diff --git a/addons/api/addon/adapters/application.js b/addons/api/addon/adapters/application.js
index 09b772cb7..187c94ad1 100644
--- a/addons/api/addon/adapters/application.js
+++ b/addons/api/addon/adapters/application.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import RESTAdapter from '@ember-data/adapter/rest';
+import { serializeIntoHash } from '@ember-data/adapter/-private';
 import AdapterBuildURLMixin from '../mixins/adapter-build-url';
 import config from 'ember-get-config';
 import { get, getWithDefault } from '@ember/object';
@@ -143,6 +144,26 @@ export default class ApplicationAdapter extends RESTAdapter.extend(
     return super.query(...arguments).then(prenormalizeArrayResponse);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Our API expects update calls with a custom method suffix
+   * (e.g. `:set-grants`) to be made with POST instead of PUT/PATCH.
+   * If this method is called with a custom method via `adapterOptions.method`,
+   * the API request will be made with POST.  All other update requests are
+   * made as normal.
+   * @override
+   * @param {Store} store
+   * @param {Model} type
+   * @param {Snapshot} snapshot
+   * @return {Promise} promise
+   */
+  updateRecord(store, type, snapshot) {
+    const method = get(snapshot, 'adapterOptions.method');
+    const data = serializeIntoHash(store, type, snapshot, {});
+    const id = snapshot.id;
+    const url = this.buildURL(type.modelName, id, snapshot, 'updateRecord');
+    return this.ajax(url, method ? 'POST' : 'PUT', { data });
+  }
+
   /**
    * Overrides default ajax method by rewritting PUT requests as PATCH.
    * PATCH is the request method used by our API for updates.
diff --git a/addons/api/addon/serializers/role.js b/addons/api/addon/serializers/role.js
index 69e8fe568..d22f01ef0 100644
--- a/addons/api/addon/serializers/role.js
+++ b/addons/api/addon/serializers/role.js
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ export default class RoleSerializer extends ApplicationSerializer {
     return serialized;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Returns a payload containing only the grants array.
+   * @param {Snapshot} snapshot
+   * @return {object}
+   */
   serializeWithGrants(snapshot) {
     return {
       grants: snapshot.attr('grants')
diff --git a/addons/api/tests/unit/adapters/application-test.js b/addons/api/tests/unit/adapters/application-test.js
index c3d72d469..dc984bba2 100644
--- a/addons/api/tests/unit/adapters/application-test.js
+++ b/addons/api/tests/unit/adapters/application-test.js
@@ -112,6 +112,23 @@ module('Unit | Adapter | application', function (hooks) {
     adapter.ajax('/', 'PUT');
   });
 
+  test('it rewrites PUT/PATCH to POST when `adapterOptions.method` is passed to `updateRecord`', function (assert) {
+    assert.expect(1);
+    const adapter = this.owner.lookup('adapter:application');
+    const store = this.owner.lookup('service:store');
+    const snapshot = store.createRecord('role', {})._createSnapshot();
+    snapshot.adapterOptions = {
+      method: 'custom-method'
+    }
+    // TODO this is icky, should be changed to a spy or stub
+    const originalAjax = RESTAdapter.prototype.ajax;
+    RESTAdapter.prototype.ajax = (url, type) => {
+      assert.equal(type, 'POST');
+      RESTAdapter.prototype.ajax = originalAjax;
+    };
+    adapter.updateRecord(store, {modelName: 'user'}, snapshot);
+  });
+
   test('it prenormalizes "empty" responses into a form that the fetch-manager will not reject', async function (assert) {
     assert.expect(1);
     const adapter = this.owner.lookup('adapter:application');
diff --git a/addons/api/tests/unit/models/role-test.js b/addons/api/tests/unit/models/role-test.js
index b47f31343..68160dec1 100644
--- a/addons/api/tests/unit/models/role-test.js
+++ b/addons/api/tests/unit/models/role-test.js
@@ -1,12 +1,42 @@
 import { module, test } from 'qunit';
 import { setupTest } from 'ember-qunit';
+import setupMirage from 'ember-cli-mirage/test-support/setup-mirage';
 
 module('Unit | Model | role', function (hooks) {
   setupTest(hooks);
+  setupMirage(hooks);
 
   test('it exists', function(assert) {
     let store = this.owner.lookup('service:store');
     let model = store.createRecord('role', {});
     assert.ok(model);
   });
+
+  test('it has a `saveGrants` method that targets a specific POST API endpoint and serialization', async function (assert) {
+    assert.expect(1);
+    this.server.post('/v1/scopes/o_1/roles/123abc:set-grants', (schema, request) => {
+      const body = JSON.parse(request.requestBody);
+      assert.deepEqual(body, {
+        grants: ['grant1', 'grant2']
+      });
+    });
+    const store = this.owner.lookup('service:store');
+    store.push({
+      data: {
+        id: '123abc',
+        type: 'role',
+        attributes: {
+          name: 'Role',
+          description: 'Description',
+          grants: ['grant1', 'grant2'],
+          scope: {
+            scope_id: 'o_1',
+            type: 'scope'
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    });
+    const model = store.peekRecord('role', '123abc');
+    await model.saveGrants();
+  });
 });