diff --git a/lib/api/index.js b/lib/api/index.js
index c09a921b..db26cbe1 100644
--- a/lib/api/index.js
+++ b/lib/api/index.js
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ const process = require("process"),
   pkg = require("../../package.json"),
   debug = require("debug")(`${pkg.name}:event`),
   LibhoneyImpl = require("./libhoney"),
-  MockImpl = require("./mock");
+  MockImpl = require("./mock"),
+  utils = require("../util");
 
 const { honeycomb, aws, w3c, util } = propagation;
 
@@ -38,6 +39,9 @@ module.exports = {
     }
     debug(`using impl: ${impl == LibhoneyImpl ? "libhoney-event" : "mock"}`);
     apiImpl = new impl(opts);
+
+    // tell honeycomb propagator whether we should propagate dataset
+    honeycomb.setPropagateDataset(utils.isClassic(opts.writeKey));
   },
 
   traceActive() {
diff --git a/lib/api/index.test.js b/lib/api/index.test.js
index 1c46d0ff..ffd00437 100644
--- a/lib/api/index.test.js
+++ b/lib/api/index.test.js
@@ -10,17 +10,103 @@ jest.mock("../deterministic_sampler");
 
 beforeEach(() => {
   api._resetForTesting();
-  api.configure({ impl: "libhoney-event", transmission: "mock", writeKey: "abc123" });
+  api.configure({
+    impl: "libhoney-event",
+    transmission: "mock",
+    writeKey: "e38be416d0d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380",
+  });
 });
 
-test("libhoney default config", () => {
+test("libhoney default config - classic", () => {
   const honey = api._apiForTesting().honey;
   expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.apiHost).toBe("https://api.honeycomb.io");
   expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.dataset).toBe("nodejs");
-  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.writeKey).toBe("abc123");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.writeKey).toBe("e38be416d0d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.userAgentAddition).toBe(
+    `honeycomb-beeline/${pkg.version}`
+  );
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service_name"]).toBe("unknown_service:nodejs");
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service.name"]).toBe("unknown_service:nodejs");
+});
+
+test("libhoney default config - non-classic", () => {
+  api._resetForTesting();
+  api.configure({
+    impl: "libhoney-event",
+    transmission: "mock",
+    writeKey: "d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380",
+  });
+
+  const honey = api._apiForTesting().honey;
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.apiHost).toBe("https://api.honeycomb.io");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.dataset).toBe("unknown_service");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.writeKey).toBe("d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.userAgentAddition).toBe(
+    `honeycomb-beeline/${pkg.version}`
+  );
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service_name"]).toBe("unknown_service:nodejs");
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service.name"]).toBe("unknown_service:nodejs");
+});
+
+test("libhoney config - non-classic - empty service name", () => {
+  api._resetForTesting();
+  api.configure({
+    impl: "libhoney-event",
+    transmission: "mock",
+    writeKey: "d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380",
+    serviceName: "",
+  });
+
+  const honey = api._apiForTesting().honey;
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.apiHost).toBe("https://api.honeycomb.io");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.dataset).toBe("unknown_service");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.writeKey).toBe("d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.userAgentAddition).toBe(
+    `honeycomb-beeline/${pkg.version}`
+  );
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service_name"]).toBe("unknown_service:nodejs");
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service.name"]).toBe("unknown_service:nodejs");
+});
+
+test("libhoney config - non-classic - whitespace service name", () => {
+  api._resetForTesting();
+  api.configure({
+    impl: "libhoney-event",
+    transmission: "mock",
+    writeKey: "d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380",
+    serviceName: " "
+  });
+
+  const honey = api._apiForTesting().honey;
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.apiHost).toBe("https://api.honeycomb.io");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.dataset).toBe("unknown_service");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.writeKey).toBe("d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.userAgentAddition).toBe(
+    `honeycomb-beeline/${pkg.version}`
+  );
+  console.log(honey._builder._fields["service_name"]);
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service_name"]).toBe(" ");
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service.name"]).toBe(" ");
+});
+
+test("libhoney config - non-classic - custom service name", () => {
+  api._resetForTesting();
+  api.configure({
+    impl: "libhoney-event",
+    transmission: "mock",
+    writeKey: "d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380",
+    serviceName: " my-service ",
+  });
+
+  const honey = api._apiForTesting().honey;
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.apiHost).toBe("https://api.honeycomb.io");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.dataset).toBe("my-service");
+  expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.writeKey).toBe("d68f9ed1e96432ac1a3380");
   expect(honey.transmission.constructorArg.userAgentAddition).toBe(
     `honeycomb-beeline/${pkg.version}`
   );
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service_name"]).toBe(" my-service ");
+  expect(honey._builder._fields["service.name"]).toBe(" my-service ");
 });
 
 test("startTrace starts tracking and creates an initial event, finishTrace sends it", () => {
diff --git a/lib/api/libhoney.js b/lib/api/libhoney.js
index 01e19122..78620c94 100644
--- a/lib/api/libhoney.js
+++ b/lib/api/libhoney.js
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ const libhoney = require("libhoney"),
   schema = require("../schema"),
   Span = require("./span"),
   pkg = require("../../package.json"),
-  debug = require("debug")(`${pkg.name}:event`);
+  debug = require("debug")(`${pkg.name}:event`),
+  util = require("../util");
 
 const defaultName = "nodejs";
 
@@ -81,7 +82,38 @@ module.exports = class LibhoneyEventAPI {
       debug(`using proxy ${proxy}`);
     }
 
