoogleComputeEngineConstants.COMPUTE_SCOPE;
-import static org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.features.FirewallApiExpectTest.GET_FIREWALL_REQUEST;
 import static org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.features.GlobalOperationApiExpectTest.GET_GLOBAL_OPERATION_REQUEST;
 import static org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.features.GlobalOperationApiExpectTest.GET_GLOBAL_OPERATION_RESPONSE;
 import static org.jclouds.googlecomputeengine.features.ImageApiExpectTest.LIST_GOOGLE_IMAGES_REQUEST;
@@ -162,7 +161,8 @@ public class GoogleComputeEngineServiceExpectTest extends BaseGoogleComputeEngin
       }
    }
 
-   private HttpRequest createInstanceRequestForInstance(String instanceName, String networkName, String publicKey) {
+   private HttpRequest createInstanceRequestForInstance(String instanceName, String groupName,
+                                                        String networkName, String publicKey) {
       return HttpRequest
               .builder()
               .method("POST")
@@ -180,7 +180,8 @@ public class GoogleComputeEngineServiceExpectTest extends BaseGoogleComputeEngin
                       "\"accessConfigs\":[{\"type\":\"ONE_TO_ONE_NAT\"}]}]," +
                       "\"metadata\":{\"kind\":\"compute#metadata\",\"items\":[{\"key\":\"sshKeys\"," +
                       "\"value\":\"jclouds:" +
-                      publicKey + " jclouds@localhost\"}]}}",
+                      publicKey + " jclouds@localhost\"},{\"key\":\"jclouds-group\"," +
+                      "\"value\":\"" + groupName + "\"}]}}",
                       MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON)).build();
    }
 
@@ -440,7 +441,7 @@ public class GoogleComputeEngineServiceExpectTest extends BaseGoogleComputeEngin
               .add(LIST_PROJECT_IMAGES_REQUEST)
               .add(LIST_GOOGLE_IMAGES_REQUEST)
               .add(LIST_MACHINE_TYPES_REQUEST)
-              .add(createInstanceRequestForInstance("test-1", "jclouds-test", openSshKey))
+              .add(createInstanceRequestForInstance("test-1", "test", "jclouds-test", openSshKey))
               .add(GET_ZONE_OPERATION_REQUEST)
               .add(getInstanceRequestForInstance("test-1"))
               .add(SET_TAGS_REQUEST)