diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
index 3fd78ed659354..cbc12dfe1273b 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/cxapp/stacks.ts
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ export class AppStacks {
           if (!stack.template.Resources) {
             stack.template.Resources = {};
           }
-          const resourcePresent = stack.environment.region === 'default-region'
+          const resourcePresent = stack.environment.region === cxapi.UNKNOWN_REGION
             || regionInfo.Fact.find(stack.environment.region, regionInfo.FactName.CDK_METADATA_RESOURCE_AVAILABLE) === 'YES';
           if (resourcePresent) {
             if (!stack.template.Resources.CDKMetadata) {
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
index ceb172ea18c9a..c5d4b69763ec5 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/test.stacks.ts
@@ -1,28 +1,11 @@
 import cxapi = require('@aws-cdk/cx-api');
-import { Test } from 'nodeunit';
+import { Test, testCase } from 'nodeunit';
 import { SDK } from '../../lib';
 import { AppStacks, DefaultSelection } from '../../lib/api/cxapp/stacks';
 import { Configuration } from '../../lib/settings';
 import { testAssembly } from '../util';
 
-const FIXED_RESULT = testAssembly({
-  stackName: 'withouterrors',
-  template: { resource: 'noerrorresource' },
-},
-{
-  stackName: 'witherrors',
-  template: { resource: 'errorresource' },
-  metadata: {
-    '/resource': [
-      {
-        type: cxapi.ERROR_METADATA_KEY,
-        data: 'this is an error'
-      }
-    ]
-  },
-});
-
-export = {
+export = testCase({
   async 'do not throw when selecting stack without errors'(test: Test) {
     // GIVEN
     const stacks = testStacks();
@@ -95,14 +78,75 @@ export = {
     // THEN
     test.ok(thrown && thrown.includes('Since this app includes more than a single stack, specify which stacks to use (wildcards are supported)'));
     test.done();
-  }
+  },
+
+  'AWS::CDK::Metadata': {
+    async 'is generated for relocatable stacks'(test: Test) {
+      const stacks = testStacks({ env: `aws://${cxapi.UNKNOWN_ACCOUNT}/${cxapi.UNKNOWN_REGION}`, versionReporting: true });
+
+      const result = await stacks.synthesizeStack('withouterrors');
+      const metadata = result.template.Resources && result.template.Resources.CDKMetadata;
+      test.deepEqual(metadata, {
+        Type: 'AWS::CDK::Metadata',
+        Properties: {
+          Modules: `${require('../../package.json').name}=${require('../../package.json').version}`
+        }
+      });
+
+      test.done();
+    },
+
+    async 'is generated for stacks in supported regions'(test: Test) {
+      const stacks = testStacks({ env: 'aws://012345678912/us-east-1', versionReporting: true });
+
+      const result = await stacks.synthesizeStack('withouterrors');
+      const metadata = result.template.Resources && result.template.Resources.CDKMetadata;
+      test.deepEqual(metadata, {
+        Type: 'AWS::CDK::Metadata',
+        Properties: {
+          Modules: `${require('../../package.json').name}=${require('../../package.json').version}`
+        }
+      });
+
+      test.done();
+    },
+
+    async 'is not generated for stacks in unsupported regions'(test: Test) {
+      const stacks = testStacks({ env: 'aws://012345678912/bermuda-triangle-1337', versionReporting: true });
+
+      const result = await stacks.synthesizeStack('withouterrors');
+      const metadata = result.template.Resources && result.template.Resources.CDKMetadata;
+      test.equal(metadata, undefined);
+
+      test.done();
+    }
+  },
+});
 
-};
+function testStacks({ env, versionReporting = true }: { env?: string, versionReporting?: boolean } = {}) {
+  const configuration = new Configuration();
+  configuration.settings.set(['versionReporting'], versionReporting);
 
-function testStacks() {
   return new AppStacks({
-    configuration: new Configuration(),
+    configuration,
     aws: new SDK(),
-    synthesizer: async () => FIXED_RESULT,
+    synthesizer: async () => testAssembly({
+      stackName: 'withouterrors',
+      env,
+      template: { resource: 'noerrorresource' },
+    },
+    {
+      stackName: 'witherrors',
+      env,
+      template: { resource: 'errorresource' },
+      metadata: {
+        '/resource': [
+          {
+            type: cxapi.ERROR_METADATA_KEY,
+            data: 'this is an error'
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+    }),
   });
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/util.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/util.ts
index 2e1c11d97693b..710341356c526 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/util.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/util.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import path = require('path');
 export interface TestStackArtifact {
   stackName: string;
   template: any;
+  env?: string,
   depends?: string[];
   metadata?: cxapi.StackMetadata;
   assets?: cxapi.AssetMetadataEntry[];
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@ export function testAssembly(...stacks: TestStackArtifact[]): cxapi.CloudAssembl
 
     builder.addArtifact(stack.stackName, {
       type: cxapi.ArtifactType.AWS_CLOUDFORMATION_STACK,
-      environment: 'aws://12345/here',
+      environment: stack.env || 'aws://12345/here',
 
       dependencies: stack.depends,
       metadata,
@@ -43,4 +44,4 @@ export function testAssembly(...stacks: TestStackArtifact[]): cxapi.CloudAssembl
 export function testStack(stack: TestStackArtifact) {
   const assembly = testAssembly(stack);
   return assembly.getStack(stack.stackName);
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}