diff --git a/vfs/dir.go b/vfs/dir.go
index 0d24195bd..243f0d321 100644
--- a/vfs/dir.go
+++ b/vfs/dir.go
@@ -845,7 +845,7 @@ func (d *Dir) statMetadata(leaf, baseLeaf string) (metaNode Node, err error) {
 	}
 	// Make a memory based file with metadataDump in
 	remote := path.Join(d.path, leaf)
-	o := object.NewMemoryObject(remote, entry.ModTime(d.vfs.ctx), metadataDump)
+	o := object.NewMemoryObject(remote, node.ModTime(), metadataDump)
 	f := newFile(d, d.path, o, leaf)
 	// Base the metadata inode number off the real file inode number
 	// to keep it constant
diff --git a/vfs/dir_test.go b/vfs/dir_test.go
index 3d7ab8cee..559849503 100644
--- a/vfs/dir_test.go
+++ b/vfs/dir_test.go
@@ -762,4 +762,16 @@ func TestDirMetadataExtension(t *testing.T) {
 	if features.ReadDirMetadata {
 		assert.Equal(t, modTime.Format(time.RFC3339Nano), metadata["mtime"])
 	}
+
+	// Check metadata for a file being written, which has no object
+	// yet, exists and is empty
+	fd, err := vfs.OpenFile("dir/newfile", os.O_WRONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0666)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	node, err = vfs.Stat("dir/newfile.metadata")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.True(t, node.IsFile())
+	blob, err = vfs.ReadFile("dir/newfile.metadata")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "{}", string(blob))
+	require.NoError(t, fd.Close())
 }