diff --git a/awx/api/generics.py b/awx/api/generics.py
index 2bf09211c9..2345867e83 100644
--- a/awx/api/generics.py
+++ b/awx/api/generics.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ from awx.api.filters import FieldLookupBackend
 from awx.main.models import *  # noqa
 from awx.main.utils import * # noqa
 from awx.api.serializers import ResourceAccessListElementSerializer
-from awx.api.versioning import URLPathVersioning
+from awx.api.versioning import URLPathVersioning, get_request_version
 
 __all__ = ['APIView', 'GenericAPIView', 'ListAPIView', 'SimpleListAPIView',
            'ListCreateAPIView', 'SubListAPIView', 'SubListCreateAPIView',
@@ -66,13 +66,13 @@ def get_view_name(cls, suffix=None):
     return views.get_view_name(cls, suffix=None)
 
 
-def get_view_description(cls, html=False):
+def get_view_description(cls, request, html=False):
     '''
     Wrapper around REST framework get_view_description() to support
     get_description() method and view_description property on a view class.
     '''
     if hasattr(cls, 'get_description') and callable(cls.get_description):
-        desc = cls().get_description(html=html)
+        desc = cls().get_description(request, html=html)
         cls = type(cls.__name__, (object,), {'__doc__': desc})
     elif hasattr(cls, 'view_description'):
         if callable(cls.view_description):
@@ -150,6 +150,14 @@ class APIView(views.APIView):
         except NameError:
             pass
 
+    def get_view_description(self, html=False):
+        """
+        Return some descriptive text for the view, as used in OPTIONS responses
+        and in the browsable API.
+        """
+        func = self.settings.VIEW_DESCRIPTION_FUNCTION
+        return func(self.__class__, self._request, html)
+
     def get_description_context(self):
         return {
             'view': self,
@@ -170,13 +178,25 @@ class APIView(views.APIView):
             'deprecated': getattr(self, 'deprecated', False),
         }
 
-    def get_description(self, html=False):
+    def get_description(self, request, html=False):
+        self.request = request
         template_list = []
         for klass in inspect.getmro(type(self)):
             template_basename = camelcase_to_underscore(klass.__name__)
             template_list.append('api/%s.md' % template_basename)
         context = self.get_description_context()
-        return render_to_string(template_list, context)
+
+        # "v2" -> 2
+        default_version = int(settings.REST_FRAMEWORK['DEFAULT_VERSION'].lstrip('v'))
+        request_version = get_request_version(self.request)
+        if request_version is not None and request_version < default_version:
+            context['deprecated'] = True
+
+        description = render_to_string(template_list, context)
+        if context.get('deprecated'):
+            # render deprecation messages at the very top
+            description = '\n'.join([render_to_string('api/_deprecated.md', context), description])
+        return description
 
     def update_raw_data(self, data):
         # Remove the parent key if the view is a sublist, since it will be set
diff --git a/awx/api/metadata.py b/awx/api/metadata.py
index f98316b459..0d05eedb98 100644
--- a/awx/api/metadata.py
+++ b/awx/api/metadata.py
@@ -175,7 +175,11 @@ class Metadata(metadata.SimpleMetadata):
         # (such as TOWER_URL_BASE)
         self.request = request
 
-        metadata = super(Metadata, self).determine_metadata(request, view)
+        try:
+            setattr(view, '_request', request)
+            metadata = super(Metadata, self).determine_metadata(request, view)
+        finally:
+            delattr(view, '_request')
 
         # Add version number in which view was added to Tower.
         added_in_version = '1.2'
diff --git a/awx/api/renderers.py b/awx/api/renderers.py
index fa039a2226..006057a09b 100644
--- a/awx/api/renderers.py
+++ b/awx/api/renderers.py
@@ -23,9 +23,11 @@ class BrowsableAPIRenderer(renderers.BrowsableAPIRenderer):
         # data form.
         try:
             setattr(renderer_context['view'], '_raw_data_response_status', renderer_context['response'].status_code)
+            setattr(renderer_context['view'], '_request', renderer_context['request'])
             return super(BrowsableAPIRenderer, self).get_context(data, accepted_media_type, renderer_context)
         finally:
             delattr(renderer_context['view'], '_raw_data_response_status')
+            delattr(renderer_context['view'], '_request')
 
     def get_raw_data_form(self, data, view, method, request):
         # Set a flag on the view to indiciate to the view/serializer that we're
diff --git a/awx/api/templates/api/_deprecated.md b/awx/api/templates/api/_deprecated.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b4dda2ceda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/awx/api/templates/api/_deprecated.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+> _This resource has been deprecated and will be removed in a future release_
diff --git a/awx/api/templates/api/_new_in_awx.md b/awx/api/templates/api/_new_in_awx.md
index 3b50b9d433..994a18dc48 100644
--- a/awx/api/templates/api/_new_in_awx.md
+++ b/awx/api/templates/api/_new_in_awx.md
@@ -10,5 +10,4 @@
 {% if new_in_300 %}> _Added in Ansible Tower 3.0.0_{% endif %}
 {% if new_in_310 %}> _New in Ansible Tower 3.1.0_{% endif %}
 {% if new_in_320 %}> _New in Ansible Tower 3.2.0_{% endif %}
-{% if deprecated %}> _This resource has been deprecated and will be removed in a future release_{% endif %}
 {% endif %}
diff --git a/awx/api/versioning.py b/awx/api/versioning.py
index 9bf281d5ba..e9c089e37d 100644
--- a/awx/api/versioning.py
+++ b/awx/api/versioning.py
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@ def get_request_version(request):
     version = settings.REST_FRAMEWORK['DEFAULT_VERSION']
     if request and hasattr(request, 'version'):
         version = request.version
+        if version is None:
+            # For requests to /api/
+            return None
     return int(version.lstrip('v'))