diff --git a/mgmtd/src/bee_msg/common.rs b/mgmtd/src/bee_msg/common.rs
index 2352ec7..6a96765 100644
--- a/mgmtd/src/bee_msg/common.rs
+++ b/mgmtd/src/bee_msg/common.rs
@@ -51,10 +51,46 @@ pub(super) async fn update_node(msg: RegisterNode, app: &impl App) -> Result<Nod
                 }
             }
 
+            let new_alias_or_reg_token = String::from_utf8(msg.node_alias)?;
+
             let (node, is_new) = if let Some(node) = node {
                 // Existing node, update data
                 db::node::update(tx, node.uid, msg.port, machine_uuid)?;
 
+                // If the updated node is a meta node, check if its corresponding target has a
+                // registration token
+                if msg.node_type == NodeType::Meta {
+                    let stored_reg_token: Option<String> = tx.query_row(
+                        sql!("SELECT reg_token FROM meta_targets WHERE node_id = ?1"),
+                        [node.num_id()],
+                        |row| row.get(0),
+                    )?;
+
+                    if let Some(ref t) = stored_reg_token
+                        && t != &new_alias_or_reg_token
+                    {
+                        bail!(
+                            "Meta node {} has already been registered and its \
+registration token ({}) does not match the stored token ({})",
+                            node,
+                            new_alias_or_reg_token,
+                            t
+                        );
+                    } else if stored_reg_token.is_none() {
+                        tx.execute(
+                            sql!(
+                                "UPDATE targets SET reg_token = ?1
+                                WHERE node_id = ?2 AND node_type = ?3"
+                            ),
+                            rusqlite::params![
+                                new_alias_or_reg_token,
+                                node.num_id(),
+                                NodeType::Meta.sql_variant()
+                            ],
+                        )?;
+                    }
+                }
+
                 (node, false)
             } else {
                 // New node, do additional checks and insert data
@@ -72,9 +108,7 @@ pub(super) async fn update_node(msg: RegisterNode, app: &impl App) -> Result<Nod
                     // updated to no longer start with a number, thus it is unlikely this
                     // would happen unless BeeGFS 8 was mounted by a BeeGFS 7 client.
 
-                    let new_alias = String::from_utf8(msg.node_alias)
-                        .ok()
-                        .and_then(|s| Alias::try_from(s).ok());
+                    let new_alias = Alias::try_from(new_alias_or_reg_token.clone()).ok();
 
                     if new_alias.is_none() {
                         log::warn!(
@@ -102,7 +136,7 @@ client version < 8.0)"
                         );
                     };
 
-                    db::target::insert_meta(tx, target_id, None)?;
+                    db::target::insert_meta(tx, target_id, Some(&new_alias_or_reg_token))?;
                 }
 
                 (node, true)
diff --git a/mgmtd/src/bee_msg/register_target.rs b/mgmtd/src/bee_msg/register_target.rs
index b361bf3..bf577d6 100644
--- a/mgmtd/src/bee_msg/register_target.rs
+++ b/mgmtd/src/bee_msg/register_target.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ impl HandleWithResponse for RegisterTarget {
 
         let (id, is_new) = app
             .write_tx(move |tx| {
+                let reg_token = str::from_utf8(&self.reg_token)?;
+
                 // Do not do anything if the target already exists
                 if let Some(id) = try_resolve_num_id(
                     tx,
@@ -18,6 +20,24 @@ impl HandleWithResponse for RegisterTarget {
                     NodeType::Storage,
                     self.target_id.into(),
                 )? {
+                    let stored_reg_token: Option<String> = tx.query_row(
+                        sql!(
+                            "SELECT reg_token FROM targets
+                            WHERE target_id = ?1 AND node_type = ?2"
+                        ),
+                        rusqlite::params![id.num_id(), NodeType::Storage.sql_variant()],
+                        |row| row.get(0),
+                    )?;
+
+                    if let Some(st) = stored_reg_token
+                        && st != reg_token
+                    {
+                        bail!(
+                            "Storage target {id} has already been registered and its \
+registration token ({reg_token}) does not match the stored token ({st})"
+                        );
+                    }
+
                     return Ok((id.num_id().try_into()?, false));
                 }
 
@@ -26,11 +46,7 @@ impl HandleWithResponse for RegisterTarget {
                 }
 
                 Ok((
-                    db::target::insert_storage(
-                        tx,
-                        self.target_id,
-                        Some(format!("target_{}", std::str::from_utf8(&self.alias)?).try_into()?),
-                    )?,
+                    db::target::insert_storage(tx, self.target_id, Some(reg_token))?,
                     true,
                 ))
             })
diff --git a/mgmtd/src/db/import_v7.rs b/mgmtd/src/db/import_v7.rs
index 7917b57..6da8d85 100644
--- a/mgmtd/src/db/import_v7.rs
+++ b/mgmtd/src/db/import_v7.rs
@@ -143,13 +143,8 @@ fn meta_nodes(tx: &Transaction, f: &Path) -> Result<(NodeId, bool)> {
                 "{num_id} is not a valid numeric meta node/target id (must be between 1 and 65535)",
             );
         };
-        target::insert(
-            tx,
-            target_id,
-            None,
-            NodeTypeServer::Meta,
-            Some(target_id.into()),
-        )?;
+
+        target::insert_meta(tx, target_id, None)?;
     }
 
