diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES.rst b/RELEASE_NOTES.rst
index bbd2cd113..c0cd659a5 100644
--- a/RELEASE_NOTES.rst
+++ b/RELEASE_NOTES.rst
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Highlights:
    - Exposes upconverter calibration and enabling/disabling of upconverter LO & RF outputs.
 * HDF5 options can now be passed when creating datasets with ``set_dataset``. This allows
   in particular to use transparent compression filters as follows:
-  ``set_dataset(name, value, compression="gzip")``.
+  ``set_dataset(name, value, hdf5_options={"compression": "gzip"})``.
 
 
 Breaking changes:
diff --git a/artiq/language/environment.py b/artiq/language/environment.py
index fa64c7906..9647325cb 100644
--- a/artiq/language/environment.py
+++ b/artiq/language/environment.py
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ class HasEnvironment:
     @rpc(flags={"async"})
     def set_dataset(self, key, value,
                     broadcast=False, persist=False, archive=True, save=None,
-                    **hdf5_options):
+                    hdf5_options=None):
         """Sets the contents and handling modes of a dataset.
 
         Datasets must be scalars (``bool``, ``int``, ``float`` or NumPy scalar)
@@ -345,8 +345,8 @@ class HasEnvironment:
         :param archive: the data is saved into the local storage of the current
             run (archived as a HDF5 file).
         :param save: deprecated.
-        :param hdf5_options: additional keyword arguments are passed to
-            :meth:`h5py.Group.create_dataset`. For example, pass ``compression="gzip"``
+        :param hdf5_options: dict of keyword arguments to pass to
+            :meth:`h5py.Group.create_dataset`. For example, pass ``{"compression": "gzip"}``
             to enable transparent zlib compression of this dataset in the HDF5 archive.
             See the `h5py documentation <https://docs.h5py.org/en/stable/high/group.html#h5py.Group.create_dataset>`_
             for a list of valid options.
diff --git a/artiq/master/databases.py b/artiq/master/databases.py
index 310b5caec..8ef71c6a2 100644
--- a/artiq/master/databases.py
+++ b/artiq/master/databases.py
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ class DatasetDB(TaskObject):
         process_mod(self.data, mod)
 
     # convenience functions (update() can be used instead)
-    def set(self, key, value, persist=None, **hdf5_options):
+    def set(self, key, value, persist=None, hdf5_options=None):
         if persist is None:
             if key in self.data.raw_view:
                 persist = self.data.raw_view[key]["persist"]
diff --git a/artiq/test/test_dataset_db.py b/artiq/test/test_dataset_db.py
index 3fa4b1f8a..3d087a806 100644
--- a/artiq/test/test_dataset_db.py
+++ b/artiq/test/test_dataset_db.py
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ class TestDatasetDB(unittest.TestCase):
         self.ddb = DatasetDB(self.persist_file.name)
 
         self.ddb.set(KEY1, DATA, persist=True)
-        self.ddb.set(KEY2, DATA, persist=True, compression=COMP)
-        self.ddb.set(KEY3, DATA, shuffle=True)
+        self.ddb.set(KEY2, DATA, persist=True, hdf5_options=dict(compression=COMP))
+        self.ddb.set(KEY3, DATA, hdf5_options=dict(shuffle=True))
 
         self.save_ddb_to_disk()
 
diff --git a/artiq/test/test_datasets.py b/artiq/test/test_datasets.py
index 0d86a4b7c..3fa6d6bb7 100644
--- a/artiq/test/test_datasets.py
+++ b/artiq/test/test_datasets.py
@@ -108,9 +108,16 @@ class ExperimentDatasetCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_write_hdf5_options(self):
         data = np.random.randint(0, 1024, 1024)
-        self.exp.set(KEY, data,
-                     compression="gzip", compression_opts=6,
-                     shuffle=True, fletcher32=True)
+        self.exp.set(
+            KEY,
+            data,
+            hdf5_options=dict(
+                compression="gzip",
+                compression_opts=6,
+                shuffle=True,
+                fletcher32=True
+            ),
+        )
 
         with h5py.File("test.h5", "a", "core", backing_store=False) as f:
             self.dataset_mgr.write_hdf5(f)