diff --git a/nova/api/metadata/base.py b/nova/api/metadata/base.py
index a069301b29..164d0ffefc 100644
--- a/nova/api/metadata/base.py
+++ b/nova/api/metadata/base.py
@@ -124,8 +124,13 @@ class InstanceMetadata(object):
         if not content:
             content = []
 
+        # NOTE(gibi): this is not a cell targeted context even if we are called
+        # in a situation when the instance is in a different cell than the
+        # metadata service itself.
         ctxt = context.get_admin_context()
 
+        self.mappings = _format_instance_mapping(instance)
+
         # NOTE(danms): Sanitize the instance to limit the amount of stuff
         # inside that may not pickle well (i.e. context). We also touch
         # some of the things we'll lazy load later to make sure we keep their
@@ -147,8 +152,6 @@ class InstanceMetadata(object):
         self.security_groups = security_group_api.get_instance_security_groups(
             ctxt, instance)
 
-        self.mappings = _format_instance_mapping(ctxt, instance)
-
         if instance.user_data is not None:
             self.userdata_raw = base64.decode_as_bytes(instance.user_data)
         else:
@@ -696,9 +699,8 @@ def get_metadata_by_instance_id(instance_id, address, ctxt=None):
         return InstanceMetadata(instance, address)
 
 
-def _format_instance_mapping(ctxt, instance):
-    bdms = objects.BlockDeviceMappingList.get_by_instance_uuid(
-            ctxt, instance.uuid)
+def _format_instance_mapping(instance):
+    bdms = instance.get_bdms()
     return block_device.instance_block_mapping(instance, bdms)
 
 
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/test_metadata.py b/nova/tests/unit/test_metadata.py
index 1dfa5eea65..45c2b6a6a8 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/test_metadata.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/test_metadata.py
@@ -322,12 +322,14 @@ class MetadataTestCase(test.TestCase):
                          'uuid': 'e5fe5518-0288-4fa3-b0c4-c79764101b85',
                          'root_device_name': None,
                          'default_ephemeral_device': None,
-                         'default_swap_device': None})
+                         'default_swap_device': None,
+                         'context': self.context})
         instance_ref1 = objects.Instance(**{'id': 0,
                          'uuid': 'b65cee2f-8c69-4aeb-be2f-f79742548fc2',
                          'root_device_name': '/dev/sda1',
                          'default_ephemeral_device': None,
-                         'default_swap_device': None})
+                         'default_swap_device': None,
+                         'context': self.context})
 
         def fake_bdm_get(ctxt, uuid):
             return [fake_block_device.FakeDbBlockDeviceDict(
@@ -366,10 +368,12 @@ class MetadataTestCase(test.TestCase):
                     'swap': '/dev/sdc',
                     'ebs0': '/dev/sdh'}
 
-        self.assertEqual(base._format_instance_mapping(self.context,
-                         instance_ref0), block_device._DEFAULT_MAPPINGS)
-        self.assertEqual(base._format_instance_mapping(self.context,
-                         instance_ref1), expected)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            base._format_instance_mapping(instance_ref0),
+            block_device._DEFAULT_MAPPINGS)
+        self.assertEqual(
+            base._format_instance_mapping(instance_ref1),
+            expected)
 
     def test_pubkey(self):
         md = fake_InstanceMetadata(self, self.instance.obj_clone())