diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py b/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
index 71dc1e2ae50b..e90e30b7dfe7 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/compute/servers.py
@@ -478,7 +478,8 @@ class Controller(wsgi.Controller):
             raise exc.HTTPRequestEntityTooLarge(explanation=expl,
                                                 headers={'Retry-After': 0})
         # if the original error is okay, just reraise it
-        raise error
+        raise exc.HTTPRequestEntityTooLarge(explanation=error.msg,
+                                            headers={'Retry-After': 0})
 
     def _validate_server_name(self, value):
         if not isinstance(value, basestring):
diff --git a/nova/tests/api/openstack/compute/test_servers.py b/nova/tests/api/openstack/compute/test_servers.py
index 83b0e345ccd3..8d810c4a0526 100644
--- a/nova/tests/api/openstack/compute/test_servers.py
+++ b/nova/tests/api/openstack/compute/test_servers.py
@@ -1605,6 +1605,32 @@ class ServersControllerCreateTest(test.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(FLAGS.password_length, len(server['adminPass']))
         self.assertEqual(FAKE_UUID, server['id'])
 
+    def test_create_instance_too_much_metadata(self):
+        self.flags(quota_metadata_items=1)
+        image_uuid = '76fa36fc-c930-4bf3-8c8a-ea2a2420deb6'
+        image_href = 'http://localhost/v2/images/%s' % image_uuid
+        flavor_ref = 'http://localhost/123/flavors/3'
+        body = {
+            'server': {
+                'name': 'server_test',
+                'imageRef': image_href,
+                'flavorRef': flavor_ref,
+                'metadata': {
+                    'hello': 'world',
+                    'open': 'stack',
+                    'vote': 'fiddletown',
+                },
+            },
+        }
+
+        req = fakes.HTTPRequest.blank('/v2/fake/servers')
+        req.method = 'POST'
+        req.body = json.dumps(body)
+        req.headers["content-type"] = "application/json"
+
+        self.assertRaises(webob.exc.HTTPRequestEntityTooLarge,
+                          self.controller.create, req, body)
+
     def test_create_instance_invalid_key_name(self):
         image_href = 'http://localhost/v2/images/2'
         flavor_ref = 'http://localhost/flavors/3'