-    this.defaultDataset = opts.dataset || process.env["HONEYCOMB_DATASET"] || defaultName;
+    if (!opts.serviceName) {
+      opts.serviceName = ["unknown_service", process.name ? process.name.trim() : "nodejs"].join(":");
+      console.warn(`empty serviceName configuration option - setting service name to '${opts.serviceName}'`);
+    }
+
+    if (!opts.writeKey) {
+      console.warn("empty writeKey configuration option");
+    }
+
+    if (util.isClassic(opts.writeKey)) {
+      let dataset = opts.dataset || process.env["HONEYCOMB_DATASET"];
+      if (!dataset || dataset.trim() === "") {
+        dataset = defaultName;
+        console.warn(`empty dataset configuration option - setting to '${dataset}'`);
+      } else {
+        dataset = dataset.trim();
+      }
+
+      this.defaultDataset = dataset;
+    } else {
+      if (opts.serviceName !== opts.serviceName.trim()) {
+        console.warn(`service name contains whitespace '${opts.serviceName}'`);
+      }
+      // if servicename is empty (whitespace) or starts with "unknown_service", use "unknown_service"
+      // or use trimmed service name
+      this.defaultDataset = opts.serviceName.startsWith("unknown_service") || opts.serviceName.trim() === ""
+        ? "unknown_service"
+        : opts.serviceName.trim();
+      if (opts.dataset) {
+        console.warn(`dataset should be empty - sending data to '${this.defaultDataset}'`);
+      }
+    }
 
     const libhoneyOpts = getFilteredOptions(opts);
 
@@ -105,6 +137,7 @@ module.exports = class LibhoneyEventAPI {
     this.honey.add({
       [schema.HOSTNAME]: os.hostname(),
       [schema.TRACE_SERVICE_NAME]: opts.serviceName,
+      [schema.TRACE_SERVICE_DOT_NAME]: opts.serviceName,
     });
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/propagation/honeycomb.js b/lib/propagation/honeycomb.js
index 23975ee5..29490388 100644
--- a/lib/propagation/honeycomb.js
+++ b/lib/propagation/honeycomb.js
@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@ exports.TRACE_HTTP_HEADER = TRACE_HTTP_HEADER;
 const VERSION = "1";
 exports.VERSION = VERSION;
 
+let propagateDataset = true;
+
+exports.setPropagateDataset = setPropagateDataset;
+function setPropagateDataset(enabled) {
+  propagateDataset = enabled;
+}
+
 // assumes a header of the form:
 
 // VERSION;PAYLOAD
@@ -38,7 +45,7 @@ function marshalTraceContextv1(context) {
   let dataset = context.dataset;
 
   let datasetClause = "";
-  if (dataset) {
+  if (propagateDataset && dataset) {
     datasetClause = `dataset=${encodeURIComponent(dataset)},`;
   }
 
@@ -84,7 +91,9 @@ function unmarshalTraceContextv1(payload) {
         parentSpanId = v;
         break;
       case "dataset":
-        dataset = decodeURIComponent(v);
+        if (propagateDataset) {  
+          dataset = decodeURIComponent(v);
+        }
         break;
       case "context":
         contextb64 = v;
diff --git a/lib/propagation/honeycomb.test.js b/lib/propagation/honeycomb.test.js
index 45b6f80e..cd0f16c1 100644
--- a/lib/propagation/honeycomb.test.js
+++ b/lib/propagation/honeycomb.test.js
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ cases(
 );
 
 describe("roundtrip", () => {
-  test("works", () => {
+  test("classic", () => {
     let contextStr = honeycomb.marshalTraceContext(testContext);
     expect(honeycomb.unmarshalTraceContext(contextStr)).toEqual({
       traceId: "abcdef123456",
@@ -93,4 +93,18 @@ describe("roundtrip", () => {
       },
     });
   });
+
+  test("non-classic", () => {
+    honeycomb.setPropagateDataset(false);
+    let contextStr = honeycomb.marshalTraceContext(testContext);
+    expect(honeycomb.unmarshalTraceContext(contextStr)).toEqual({
+      traceId: "abcdef123456",
+      parentSpanId: "0102030405",
+      customContext: {
+        userID: 1,
+        errorMsg: "failed to sign on",
+        toRetry: true,
+      },
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/lib/schema.js b/lib/schema.js
index 4849c152..a634ec09 100644
--- a/lib/schema.js
+++ b/lib/schema.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ exports.TRACE_ID_SOURCE = "trace.trace_id_source";
 exports.TRACE_PARENT_ID = "trace.parent_id";
 exports.TRACE_SPAN_ID = "trace.span_id";
 exports.TRACE_SERVICE_NAME = "service_name";
+exports.TRACE_SERVICE_DOT_NAME = "service.name";
 exports.TRACE_SPAN_NAME = "name";
 
 // custom context fields will have this prefix
diff --git a/lib/util.js b/lib/util.js
index 603d723e..fbe47aca 100644
--- a/lib/util.js
+++ b/lib/util.js
@@ -17,3 +17,9 @@ function captureStackTrace(skipFrames = 0, limitFrames = 10) {
   // the +1 here to get rid of the `Error\n` line at the top of the stacktrace.
   return frames.slice(1 + skipFrames).join("\n");
 }
+
+exports.isClassic = isClassic;
+
+function isClassic(writeKey) {
+  return !writeKey || writeKey.length == 32;
+}
\ No newline at end of file