diff --git a/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts b/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
index e00bec9..8f89296 100644
--- a/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
+++ b/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@
  */
 export const commitinfo = {
   name: '@push.rocks/smartbucket',
-  version: '3.0.4',
+  version: '3.0.5',
   description: 'A TypeScript library that offers simple, cloud-independent object storage with features like bucket creation, file management, and directory management.'
 }
diff --git a/ts/classes.file.ts b/ts/classes.file.ts
index e3ba742..6d6edba 100644
--- a/ts/classes.file.ts
+++ b/ts/classes.file.ts
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ export class File {
     const metadata = await this.getMetaData();
     await metadata.setLock({
       lock: 'locked',
-      expires: new Date(Date.now() + (optionsArg?.timeoutMillis || 1000)),
+      expires: Date.now() + (optionsArg?.timeoutMillis || 1000),
     });
   }
 
@@ -116,7 +116,10 @@ export class File {
      */
     force?: boolean;
   }) {
-
+    const metadata = await this.getMetaData();
+    await metadata.removeLock({
+      force: optionsArg?.force,
+    });
   }
 
   public async updateWithContents(optionsArg: {
@@ -146,9 +149,27 @@ export class File {
    * @param updatedMetadata
    */
   public async getMetaData() {
+    if (this.name.endsWith('.metadata')) {
+      throw new Error('metadata files cannot have metadata');
+    }
     const metadata = await MetaData.createForFile({
       file: this,
     });
     return metadata;
   }
+
+  /**
+   * gets the contents as json
+   */
+  public async getJsonData() {
+    const json = await this.getContentsAsString();
+    const parsed = await JSON.parse(json);
+    return parsed;
+  }
+
+  public async writeJsonData(dataArg: any) {
+    await this.updateWithContents({
+      contents: JSON.stringify(dataArg),
+    });
+  }
 }
diff --git a/ts/classes.metadata.ts b/ts/classes.metadata.ts
index c9c4fc6..e520eea 100644
--- a/ts/classes.metadata.ts
+++ b/ts/classes.metadata.ts
@@ -4,9 +4,7 @@ import { File } from './classes.file.js';
 
 export class MetaData {
   // static
-  public static async createForFile(optionsArg: {
-    file: File;
-  }) {
+  public static async createForFile(optionsArg: { file: File }) {
     const metaData = new MetaData();
     metaData.fileRef = optionsArg.file;
 
@@ -29,16 +27,16 @@ export class MetaData {
    * the file that the metadata is for
    */
   fileRef: File;
-  
+
   public async getFileType(optionsArg?: {
     useFileExtension?: boolean;
     useMagicBytes?: boolean;
   }): Promise<string> {
-    if (optionsArg && optionsArg.useFileExtension || optionsArg.useFileExtension === undefined) {
+    if ((optionsArg && optionsArg.useFileExtension) || optionsArg.useFileExtension === undefined) {
       return plugins.path.extname(this.fileRef.name);
     }
-  };
-  
+  }
+
   /**
    * gets the size of the fileRef
    */
@@ -47,59 +45,56 @@ export class MetaData {
       path: this.fileRef.getBasePath(),
     });
     return stat.size;
-  };
+  }
 
   private prefixCustomMetaData = 'custom_';
 
-  public async storeCustomMetaData<T = any>(optionsArg: {
-    key: string;
-    value: T;
-  }) {
-    const json = await this.metadataFile.getContentsAsString();
-    const parsed = await JSON.parse(json);
-    parsed[this.prefixCustomMetaData + optionsArg.key] = optionsArg.value;
-    await this.metadataFile.updateWithContents({
-      contents: JSON.stringify(parsed),
-    });
+  public async storeCustomMetaData<T = any>(optionsArg: { key: string; value: T }) {
+    const data = await this.metadataFile.getContentsAsString();
+    data[this.prefixCustomMetaData + optionsArg.key] = optionsArg.value;
+    await this.metadataFile.writeJsonData(data);
   }
 
-  public async getCustomMetaData<T = any>(optionsArg: {
-    key: string;
-  }): Promise<T> {
-    const json = await this.metadataFile.getContentsAsString();
-    const parsed = await JSON.parse(json);
-    return parsed[this.prefixCustomMetaData + optionsArg.key];
+  public async getCustomMetaData<T = any>(optionsArg: { key: string }): Promise<T> {
+    const data = await this.metadataFile.getJsonData();
+    return data[this.prefixCustomMetaData + optionsArg.key];
   }
 
-  public async deleteCustomMetaData(optionsArg: {
-    key: string;
-  }) {
-    const json = await this.metadataFile.getContentsAsString();
-    const parsed = await JSON.parse(json);
-    delete parsed[this.prefixCustomMetaData + optionsArg.key];
-    await this.metadataFile.updateWithContents({
-      contents: JSON.stringify(parsed),
-    });
+  public async deleteCustomMetaData(optionsArg: { key: string }) {
+    const data = await this.metadataFile.getJsonData();
+    delete data[this.prefixCustomMetaData + optionsArg.key];
+    await this.metadataFile.writeJsonData(data);
   }
 
   /**
    * set a lock on the ref file
    * @param optionsArg
    */
-  public async setLock(optionsArg: {
-    lock: string;
-    expires: Date;
-  }) {
-    
+  public async setLock(optionsArg: { lock: string; expires: number }) {
+    const data = await this.metadataFile.getJsonData();
+    data.lock = optionsArg.lock;
+    data.lockExpires = optionsArg.expires;
+    await this.metadataFile.writeJsonData(data);
   }
 
   /**
    * remove the lock on the ref file
-   * @param optionsArg 
+   * @param optionsArg
    */
-  public async removeLock(optionsArg: {
-    force: boolean;
-  }) {
-
+  public async removeLock(optionsArg: { force: boolean }) {
+    const data = await this.metadataFile.getJsonData();
+    delete data.lock;
+    delete data.lockExpires;
+    await this.metadataFile.writeJsonData(data);
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+
+  public async checkLocked(): Promise<boolean> {
+    const data = await this.metadataFile.getJsonData();
+    return data.lock && data.lockExpires > Date.now();
+  }
+
+  public async getLockInfo(): Promise<{ lock: string; expires: number }> {
+    const data = await this.metadataFile.getJsonData();
+    return { lock: data.lock, expires: data.lockExpires };
+  }
+}