diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/env/NodeMetaData.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/env/NodeMetaData.java
index f9deba8f6c382..ab621ec939d44 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/env/NodeMetaData.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/env/NodeMetaData.java
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@
  */
 public final class NodeMetaData {
 
-    private static final String NODE_ID_KEY = "node_id";
-    private static final String NODE_VERSION_KEY = "node_version";
+    static final String NODE_ID_KEY = "node_id";
+    static final String NODE_VERSION_KEY = "node_version";
 
     private final String nodeId;
 
@@ -71,13 +71,6 @@ public String toString() {
             '}';
     }
 
-    private static ObjectParser<Builder, Void> PARSER = new ObjectParser<>("node_meta_data", Builder::new);
-
-    static {
-        PARSER.declareString(Builder::setNodeId, new ParseField(NODE_ID_KEY));
-        PARSER.declareInt(Builder::setNodeVersionId, new ParseField(NODE_VERSION_KEY));
-    }
-
     public String nodeId() {
         return nodeId;
     }
@@ -130,7 +123,20 @@ public NodeMetaData build() {
         }
     }
 
-    public static final MetaDataStateFormat<NodeMetaData> FORMAT = new MetaDataStateFormat<NodeMetaData>("node-") {
+    static class NodeMetaDataStateFormat extends MetaDataStateFormat<NodeMetaData> {
+
+        private ObjectParser<Builder, Void> objectParser;
+
+        /**
+         * @param ignoreUnknownFields whether to ignore unknown fields or not. Normally we are strict about this, but
+         *                            {@link OverrideNodeVersionCommand} is lenient.
+         */
+        NodeMetaDataStateFormat(boolean ignoreUnknownFields) {
+            super("node-");
+            objectParser = new ObjectParser<>("node_meta_data", ignoreUnknownFields, Builder::new);
+            objectParser.declareString(Builder::setNodeId, new ParseField(NODE_ID_KEY));
+            objectParser.declareInt(Builder::setNodeVersionId, new ParseField(NODE_VERSION_KEY));
+        }
 
         @Override
         protected XContentBuilder newXContentBuilder(XContentType type, OutputStream stream) throws IOException {
@@ -146,8 +152,10 @@ public void toXContent(XContentBuilder builder, NodeMetaData nodeMetaData) throw
         }
 
         @Override
-        public NodeMetaData fromXContent(XContentParser parser) {
-            return PARSER.apply(parser, null).build();
+        public NodeMetaData fromXContent(XContentParser parser) throws IOException {
+            return objectParser.apply(parser, null).build();
         }
-    };
+    }
+
+    public static final MetaDataStateFormat<NodeMetaData> FORMAT = new NodeMetaDataStateFormat(false);
 }
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/env/OverrideNodeVersionCommand.java b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/env/OverrideNodeVersionCommand.java
index a46e185a25351..34c7e9599e07f 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/env/OverrideNodeVersionCommand.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/env/OverrideNodeVersionCommand.java
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ public OverrideNodeVersionCommand() {
     @Override
     protected void processNodePaths(Terminal terminal, Path[] dataPaths, Environment env) throws IOException {
         final Path[] nodePaths = Arrays.stream(toNodePaths(dataPaths)).map(p -> p.path).toArray(Path[]::new);
-        final NodeMetaData nodeMetaData = NodeMetaData.FORMAT.loadLatestState(logger, namedXContentRegistry, nodePaths);
+        final NodeMetaData nodeMetaData
+            = new NodeMetaData.NodeMetaDataStateFormat(true).loadLatestState(logger, namedXContentRegistry, nodePaths);
         if (nodeMetaData == null) {
             throw new ElasticsearchException(NO_METADATA_MESSAGE);
         }
diff --git a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/env/OverrideNodeVersionCommandTests.java b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/env/OverrideNodeVersionCommandTests.java
index 704617c7b5e95..d8b86d3d51eb7 100644
--- a/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/env/OverrideNodeVersionCommandTests.java
+++ b/server/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/env/OverrideNodeVersionCommandTests.java
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.Version;
 import org.elasticsearch.cli.MockTerminal;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentBuilder;
+import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentParser;
+import org.elasticsearch.gateway.MetaDataStateFormat;
 import org.elasticsearch.gateway.WriteStateException;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.ESTestCase;
 import org.junit.Before;
@@ -29,9 +32,12 @@
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 
+import static org.elasticsearch.env.NodeMetaData.NODE_ID_KEY;
+import static org.elasticsearch.env.NodeMetaData.NODE_VERSION_KEY;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.allOf;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsString;
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.equalTo;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.hasToString;
 
 public class OverrideNodeVersionCommandTests extends ESTestCase {
 
@@ -152,4 +158,55 @@ public void testOverwritesIfTooNew() throws Exception {
         assertThat(nodeMetaData.nodeId(), equalTo(nodeId));
         assertThat(nodeMetaData.nodeVersion(), equalTo(Version.CURRENT));
     }
+
+    public void testLenientlyIgnoresExtraFields() throws Exception {
+        final String nodeId = randomAlphaOfLength(10);
+        final Version nodeVersion = NodeMetaDataTests.tooNewVersion();
+        FutureNodeMetaData.FORMAT.writeAndCleanup(new FutureNodeMetaData(nodeId, nodeVersion, randomLong()), nodePaths);
+        assertThat(expectThrows(ElasticsearchException.class,
+            () -> NodeMetaData.FORMAT.loadLatestState(logger, xContentRegistry(), nodePaths)),
+            hasToString(containsString("unknown field [future_field]")));
+
+        final MockTerminal mockTerminal = new MockTerminal();
+        mockTerminal.addTextInput(randomFrom("y", "Y"));
+        new OverrideNodeVersionCommand().processNodePaths(mockTerminal, nodePaths, environment);
+        assertThat(mockTerminal.getOutput(), allOf(
+            containsString("data loss"),
+            containsString("You should not use this tool"),
+            containsString(Version.CURRENT.toString()),
+            containsString(nodeVersion.toString()),
+            containsString(OverrideNodeVersionCommand.SUCCESS_MESSAGE)));
+        expectThrows(IllegalStateException.class, () -> mockTerminal.readText(""));
+
+        final NodeMetaData nodeMetaData = NodeMetaData.FORMAT.loadLatestState(logger, xContentRegistry(), nodePaths);
+        assertThat(nodeMetaData.nodeId(), equalTo(nodeId));
+        assertThat(nodeMetaData.nodeVersion(), equalTo(Version.CURRENT));
+    }
+
+    private static class FutureNodeMetaData {
+        private final String nodeId;
+        private final Version nodeVersion;
+        private final long futureValue;
+
+        FutureNodeMetaData(String nodeId, Version nodeVersion, long futureValue) {
+            this.nodeId = nodeId;
+            this.nodeVersion = nodeVersion;
+            this.futureValue = futureValue;
+        }
+
+        static final MetaDataStateFormat<FutureNodeMetaData> FORMAT
+            = new MetaDataStateFormat<FutureNodeMetaData>(NodeMetaData.FORMAT.getPrefix()) {
+            @Override
+            public void toXContent(XContentBuilder builder, FutureNodeMetaData state) throws IOException {
+                builder.field(NODE_ID_KEY, state.nodeId);
+                builder.field(NODE_VERSION_KEY, state.nodeVersion.id);
+                builder.field("future_field", state.futureValue);
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public FutureNodeMetaData fromXContent(XContentParser parser) {
+                throw new AssertionError("shouldn't be loading a FutureNodeMetaData");
+            }
+        };
+    }
 }