diff --git a/tools/python/xen/xend/XendAPI.py b/tools/python/xen/xend/XendAPI.py
index 5f895752a6..54eec31590 100644
--- a/tools/python/xen/xend/XendAPI.py
+++ b/tools/python/xen/xend/XendAPI.py
@@ -1701,7 +1701,8 @@ class XendAPI(object):
     def VM_set_actions_after_crash(self, session, vm_ref, action):
         if action not in XEN_API_ON_CRASH_BEHAVIOUR:
             return xen_api_error(['VM_ON_CRASH_BEHAVIOUR_INVALID', vm_ref])
-        return self.VM_set('actions_after_crash', session, vm_ref, action)
+        return self.VM_set('actions_after_crash', session, vm_ref,
+                XEN_API_ON_CRASH_BEHAVIOUR_LEGACY[action])
 
     def VM_set_HVM_boot_policy(self, session, vm_ref, value):
         if value != "" and value != "BIOS order":
diff --git a/tools/python/xen/xend/XendAPIConstants.py b/tools/python/xen/xend/XendAPIConstants.py
index 60c8511f28..b3d2f9ea9c 100644
--- a/tools/python/xen/xend/XendAPIConstants.py
+++ b/tools/python/xen/xend/XendAPIConstants.py
@@ -63,6 +63,18 @@ XEN_API_ON_CRASH_BEHAVIOUR_FILTER = {
     'rename_restart' : 'rename_restart',
 }
 
+XEN_API_ON_CRASH_BEHAVIOUR_LEGACY = {
+    'destroy' : 'destroy',
+    'coredump-destroy' : 'coredump-destroy',
+    'coredump_and_destroy' : 'coredump-destroy',
+    'restart' : 'restart',
+    'coredump-restart' : 'coredump-restart',
+    'coredump_and_restart' : 'coredump-restart',
+    'preserve' : 'preserve',
+    'rename-restart' : 'rename-restart',
+    'rename_restart' : 'rename-restart',
+}
+
 XEN_API_VBD_MODE = ['RO', 'RW']
 XEN_API_VDI_TYPE = ['system', 'user', 'ephemeral']
 XEN_API_VBD_TYPE = ['CD', 'Disk']
diff --git a/tools/python/xen/xend/XendConfig.py b/tools/python/xen/xend/XendConfig.py
index 57903a57fc..15eaad8e76 100644
--- a/tools/python/xen/xend/XendConfig.py
+++ b/tools/python/xen/xend/XendConfig.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ from xen.util.pci import pci_opts_list_from_sxp, pci_convert_sxp_to_dict
 from xen.xend.XendSXPDev import dev_dict_to_sxp
 from xen.util import xsconstants
 from xen.util import auxbin
+from xen.xend.XendAPIConstants import *
 import xen.util.fileuri
 
 log = logging.getLogger("xend.XendConfig")
@@ -62,6 +63,11 @@ def reverse_dict(adict):
 def bool0(v):
     return v != '0' and v != 'False' and bool(v)
 
+def convert_on_crash(v):
+    v = str(v)
+    return XEN_API_ON_CRASH_BEHAVIOUR_LEGACY[v] \
+            if v in XEN_API_ON_CRASH_BEHAVIOUR else v
+
 # Recursively copy a data struct, scrubbing out VNC passwords.
 # Will scrub any dict entry with a key of 'vncpasswd' or any
 # 2-element list whose first member is 'vncpasswd'. It will
@@ -212,7 +218,7 @@ XENAPI_CFG_TYPES = {
     'VCPUs_live': int,
     'actions_after_shutdown': str,
     'actions_after_reboot': str,
-    'actions_after_crash': str,
+    'actions_after_crash': convert_on_crash,
     'PV_bootloader': str,
     'PV_kernel': str,
     'PV_ramdisk': str,