     if root_id == 0 {
diff --git a/mgmtd/src/db/schema/4.sql b/mgmtd/src/db/schema/4.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5cfe284
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mgmtd/src/db/schema/4.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ALTER TABLE targets ADD COLUMN reg_token TEXT;
diff --git a/mgmtd/src/db/target.rs b/mgmtd/src/db/target.rs
index 81596d9..7224746 100644
--- a/mgmtd/src/db/target.rs
+++ b/mgmtd/src/db/target.rs
@@ -40,14 +40,10 @@ pub(crate) fn validate_ids(
 pub(crate) fn insert_meta(
     tx: &Transaction,
     target_id: TargetId,
-    alias: Option<Alias>,
+    reg_token: Option<&str>,
 ) -> Result<()> {
     let target_id = if target_id == 0 {
         misc::find_new_id(tx, "targets", "target_id", NodeType::Meta, 1..=0xFFFF)?
-    } else if try_resolve_num_id(tx, EntityType::Target, NodeType::Meta, target_id.into())?
-        .is_some()
-    {
-        bail!(TypedError::value_exists("numeric target id", target_id));
     } else {
         target_id
     };
@@ -55,7 +51,7 @@ pub(crate) fn insert_meta(
     insert(
         tx,
         target_id,
-        alias,
+        reg_token,
         NodeTypeServer::Meta,
         Some(target_id.into()),
     )?;
@@ -78,45 +74,36 @@ pub(crate) fn insert_meta(
 pub(crate) fn insert_storage(
     tx: &Transaction,
     target_id: TargetId,
-    alias: Option<Alias>,
+    reg_token: Option<&str>,
 ) -> Result<TargetId> {
     let target_id = if target_id == 0 {
         misc::find_new_id(tx, "targets", "target_id", NodeType::Storage, 1..=0xFFFF)?
-    } else if try_resolve_num_id(tx, EntityType::Target, NodeType::Storage, target_id.into())?
-        .is_some()
-    {
-        return Ok(target_id);
     } else {
         target_id
     };
 
-    insert(tx, target_id, alias, NodeTypeServer::Storage, None)?;
+    insert(tx, target_id, reg_token, NodeTypeServer::Storage, None)?;
 
     Ok(target_id)
 }
 
-pub(crate) fn insert(
+fn insert(
     tx: &Transaction,
     target_id: TargetId,
-    alias: Option<Alias>,
+    reg_token: Option<&str>,
     node_type: NodeTypeServer,
     // This is optional because storage targets come "unmapped"
     node_id: Option<NodeId>,
 ) -> Result<()> {
     anyhow::ensure!(target_id > 0, "A target id must be > 0");
 
-    let alias = if let Some(alias) = alias {
-        alias
-    } else {
-        format!("target_{}_{}", node_type.user_str(), target_id).try_into()?
-    };
-
+    let alias = format!("target_{}_{target_id}", node_type.user_str()).try_into()?;
     let new_uid = entity::insert(tx, EntityType::Target, &alias)?;
 
     tx.execute(
         sql!(
-            "INSERT INTO targets (target_uid, node_type, target_id, node_id, pool_id)
-            VALUES (?1, ?2, ?3, ?4, ?5)"
+            "INSERT INTO targets (target_uid, node_type, target_id, node_id, pool_id, reg_token)
+            VALUES (?1, ?2, ?3, ?4, ?5, ?6)"
         ),
         params![
             new_uid,
@@ -127,7 +114,8 @@ pub(crate) fn insert(
                 Some(1)
             } else {
                 None
-            }
+            },
+            reg_token
         ],
     )?;
 
@@ -287,11 +275,10 @@ mod test {
     #[test]
     fn set_get_meta() {
         with_test_data(|tx| {
-            super::insert_meta(tx, 1, Some("existing_meta_target".try_into().unwrap()))
-                .unwrap_err();
-            super::insert_meta(tx, 99, Some("new_meta_target".try_into().unwrap())).unwrap();
-            // existing alias
-            super::insert_meta(tx, 99, Some("new_meta_target".try_into().unwrap())).unwrap_err();
+            super::insert_meta(tx, 1, None).unwrap_err();
+            super::insert_meta(tx, 99, None).unwrap();
+            // existing id
+            super::insert_meta(tx, 99, None).unwrap_err();
 
             let targets: i64 = tx
                 .query_row(sql!("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM meta_targets"), [], |row| {
@@ -306,15 +293,11 @@ mod test {
     #[test]
     fn set_get_storage_and_map() {
         with_test_data(|tx| {
-            let new_target_id =
-                super::insert_storage(tx, 0, Some("new_storage_target".try_into().unwrap()))
-                    .unwrap();
-            super::insert_storage(tx, 1000, Some("new_storage_target_2".try_into().unwrap()))
-                .unwrap();
+            let new_target_id = super::insert_storage(tx, 0, Some("new_storage_target")).unwrap();
+            super::insert_storage(tx, 1000, Some("new_storage_target_2")).unwrap();
 
-            // existing alias
-            super::insert_storage(tx, 0, Some("new_storage_target".try_into().unwrap()))
-                .unwrap_err();
+            // existing id
+            super::insert_storage(tx, 1000, Some("new_storage_target")).unwrap_err();
 
             super::update_storage_node_mappings(tx, &[new_target_id, 1000], 1).unwrap();
 
diff --git a/shared/src/bee_msg/target.rs b/shared/src/bee_msg/target.rs
index da806f3..62b166f 100644
--- a/shared/src/bee_msg/target.rs
+++ b/shared/src/bee_msg/target.rs
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ impl Deserializable for TargetReachabilityState {
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Default, PartialEq, Eq, BeeSerde)]
 pub struct RegisterTarget {
     #[bee_serde(as = CStr<0>)]
-    pub alias: Vec<u8>,
+    pub reg_token: Vec<u8>,
     pub target_id: TargetId,
 }