diff --git a/src/hdf5_writer.py b/src/hdf5_writer.py
index 175d288..960d447 100644
--- a/src/hdf5_writer.py
+++ b/src/hdf5_writer.py
@@ -100,6 +100,20 @@ def create_hdf5_file_from_filesystem_path(path_to_input_directory: str,
         print(message)
         logging.error(message)
     else:
+        # Step 1: Preprocess all metadata.json files into a lookup dict
+        all_metadata_dict = {}
+
+        for dirpath, filenames in path_to_filenames_dict.items():
+            metadata_file = next((f for f in filenames if f.endswith('metadata.json')), None)
+            if metadata_file:
+                metadata_path = os.path.join(dirpath, metadata_file)
+                try:
+                    with open(metadata_path, 'r') as metafile:
+                        all_metadata_dict[dirpath] = json.load(metafile)
+                except json.JSONDecodeError:
+                    logging.warning(f"Invalid JSON in metadata file: {metadata_path}")
+                    all_metadata_dict[dirpath] = {}
+
         with h5py.File(path_to_output_file, mode=mode, track_order=True) as h5file:
 
             number_of_dirs = len(path_to_filenames_dict.keys())
@@ -138,21 +152,14 @@ def create_hdf5_file_from_filesystem_path(path_to_input_directory: str,
                     stdout = inst
                     logging.error('Failed to create group %s into HDF5: %s', group_name, inst)
 
-                if 'data_lineage_metadata.json' in filtered_filenames_list:
-                    idx = filtered_filenames_list.index('data_lineage_metadata.json') 
-                    data_lineage_file = filtered_filenames_list[idx]
-                    try:
-                        with open('/'.join([dirpath,data_lineage_file]),'r') as dlf:                        
-                            data_lineage_dict = json.load(dlf)
-                        filtered_filenames_list.pop(idx)
-                    except json.JSONDecodeError:
-                            data_lineage_dict = {}  # Start fresh if file is invalid
-                        
-                else:
-                    data_lineage_dict = {}                
-                   
+                # Step 3: During ingestion, attach metadata per file
+                metadata_dict = all_metadata_dict.get(dirpath, {})   
 
                 for filenumber, filename in enumerate(filtered_filenames_list):
+
+                    # Skip any file that itself ends in metadata.json
+                    if filename.endswith('metadata.json'):
+                        continue  
                     
                     # hdf5 path to filename group 
                     dest_group_name = f'{group_name}/{filename}'
@@ -163,6 +170,10 @@ def create_hdf5_file_from_filesystem_path(path_to_input_directory: str,
                         #file_dict = ext_to_reader_dict[file_ext](os.path.join(dirpath,filename))
                         file_dict = filereader_registry.select_file_reader(dest_group_name)(source_file_path)
 
+                        # Attach per-file metadata if available
+                        if filename in metadata_dict:
+                            file_dict.get("attributes_dict",{}).update(metadata_dict[filename])
+
                         stdout = hdf5_ops.save_file_dict_to_hdf5(dest_file_obj, group_name, file_dict)
                         
                     else:
@@ -270,6 +281,21 @@ def create_hdf5_file_from_filesystem_path_new(path_to_input_directory: str,
         print(message)
         logging.error(message)
     else:
+
+        # Step 1: Preprocess all metadata.json files into a lookup dict
+        all_metadata_dict = {}
+
+        for dirpath, filenames in path_to_filenames_dict.items():
+            metadata_file = next((f for f in filenames if f.endswith('metadata.json')), None)
+            if metadata_file:
+                metadata_path = os.path.join(dirpath, metadata_file)
+                try:
+                    with open(metadata_path, 'r') as metafile:
+                        all_metadata_dict[dirpath] = json.load(metafile)
+                except json.JSONDecodeError:
+                    logging.warning(f"Invalid JSON in metadata file: {metadata_path}")
+                    all_metadata_dict[dirpath] = {}
+
         with h5py.File(path_to_output_file, mode=mode, track_order=True) as h5file:
             print('Created file')
 
@@ -309,7 +335,14 @@ def create_hdf5_file_from_filesystem_path_new(path_to_input_directory: str,
         #        stdout = inst
         #        logging.error('Failed to create group %s into HDF5: %s', group_name, inst)
 
+            # Step 3: During ingestion, attach metadata per file
+            # TODO: pass this metadata fict to run_file_reader line 363
+            metadata_dict = all_metadata_dict.get(dirpath, {}) 
+
             for filenumber, filename in enumerate(filtered_filenames_list):
+
+                if filename.endswith('metadata.json'):
+                    continue
                 
                 #file_ext = os.path.splitext(filename)[1]
                 #try: