diff --git a/rhodecode/apps/repository/views/repo_files.py b/rhodecode/apps/repository/views/repo_files.py
--- a/rhodecode/apps/repository/views/repo_files.py
+++ b/rhodecode/apps/repository/views/repo_files.py
@@ -312,7 +312,7 @@ class RepoFilesView(RepoAppView):
             return Response(_('Empty repository'))
 
         try:
-            at_path = commit.get_node(at_path).path
+            at_path = commit.get_node(at_path).path or default_at_path
         except Exception:
             return Response(_('No node at path {} for this repository').format(at_path))
 
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/base.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/base.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/base.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/base.py
@@ -1119,7 +1119,7 @@ class BaseCommit(object):
 
         prefix = self._validate_archive_prefix(prefix)
 
-        mtime = mtime or time.mktime(self.date.timetuple())
+        mtime = mtime is not None or time.mktime(self.date.timetuple())
 
         file_info = []
         cur_rev = self.repository.get_commit(commit_id=self.raw_id)
@@ -1132,8 +1132,8 @@ class BaseCommit(object):
         if write_metadata:
             metadata = [
                 ('repo_name', self.repository.name),
-                ('rev', self.raw_id),
-                ('create_time', mtime),
+                ('commit_id', self.raw_id),
+                ('mtime', mtime),
                 ('branch', self.branch),
                 ('tags', ','.join(self.tags)),
             ]