diff --git a/src/components/modebar/attributes.js b/src/components/modebar/attributes.js
index 73bd848e337..196b124e4e2 100644
--- a/src/components/modebar/attributes.js
+++ b/src/components/modebar/attributes.js
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ module.exports = {
             'root level and inside subplots. Defaults to `layout.uirevision`.'
         ].join(' ')
     },
-    buttonstoadd: {
+    add: {
         valType: 'flaglist',
         flags: [
             'v1hovermode',
diff --git a/src/components/modebar/defaults.js b/src/components/modebar/defaults.js
index d96b8783a8a..35b5352d191 100644
--- a/src/components/modebar/defaults.js
+++ b/src/components/modebar/defaults.js
@@ -19,5 +19,5 @@ module.exports = function supplyLayoutDefaults(layoutIn, layoutOut) {
     coerce('color', Color.addOpacity(defaultColor, 0.3));
     coerce('activecolor', Color.addOpacity(defaultColor, 0.7));
     coerce('uirevision', layoutOut.uirevision);
-    coerce('buttonstoadd');
+    coerce('add');
 };
diff --git a/src/components/modebar/manage.js b/src/components/modebar/manage.js
index 2a31106d53b..1c36beb6ae9 100644
--- a/src/components/modebar/manage.js
+++ b/src/components/modebar/manage.js
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ function getButtonGroups(gd) {
     var fullLayout = gd._fullLayout;
     var fullData = gd._fullData;
     var context = gd._context;
-    var layoutButtonsToAdd = fullLayout.modebar.buttonstoadd.split('+');
+    var layoutButtonsToAdd = fullLayout.modebar.add.split('+');
     var buttonsToAdd = context.modeBarButtonsToAdd.concat(layoutButtonsToAdd);
     var buttonsToRemove = context.modeBarButtonsToRemove;
 
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/modebar_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/modebar_test.js
index 5ca65194026..ff29c8aab4a 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/modebar_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/modebar_test.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ describe('ModeBar', function() {
                 _has: Plots._hasPlotType,
                 _subplots: {xaxis: xaxes || [], yaxis: yaxes || []},
                 modebar: {
-                    buttonstoadd: '',
+                    add: '',
                     orientation: 'h',
                     bgcolor: 'rgba(255,255,255,0.7)',
                     color: 'rgba(0, 31, 95, 0.3)',
@@ -1560,7 +1560,7 @@ describe('ModeBar', function() {
             .then(done, done.fail);
         });
 
-        it('add and remove predefined shape drawing and hover buttons via layout.modebar.buttonstoadd and template', function(done) {
+        it('add and remove predefined shape drawing and hover buttons via layout.modebar.add and template', function(done) {
             function countButtons() {
                 var modeBarEl = gd._fullLayout._modeBar.element;
                 return d3Select(modeBarEl).selectAll('a.modebar-btn').size();
@@ -1571,7 +1571,7 @@ describe('ModeBar', function() {
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial);
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.buttonstoadd', [
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.add', [
                     'drawline',
                     'drawopenpath',
                     'drawclosedpath',
@@ -1583,12 +1583,12 @@ describe('ModeBar', function() {
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial + 6);
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.buttonstoadd', '');
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.add', '');
             })
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial);
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.buttonstoadd', [
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.add', [
                     'hovercompare',
                     'hoverclosest',
                     'togglespikelines'
@@ -1597,12 +1597,12 @@ describe('ModeBar', function() {
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial + 3);
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.buttonstoadd', '');
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.add', '');
             })
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial);
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.buttonstoadd', [
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.add', [
                     'v1hovermode',
                     'togglespikelines'
                 ].join('+'));
@@ -1610,7 +1610,7 @@ describe('ModeBar', function() {
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial + 3);
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.buttonstoadd', [
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.add', [
                     'v1hovermode',
                     'togglespikelines',
                     'togglehover',
@@ -1624,7 +1624,7 @@ describe('ModeBar', function() {
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial + 4, 'skip duplicates');
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.buttonstoadd', [
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.add', [
                     'drawline',
                     'invalid'
                 ].join('+'));
@@ -1632,12 +1632,12 @@ describe('ModeBar', function() {
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial + 1, 'skip invalid');
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.buttonstoadd', '');
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'modebar.add', '');
             })
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial);
 
-                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'template.layout.modebar.buttonstoadd', 'v1hovermode');
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'template.layout.modebar.add', 'v1hovermode');
             })
             .then(function() {
                 expect(countButtons()).toBe(initial + 2, 'via template');