diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/internal/MetadataBuilderImpl.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/internal/MetadataBuilderImpl.java
index c5e7882347..fa6e8aa414 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/internal/MetadataBuilderImpl.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/internal/MetadataBuilderImpl.java
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ import org.hibernate.boot.registry.StandardServiceRegistry;
 import org.hibernate.boot.registry.StandardServiceRegistryBuilder;
 import org.hibernate.boot.registry.classloading.spi.ClassLoaderService;
 import org.hibernate.boot.registry.selector.spi.StrategySelector;
+import org.hibernate.boot.spi.JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware;
 import org.hibernate.boot.spi.MappingDefaults;
 import org.hibernate.boot.spi.MetadataBuilderImplementor;
 import org.hibernate.boot.spi.MetadataBuilderInitializer;
@@ -517,7 +518,8 @@ public class MetadataBuilderImpl implements MetadataBuilderImplementor, TypeCont
 		}
 	}
 
-	public static class MetadataBuildingOptionsImpl implements MetadataBuildingOptions {
+	public static class MetadataBuildingOptionsImpl
+			implements MetadataBuildingOptions, JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware {
 		private final StandardServiceRegistry serviceRegistry;
 		private final MappingDefaultsImpl mappingDefaults;
 
@@ -885,12 +887,6 @@ public class MetadataBuilderImpl implements MetadataBuilderImplementor, TypeCont
 			}
 		}
 
-		public static interface JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults {
-			public String getDefaultSchemaName();
-			public String getDefaultCatalogName();
-			public boolean shouldImplicitlyQuoteIdentifiers();
-		}
-
 		/**
 		 * Yuck.  This is needed because JPA lets users define "global building options"
 		 * in {@code orm.xml} mappings.  Forget that there are generally multiple
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/model/source/internal/annotations/AnnotationMetadataSourceProcessorImpl.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/model/source/internal/annotations/AnnotationMetadataSourceProcessorImpl.java
index c73a684e3c..edd9e7ecc0 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/model/source/internal/annotations/AnnotationMetadataSourceProcessorImpl.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/model/source/internal/annotations/AnnotationMetadataSourceProcessorImpl.java
@@ -21,13 +21,13 @@ import org.hibernate.annotations.common.reflection.ClassLoadingException;
 import org.hibernate.annotations.common.reflection.MetadataProviderInjector;
 import org.hibernate.annotations.common.reflection.ReflectionManager;
 import org.hibernate.annotations.common.reflection.XClass;
-import org.hibernate.boot.internal.MetadataBuilderImpl.MetadataBuildingOptionsImpl;
-import org.hibernate.boot.internal.MetadataBuilderImpl.MetadataBuildingOptionsImpl.JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults;
 import org.hibernate.boot.internal.MetadataBuildingContextRootImpl;
 import org.hibernate.boot.jaxb.spi.Binding;
 import org.hibernate.boot.model.process.spi.ManagedResources;
 import org.hibernate.boot.model.source.spi.MetadataSourceProcessor;
 import org.hibernate.boot.registry.classloading.spi.ClassLoaderService;
+import org.hibernate.boot.spi.JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware;
+import org.hibernate.boot.spi.JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware.JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults;
 import org.hibernate.cfg.AnnotationBinder;
 import org.hibernate.cfg.AttributeConverterDefinition;
 import org.hibernate.cfg.InheritanceState;
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ public class AnnotationMetadataSourceProcessorImpl implements MetadataSourceProc
 	@Override
 	public void prepare() {
 		// use any persistence-unit-defaults defined in orm.xml
-		( ( MetadataBuildingOptionsImpl ) rootMetadataBuildingContext.getBuildingOptions() ).apply(
+		( (JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware) rootMetadataBuildingContext.getBuildingOptions() ).apply(
 				new JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults() {
 					final Map persistenceUnitDefaults = reflectionManager.getDefaults();
 
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/spi/AbstractDelegatingMetadataBuildingOptions.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/spi/AbstractDelegatingMetadataBuildingOptions.java
index bf619057ca..e672e788c3 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/spi/AbstractDelegatingMetadataBuildingOptions.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/spi/AbstractDelegatingMetadataBuildingOptions.java
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
 
 import javax.persistence.SharedCacheMode;
 
+import org.hibernate.HibernateException;
 import org.hibernate.MultiTenancyStrategy;
 import org.hibernate.annotations.common.reflection.ReflectionManager;
 import org.hibernate.boot.CacheRegionDefinition;
@@ -33,8 +34,10 @@ import org.jboss.jandex.IndexView;
  * Convenience base class for custom implementors of {@link MetadataBuildingOptions} using delegation.
  *
  * @author Gunnar Morling
+ * @author Steve Ebersole
  */
-public abstract class AbstractDelegatingMetadataBuildingOptions implements MetadataBuildingOptions {
+@SuppressWarnings("unused")
+public abstract class AbstractDelegatingMetadataBuildingOptions implements MetadataBuildingOptions, JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware {
 
 	private final MetadataBuildingOptions delegate;
 
@@ -171,4 +174,18 @@ public abstract class AbstractDelegatingMetadataBuildingOptions implements Metad
 	public List<AttributeConverterDefinition> getAttributeConverters() {
 		return delegate.getAttributeConverters();
 	}
+
+	@Override
+	public void apply(JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults jpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults) {
+		if ( delegate instanceof JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware ) {
+			( (JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware) delegate ).apply( jpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults );
+		}
+		else {
+			throw new HibernateException(
+					"AbstractDelegatingMetadataBuildingOptions delegate did not " +
+							"implement JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware; " +
+							"cannot delegate JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware#apply"
+			);
+		}
+	}
 }
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/spi/JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/spi/JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7a2abea1f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/spi/JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware.java
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+/*
+ * Hibernate, Relational Persistence for Idiomatic Java
+ *
+ * License: GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), version 2.1 or later.
+ * See the lgpl.txt file in the root directory or <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl-2.1.html>.
+ */
+package org.hibernate.boot.spi;
+
+/**
+ * Contract for things that need to be aware of JPA {@code orm.xml}-defined persistence-unit-defaults.  Only
+ * MetadataBuildingOptions are supported to implement this contract.
+ * <p/>
+ * NOTE: it is expected that this contract will go away as we migrate to Jandex for annotation processing
+ * and move to the annotation binding constructs done on the metamodel branch.
+ *
+ * @since 5.0
+ *
+ * @author Steve Ebersole
+ */
+public interface JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaultAware {
+	/**
+	 * Represents the {@code persistence-unit-defaults} to be applied
+	 */
+	interface JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults {
+		String getDefaultSchemaName();
+		String getDefaultCatalogName();
+		boolean shouldImplicitlyQuoteIdentifiers();
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Apply the {@code orm.xml}-defined {@code persistence-unit-defaults} values.
+	 *
+	 * @param jpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults The {@code persistence-unit-defaults} values
+	 */
+	void apply(JpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults jpaOrmXmlPersistenceUnitDefaults);
+}