diff --git a/astrapy/info.py b/astrapy/info.py
index 0afc11b2..8f46998e 100644
--- a/astrapy/info.py
+++ b/astrapy/info.py
@@ -142,6 +142,7 @@ class CollectionDefaultIDOptions:
 
     def as_dict(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Recast this object into a dictionary."""
+
         return {"type": self.default_id_type}
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -152,6 +153,7 @@ def from_dict(
         Create an instance of CollectionDefaultIDOptions from a dictionary
         such as one from the Data API.
         """
+
         if raw_dict is not None:
             return CollectionDefaultIDOptions(default_id_type=raw_dict["type"])
         else:
@@ -175,6 +177,7 @@ class CollectionVectorOptions:
 
     def as_dict(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Recast this object into a dictionary."""
+
         return {
             k: v
             for k, v in {
@@ -192,6 +195,7 @@ def from_dict(
         Create an instance of CollectionVectorOptions from a dictionary
         such as one from the Data API.
         """
+
         if raw_dict is not None:
             return CollectionVectorOptions(
                 dimension=raw_dict.get("dimension"),
@@ -241,6 +245,7 @@ def __repr__(self) -> str:
 
     def as_dict(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         """Recast this object into a dictionary."""
+
         return {
             k: v
             for k, v in {
@@ -253,12 +258,46 @@ def as_dict(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
             if v is not None
         }
 
+    def flatten(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        """
+        Recast this object as a flat key-value pair suitable for
+        use as kwargs in a create_collection method call.
+        """
+
+        _dimension: Optional[int]
+        _metric: Optional[str]
+        _indexing: Optional[Dict[str, Any]]
+        _default_id_type: Optional[str]
+        if self.vector is not None:
+            _dimension = self.vector.dimension
+            _metric = self.vector.metric
+        else:
+            _dimension = None
+            _metric = None
+        _indexing = self.indexing
+        if self.default_id is not None:
+            _default_id_type = self.default_id.default_id_type
+        else:
+            _default_id_type = None
+
+        return {
+            k: v
+            for k, v in {
+                "dimension": _dimension,
+                "metric": _metric,
+                "indexing": _indexing,
+                "default_id_type": _default_id_type,
+            }.items()
+            if v is not None
+        }
+
     @staticmethod
     def from_dict(raw_dict: Dict[str, Any]) -> CollectionOptions:
         """
         Create an instance of CollectionOptions from a dictionary
         such as one from the Data API.
         """
+
         return CollectionOptions(
             vector=CollectionVectorOptions.from_dict(raw_dict.get("vector")),
             indexing=raw_dict.get("indexing"),
@@ -295,6 +334,7 @@ def as_dict(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         Recast this object into a dictionary.
         Empty `options` will not be returned at all.
         """
+
         return {
             k: v
             for k, v in {
@@ -304,12 +344,24 @@ def as_dict(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
             if v
         }
 
+    def flatten(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        """
+        Recast this object as a flat key-value pair suitable for
+        use as kwargs in a create_collection method call.
+        """
+
+        return {
+            **(self.options.flatten()),
+            **{"name": self.name},
+        }
+
     @staticmethod
     def from_dict(raw_dict: Dict[str, Any]) -> CollectionDescriptor:
         """
         Create an instance of CollectionDescriptor from a dictionary
         such as one from the Data API.
         """
+
         return CollectionDescriptor(
             name=raw_dict["name"],
             options=CollectionOptions.from_dict(raw_dict.get("options") or {}),
diff --git a/tests/idiomatic/unit/test_collection_options.py b/tests/idiomatic/unit/test_collection_options.py
index cd86436c..140ef76a 100644
--- a/tests/idiomatic/unit/test_collection_options.py
+++ b/tests/idiomatic/unit/test_collection_options.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 Unit tests for the validation/parsing of collection options
 """
 
-from typing import Any, Dict, List
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Tuple
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -25,91 +25,157 @@
 
 @pytest.mark.describe("test of recasting the collection options from the api")
 def test_recast_api_collection_dict() -> None:
-    api_coll_descs: List[Dict[str, Any]] = [
+    api_coll_descs: List[Tuple[Dict[str, Any], Dict[str, Any]]] = [
         # minimal:
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-        },
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+            },
+            {"name": "col_name"},
+        ),
         # full:
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-            "options": {
-                "vector": {
-                    "dimension": 1024,
-                    "metric": "cosine",
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "options": {
+                    "vector": {
+                        "dimension": 1024,
+                        "metric": "cosine",
+                    },
+                    "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
+                    "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
                 },
+            },
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "dimension": 1024,
+                "metric": "cosine",
                 "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
-                "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
+                "default_id_type": "objectId",
             },
-        },
+        ),
         # partial/absent 'vector':
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-            "options": {
-                "vector": {
-                    "metric": "cosine",
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "options": {
+                    "vector": {
+                        "metric": "cosine",
+                    },
+                    "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
+                    "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
                 },
+            },
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "metric": "cosine",
                 "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
-                "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
-            },
-        },
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-            "options": {
-                "vector": {
-                    "dimension": 1024,
+                "default_id_type": "objectId",
+            },
+        ),
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "options": {
+                    "vector": {
+                        "dimension": 1024,
+                    },
+                    "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
+                    "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
                 },
+            },
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "dimension": 1024,
                 "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
-                "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
+                "default_id_type": "objectId",
+            },
+        ),
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "options": {
+                    "vector": {},
+                    "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
+                    "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
+                },
             },
-        },
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-            "options": {
-                "vector": {},
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
                 "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
-                "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
+                "default_id_type": "objectId",
+            },
+        ),
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "options": {
+                    "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
+                    "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
+                },
             },
-        },
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-            "options": {
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
                 "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
-                "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
+                "default_id_type": "objectId",
             },
-        },
+        ),
         # no indexing:
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-            "options": {
-                "vector": {
-                    "dimension": 1024,
-                    "metric": "cosine",
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "options": {
+                    "vector": {
+                        "dimension": 1024,
+                        "metric": "cosine",
+                    },
+                    "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
                 },
-                "defaultId": {"type": "objectId"},
             },
-        },
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "dimension": 1024,
+                "metric": "cosine",
+                "default_id_type": "objectId",
+            },
+        ),
         # no defaultId:
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-            "options": {
-                "vector": {
-                    "dimension": 1024,
-                    "metric": "cosine",
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "options": {
+                    "vector": {
+                        "dimension": 1024,
+                        "metric": "cosine",
+                    },
+                    "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
                 },
+            },
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "dimension": 1024,
+                "metric": "cosine",
                 "indexing": {"deny": ["a"]},
             },
-        },
+        ),
         # no indexing + no defaultId:
-        {
-            "name": "dvv",
-            "options": {
-                "vector": {
-                    "dimension": 1024,
-                    "metric": "cosine",
+        (
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "options": {
+                    "vector": {
+                        "dimension": 1024,
+                        "metric": "cosine",
+                    },
                 },
             },
-        },
+            {
+                "name": "col_name",
+                "dimension": 1024,
+                "metric": "cosine",
+            },
+        ),
     ]
-    for api_coll_desc in api_coll_descs:
+    for api_coll_desc, flattened_dict in api_coll_descs:
         assert CollectionDescriptor.from_dict(api_coll_desc).as_dict() == api_coll_desc
+        assert CollectionDescriptor.from_dict(api_coll_desc).flatten() == flattened_dict