diff --git a/src/main/scala/org/broadinstitute/dsde/agora/server/model/AgoraEntity.scala b/src/main/scala/org/broadinstitute/dsde/agora/server/model/AgoraEntity.scala
index 41132658..998e741f 100644
--- a/src/main/scala/org/broadinstitute/dsde/agora/server/model/AgoraEntity.scala
+++ b/src/main/scala/org/broadinstitute/dsde/agora/server/model/AgoraEntity.scala
@@ -26,13 +26,14 @@ object AgoraEntity {
     }
 
   def fromAgoraAddRequest(agoraAddRequest: AgoraAddRequest, createDate: Option[Date]) = {
-    new AgoraEntity(namespace = agoraAddRequest.namespace,
-                    name = agoraAddRequest.name,
-                    synopsis = agoraAddRequest.synopsis,
-                    documentation = agoraAddRequest.documentation,
-                    owner = agoraAddRequest.owner,
-                    createDate = createDate,
-                    payload = agoraAddRequest.payload)
+    new AgoraEntity(namespace = Option(agoraAddRequest.namespace),
+      name = Option(agoraAddRequest.name),
+      synopsis = Option(agoraAddRequest.synopsis),
+      documentation = Option(agoraAddRequest.documentation),
+      owner = Option(agoraAddRequest.owner),
+      createDate = createDate,
+      payload = Option(agoraAddRequest.payload)
+    )
   }
 
 }
@@ -41,7 +42,6 @@ object AgoraAddRequest {
   implicit val AgoraAddRequestUnmarshaller =
     Unmarshaller[AgoraAddRequest](`application/json`) {
       case HttpEntity.NonEmpty(contentType, data) ⇒ grater[AgoraAddRequest].fromJSON(data.asString)
-      case HttpEntity.Empty ⇒ new AgoraAddRequest()
     }
 
   implicit val AgoraAddRequestMarshaller =
@@ -71,15 +71,15 @@ case class AgoraEntity(@(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "The n
 
 @ApiModel(value = "Request to add method")
 case class AgoraAddRequest(@(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "The namespace to which the method belongs")
-                       namespace: Option[String] = None,
-                       @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "The method name ")
-                       name: Option[String] = None,
-                       @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "A short description of the method")
-                       synopsis: Option[String] = None,
-                       @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "Method documentation")
-                       documentation: Option[String] = None,
-                       @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "User who owns this method in the methods repo")
-                       owner: Option[String] = None, // TODO: remove (use authenticated user)
-                       @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "The method payload")
-                       payload: Option[String] = None
-                        )
+                           namespace: String,
+                           @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "The method name ")
+                           name: String,
+                           @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "A short description of the method")
+                           synopsis: String,
+                           @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "Method documentation")
+                           documentation: String,
+                           @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "User who owns this method in the methods repo")
+                           owner: String, // TODO: remove (use authenticated user)
+                           @(ApiModelProperty@field)(required = true, value = "The method payload")
+                           payload: String
+                            )
diff --git a/src/test/scala/org/broadinstitute/dsde/agora/server/ApiServiceSpec.scala b/src/test/scala/org/broadinstitute/dsde/agora/server/ApiServiceSpec.scala
index 21a5b25e..53f5969e 100644
--- a/src/test/scala/org/broadinstitute/dsde/agora/server/ApiServiceSpec.scala
+++ b/src/test/scala/org/broadinstitute/dsde/agora/server/ApiServiceSpec.scala
@@ -31,12 +31,20 @@ class ApiServiceSpec extends FlatSpec with Matchers with Directives with Scalate
   val documentation = "This is the documentation"
   val owner = "bob the builder"
   val payload = "echo 'hello world'"
-  val testMethod = AgoraEntity(namespace = Option(namespace), name = Option(name))
+  val testEntity = AgoraEntity(namespace = Option(namespace), name = Option(name))
+  val testAddRequest = new AgoraAddRequest(
+    namespace = namespace,
+    name = name,
+    synopsis = synopsis,
+    documentation = documentation,
+    owner = owner,
+    payload = payload
+  )
   
   "Agora" should "return information about a method, including metadata " in {
     val testFixture = fixture
 
-    val insertedEntity = testFixture.agoraDao.insert(testMethod)
+    val insertedEntity = testFixture.agoraDao.insert(testEntity)
 
     Get(ApiUtil.Methods.withLeadingSlash + "/" + namespace + "/" + name + "/" + insertedEntity.id.get) ~> methodsService.queryRoute ~> check {
       responseAs[AgoraEntity] === insertedEntity
@@ -46,9 +54,7 @@ class ApiServiceSpec extends FlatSpec with Matchers with Directives with Scalate
   "Agora" should "create and return a method" in {
     val testFixture = fixture
 
-    val agoraAddRequest = new AgoraAddRequest()
-    
-    Post(ApiUtil.Methods.withLeadingSlash, marshal(testMethod)) ~> methodsService.postRoute ~> check {
+    Post(ApiUtil.Methods.withLeadingSlash, marshal(testAddRequest)) ~> methodsService.postRoute ~> check {
       val response = responseAs[AgoraEntity]
       response.namespace === namespace
       response.name === name