---
title: "Creating a Tag"
description: "General steps for creating a new tag"
source_url: https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/creating-getting-started
---

# Creating a Tag

To create a tag, navigate to the **Tags** page and click the **+ Add Tag** button. This opens a form where you choose the tag's **source type** (Device, Expression, or In Memory) and configure its settings.

This guide covers **device tags** — tags that read from and write to a connected device. For the other source types, see [Expression Tags](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/expressions.md) and [In-Memory Tags](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/introduction.md#in-memory-tags).

> [!NOTE] You can also add tags from a device
> When viewing a device's detail page, you can add tags directly to that device. The create form will have the device pre-selected so you can skip straight to naming the tag.

## Form Fields

### Name

A unique identifier for the tag. This is how you'll reference the tag throughout the platform — in trends, models, expressions, and exports.

- **Required**
- Must be unique across all tags
- Examples: `Chiller-01/Supply-Temp`, `AHU-3 Damper Position`, `Warehouse Zone 1 Humidity`

### Description

An optional free-text field for notes about the tag — what it measures, where the sensor is located, or any context that helps your team.

### Device

The device this tag belongs to. Tags inherit their protocol from their device, which determines which protocol-specific fields appear in the form.

- **Required**
- Devices are grouped by protocol in the dropdown for easy browsing
- Cannot be changed after creation — if you need to move a tag to a different device, create a new tag and delete the old one

### Usage

Whether this tag is read-only or read/write.

| Usage | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| **Input** | Koios reads this tag's value from the device on each scan (default) |
| **Output** | Koios can also write values back to the device through this tag |

Choose **Output** when an AI model, mapping, or component needs to push a value to the device — for example, a setpoint that a model adjusts.

### Range Min / Max

The expected value range for this tag. Defaults to **0–100**.

- Used by AI models for **normalization** — models expect input values within a known range
- Accepts negative values
- Set this to match the real-world range of the data point (e.g. -20 to 50 for a temperature sensor in °C, or 0 to 500 for a pressure sensor in PSI)

### Units

The engineering units displayed alongside the tag's value (e.g. °C, PSI, RPM, kW). This is a display label only — it doesn't affect the raw value.

Select from common units in the dropdown or type a custom unit.

## Protocol-Specific Fields

The create form shows additional fields based on the selected device's protocol. These fields tell Koios _where_ to find the data point within the device.

You can fill these in during creation, or leave them blank and configure them later on the tag's **Configuration** tab — where you'll also have access to device browsers that can auto-populate these fields for you.

| Protocol | Fields on Create Form |
|----------|----------------------|
| **OPC-UA** | Namespace, identifier type, identifier, data type |
| **Modbus TCP** | Register type, register address, data type, byte/word swap, bit number |
| **EtherNet/IP (Logix)** | Logix tag name, tag type |
| **EtherNet/IP (Generic CIP)** | Assembly instance, byte offset, data type, bit number |
| **SOAP (RDM)** | RDM device, RDM parameter |
| **REST (BOSS)** | Device address, variable code, variable type |
| **Microsoft SQL** | SQL query |

For detailed guidance on each protocol's fields, see the protocol-specific tag creation guides:

- [Creating an OPC-UA Tag](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/creating-opc-ua.md)
- [Creating a Modbus TCP Tag](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/creating-modbus-tcp.md)
- [Creating an EtherNet/IP Tag](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/creating-ethernet-ip.md)
- [Creating a SOAP Tag](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/creating-soap.md)
- [Creating a REST Tag](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/creating-rest.md)
- [Creating a Microsoft SQL Tag](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/creating-mssql.md)

## After Creation

Once you click **Create Tag**, Koios creates the tag and navigates you to its **Configuration** tab. From here:

1. **Review protocol settings** — if you left protocol fields blank during creation, fill them in now. Use the **Browse** button (available for OPC-UA, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, SOAP, and REST) to discover and select data points directly from the device.

2. **Test the tag** — click the **Test** button to verify Koios can read a value from the device for this tag (see [Testing a Tag](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/troubleshooting.md#testing-a-tag))

3. **Configure advanced settings** — set up [value mapping](https://ai-ops.com/docs/tags/value-mapping.md), enable test output mode, or configure redundancy if needed

4. **Enable the tag** — flip the enable switch in the tag header

> [!TIP] Enable the device first
> A tag won't collect data until its parent device is also enabled and running. If this is a new device, make sure you've configured and enabled it before enabling its tags.

## Using Device Browsers

For most protocols, you don't need to type protocol settings manually. The **Configuration** tab includes a **Browse** button that connects to the device and lets you discover available data points:

- **OPC-UA** — browse the server's node tree, expand folders, and select the node you want. The namespace, identifier, identifier type, and data type are auto-populated.
- **Modbus TCP** — browse registers on the device and select one. Register type, address, and data type are auto-populated.
- **EtherNet/IP (Logix)** — browse the controller's tag database. Tag name and type are auto-populated.
- **EtherNet/IP (Generic CIP)** — browse the device's EDS file to see assemblies and fields. Assembly instance, byte offset, and data type are auto-populated.
- **SOAP (RDM)** — browse available RDM devices and parameters.
- **REST (BOSS)** — browse available BOSS devices and variables.

> [!NOTE] The device must be reachable to browse
> Device browsers connect to the device in real time. The device must be powered on and reachable on the network — but it does not need to be enabled in Koios. Browsing uses a one-time connection separate from the scan cycle.

## Duplicating a Tag

If you need a tag similar to an existing one, you can **duplicate** it instead of starting from scratch. Right-click a tag in the list and select **Duplicate**, or use the duplicate action on a tag's detail page.

Duplicating copies:

- All protocol-specific configuration (node ID, register address, expression, etc.)
- Range, units, decimal places, and usage
- Advanced settings (value mapping, write always, redundancy)

It does **not** copy:

- The enabled state — the duplicate is always created disabled

You'll be prompted to enter a new **name** and optionally update the **description** before confirming.

## Importing Tags

For bulk tag creation, you can import tags from a CSV file. On the Tags page, click the import button in the toolbar.

The import process has two stages:

1. **Preview** — upload your CSV file and Koios validates it, showing you which tags will be created, updated, or skipped, and flagging any errors. No changes are made yet.
2. **Confirm** — review the preview and click confirm to apply the changes.

To get a CSV template with the correct column format, export your existing tags first using the export button.