diff --git a/arangod/RestHandler/RestUsersHandler.cpp b/arangod/RestHandler/RestUsersHandler.cpp
index c619e17210..dd3146af59 100644
--- a/arangod/RestHandler/RestUsersHandler.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RestHandler/RestUsersHandler.cpp
@@ -346,12 +346,31 @@ RestStatus RestUsersHandler::putRequest(AuthInfo* authInfo) {
       if (canAccessUser(user)) {
         std::string const& key = suffixes[2];
         VPackBuilder conf = authInfo->getConfigData(user);
+        // The API expects: { value : <toStore> }
+        // If we get sth else than the above it is translated
+        // to a remove of the config option.
         if (!parsedBody->isEmpty()) {
-          VPackBuilder b;
-          b(VPackValue(VPackValueType::Object))(key, parsedBody->slice())();
-          conf = conf.slice().isObject()
-                     ? VPackCollection::merge(conf.slice(), b.slice(), false)
-                     : b;
+          VPackSlice newVal = parsedBody->slice();
+          VPackSlice oldConf = conf.slice();
+          if (!newVal.isObject() || !newVal.hasKey("value")) {
+            if (!oldConf.isObject() || !oldConf.hasKey(key)) {
+              // Nothing to do. We do not have a config yet.
+              // so we do not create a new empty one.
+              resetResponse(ResponseCode::OK);
+              return RestStatus::DONE;
+            }
+            conf = VPackCollection::remove(oldConf, std::unordered_set<std::string>{key});
+          } else {
+            // We need to merge the new key into the config
+            newVal = newVal.get("value");
+            VPackBuilder b;
+            b.openObject();
+            b.add(key, newVal);
+            b.close();
+            conf = oldConf.isObject()
+                       ? VPackCollection::merge(oldConf, b.slice(), false)
+                       : b;
+          }
         }
 
         Result r = authInfo->setConfigData(user, conf.slice());