diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/BUILD
index ad5b06d819..2a6ce84be2 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/BUILD
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/BUILD
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ go_test(
         "//vendor/github.com/coreos/etcd/clientv3:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/coreos/etcd/etcdserver/api/v3rpc/rpctypes:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/github.com/coreos/etcd/integration:go_default_library",
+        "//vendor/github.com/coreos/pkg/capnslog:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/golang.org/x/net/context:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors:go_default_library",
         "//vendor/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/testing:go_default_library",
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store.go
index 1b4bf0f9fe..df9917ed61 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store.go
@@ -429,25 +429,26 @@ func decodeContinue(continueValue, keyPrefix string) (fromKey string, rv int64,
 		return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: %v", err)
 	}
 	switch c.APIVersion {
-	case "v1alpha1":
+	case "meta.k8s.io/v1":
 		if c.ResourceVersion == 0 {
-			return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: incorrect encoded start resourceVersion (version v1alpha1)")
+			return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: incorrect encoded start resourceVersion (version meta.k8s.io/v1)")
 		}
 		if len(c.StartKey) == 0 {
-			return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: encoded start key empty (version v1alpha1)")
+			return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: encoded start key empty (version meta.k8s.io/v1)")
 		}
 		// defend against path traversal attacks by clients - path.Clean will ensure that startKey cannot
 		// be at a higher level of the hierarchy, and so when we append the key prefix we will end up with
 		// continue start key that is fully qualified and cannot range over anything less specific than
 		// keyPrefix.
-		cleaned := path.Clean(c.StartKey)
-		if cleaned != c.StartKey || cleaned == "." || cleaned == "/" {
-			return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: %s", cleaned)
+		key := c.StartKey
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(key, "/") {
+			key = "/" + key
 		}
-		if len(cleaned) == 0 {
-			return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: encoded start key empty (version 0)")
+		cleaned := path.Clean(key)
+		if cleaned != key {
+			return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: %s", c.StartKey)
 		}
-		return keyPrefix + cleaned, c.ResourceVersion, nil
+		return keyPrefix + cleaned[1:], c.ResourceVersion, nil
 	default:
 		return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("continue key is not valid: server does not recognize this encoded version %q", c.APIVersion)
 	}
@@ -459,7 +460,7 @@ func encodeContinue(key, keyPrefix string, resourceVersion int64) (string, error
 	if nextKey == key {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("unable to encode next field: the key and key prefix do not match")
 	}
-	out, err := json.Marshal(&continueToken{APIVersion: "v1alpha1", ResourceVersion: resourceVersion, StartKey: nextKey})
+	out, err := json.Marshal(&continueToken{APIVersion: "meta.k8s.io/v1", ResourceVersion: resourceVersion, StartKey: nextKey})
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store_test.go
index 7e7320cfba..8b36b61109 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/etcd3/store_test.go
@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/clientv3"
 	"github.com/coreos/etcd/integration"
+	"github.com/coreos/pkg/capnslog"
 	"golang.org/x/net/context"
+
 	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	apitesting "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/testing"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
@@ -55,6 +57,8 @@ func init() {
 	metav1.AddToGroupVersion(scheme, metav1.SchemeGroupVersion)
 	example.AddToScheme(scheme)
 	examplev1.AddToScheme(scheme)
+
+	capnslog.SetGlobalLogLevel(capnslog.CRITICAL)
 }
 
 // prefixTransformer adds and verifies that all data has the correct prefix on its way in and out.
@@ -1205,16 +1209,16 @@ func Test_decodeContinue(t *testing.T) {
 		wantRv      int64
 		wantErr     bool
 	}{
-		{name: "valid", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("v1alpha1", 1, "key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantRv: 1, wantFromKey: "/test/key"},
+		{name: "valid", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("meta.k8s.io/v1", 1, "key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantRv: 1, wantFromKey: "/test/key"},
+		{name: "root path", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("meta.k8s.io/v1", 1, "/"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantRv: 1, wantFromKey: "/test/"},
 
 		{name: "empty version", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("", 1, "key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
 		{name: "invalid version", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("v1", 1, "key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
 
-		{name: "path traversal - parent", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("v1alpha", 1, "../key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
-		{name: "path traversal - local", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("v1alpha", 1, "./key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
-		{name: "path traversal - double parent", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("v1alpha", 1, "./../key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
-		{name: "path traversal - after parent", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("v1alpha", 1, "key/../.."), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
-		{name: "path traversal - separator", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("v1alpha", 1, "/"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
+		{name: "path traversal - parent", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("meta.k8s.io/v1", 1, "../key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
+		{name: "path traversal - local", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("meta.k8s.io/v1", 1, "./key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
+		{name: "path traversal - double parent", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("meta.k8s.io/v1", 1, "./../key"), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
+		{name: "path traversal - after parent", args: args{continueValue: encodeContinueOrDie("meta.k8s.io/v1", 1, "key/../.."), keyPrefix: "/test/"}, wantErr: true},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {