diff --git a/src/emu/metadata.c b/src/emu/metadata.c
index 37706f8..d0c8a90 100644
--- a/src/emu/metadata.c
+++ b/src/emu/metadata.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* Copyright (c) 2021-2023 Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
+/* Copyright (c) 2021-2024 Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later */
 
 #include "metadata.h"
@@ -135,25 +135,3 @@ metadata_load_proc(const char *path, struct loom *loom, struct proc *proc)
 
 	return 0;
 }
-
-int
-metadata_load_thread(const char *path, struct thread *thread)
-{
-	JSON_Object *meta = load_json(path);
-	if (meta == NULL) {
-		err("cannot load thread metadata from file %s", path);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	if (check_version(meta) != 0) {
-		err("version check failed");
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	if (thread_load_metadata(thread, meta) != 0) {
-		err("cannot load thread attributes");
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	return 0;
-}
diff --git a/src/emu/metadata.h b/src/emu/metadata.h
index 3d6e9a9..5771885 100644
--- a/src/emu/metadata.h
+++ b/src/emu/metadata.h
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* Copyright (c) 2021-2023 Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
+/* Copyright (c) 2021-2024 Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC)
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later */
 
 #ifndef METADATA_H
@@ -10,6 +10,5 @@ struct proc;
 struct thread;
 
 USE_RET int metadata_load_proc(const char *path, struct loom *loom, struct proc *proc);
-USE_RET int metadata_load_thread(const char *path, struct thread *thread);
 
 #endif /* METADATA_H */
diff --git a/src/emu/system.c b/src/emu/system.c
index 4e46781..e09ab2c 100644
--- a/src/emu/system.c
+++ b/src/emu/system.c
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@
 struct bay;
 
 static struct thread *
-create_thread(struct proc *proc, const char *tracedir, const char *relpath)
+create_thread(struct proc *proc, struct stream *s)
 {
 	int tid;
-	if (thread_relpath_get_tid(relpath, &tid) != 0) {
-		err("cannot get thread tid from %s", relpath);
+	if ((tid = thread_stream_get_tid(s)) < 0) {
+		err("cannot get thread tid from stream: %s", s->relpath);
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
@@ -45,21 +45,13 @@ create_thread(struct proc *proc, const char *tracedir, const char *relpath)
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	if (thread_init_begin(thread, relpath) != 0) {
-		err("cannot init thread");
+	if (thread_init_begin(thread, tid) != 0) {
+		err("thread_init_begin failed: %s", s->relpath);
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	/* Build metadata path */
-	char mpath[PATH_MAX];
-	if (snprintf(mpath, PATH_MAX, "%s/%s/thread.%d.json",
-				tracedir, proc->id, tid) >= PATH_MAX) {
-		err("path too long");
-		return NULL;
-	}
-
-	if (metadata_load_thread(mpath, thread) != 0) {
-		err("cannot load metadata from %s", mpath);
+	if (thread_load_metadata(thread, s) != 0) {
+		err("thread_load_metadata failed: %s", s->relpath);
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
@@ -276,7 +268,7 @@ create_system(struct system *sys, struct trace *trace)
 			return -1;
 		}
 
-		struct thread *thread = create_thread(proc, dir, s->relpath);
+		struct thread *thread = create_thread(proc, s);
 		if (thread == NULL) {
 			err("create_thread failed");
 			return -1;
diff --git a/src/emu/thread.c b/src/emu/thread.c
index 72995e8..16e7e0b 100644
--- a/src/emu/thread.c
+++ b/src/emu/thread.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "pv/prv.h"
 #include "pv/pvt.h"
 #include "recorder.h"
+#include "stream.h"
 #include "value.h"
 struct proc;
 
@@ -59,75 +60,37 @@ static const struct pcf_value_label (*pcf_labels[TH_CHAN_MAX])[] = {
 	[TH_CHAN_STATE] = &state_name,
 };
 
-static int
-get_tid(const char *id, int *tid)
+int
+thread_stream_get_tid(struct stream *s)
 {
-	/* The id must be like "loom.host01.123/proc.345/thread.567" */
-	if (path_count(id, '/') != 2) {
-		err("proc id can only contain two '/': %s", id);
+	JSON_Object *meta = stream_metadata(s);
+
+	double tid = json_object_dotget_number(meta, "ovni.tid");
+
+	/* Zero is used for errors, so forbidden for tid too */
+	if (tid == 0) {
+		err("cannot get attribute ovni.tid for stream: %s",
+				s->relpath);
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	/* Get the thread.567 part */
-	const char *thname;
-	if (path_strip(id, 2, &thname) != 0) {
-		err("cannot get thread name");
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	/* Ensure the prefix is ok */
-	const char prefix[] = "thread.";
-	if (!path_has_prefix(thname, prefix)) {
-		err("thread name must start with '%s': %s", prefix, thname);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	/* Get the 567 part */
-	const char *tidstr;
-	if (path_next(thname, '.', &tidstr) != 0) {
-		err("cannot find thread dot in '%s'", id);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	char *endptr;
-	errno = 0;
-	*tid = (int) strtol(tidstr, &endptr, 10);
-	if (errno != 0) {
-		err("strtol failed for '%s':", tidstr);
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (endptr == tidstr) {
-		err("no digits in tid string '%s'", tidstr);
-		return -1;
-	}
-
-	return 0;
+	return (int) tid;
 }
 
 int
-thread_relpath_get_tid(const char *relpath, int *tid)
-{
-	return get_tid(relpath, tid);
-}
-
-int
-thread_init_begin(struct thread *thread, const char *relpath)
+thread_init_begin(struct thread *thread, int tid)
 {
 	memset(thread, 0, sizeof(struct thread));
 
 	thread->state = TH_ST_UNKNOWN;
 	thread->gindex = -1;
+	thread->tid = tid;
 
-	if (snprintf(thread->id, PATH_MAX, "%s", relpath) >= PATH_MAX) {
+	if (snprintf(thread->id, PATH_MAX, "thread.%d", tid) >= PATH_MAX) {
 		err("relpath too long");
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	if (get_tid(thread->id, &thread->tid) != 0) {
-		err("cannot parse thread tid");
-		return -1;
-	}
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -445,12 +408,9 @@ thread_migrate_cpu(struct thread *th, struct cpu *cpu)
 }
 
 int
-thread_load_metadata(struct thread *thread, JSON_Object *meta)
+thread_load_metadata(struct thread *thread, struct stream *s)
 {
-	if (meta == NULL) {
-		err("metadata is null");
-		return -1;
-	}
+	JSON_Object *meta = stream_metadata(s);
 
 	if (thread->meta != NULL) {
 		err("thread %s already loaded metadata", thread->id);
diff --git a/src/emu/thread.h b/src/emu/thread.h
index dd0ac46..4e24d71 100644
--- a/src/emu/thread.h
+++ b/src/emu/thread.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ struct pcf;
 struct proc;
 struct recorder;
 struct value;
+struct stream;
 
 /* Emulated thread runtime status */
 enum thread_state {
@@ -82,10 +83,10 @@ struct thread {
 	UT_hash_handle hh; /* threads in the process */
 };
 
-USE_RET int thread_relpath_get_tid(const char *relpath, int *tid);
-USE_RET int thread_init_begin(struct thread *thread, const char *relpath);
+USE_RET int thread_stream_get_tid(struct stream *s);
+USE_RET int thread_init_begin(struct thread *thread, int tid);
 USE_RET int thread_init_end(struct thread *thread);
-USE_RET int thread_load_metadata(struct thread *thread, JSON_Object *meta);
+USE_RET int thread_load_metadata(struct thread *thread, struct stream *s);
 USE_RET int thread_set_state(struct thread *th, enum thread_state state);
 USE_RET int thread_set_cpu(struct thread *th, struct cpu *cpu);
 USE_RET int thread_unset_cpu(struct thread *th);