# Register a device

> Adds a sensor, controller or gateway to the workspace so it can send heartbeats, readings and events. Then mint a device token for it and put that token on the device, rather than a workspace key.

Source: https://docs.xplantpro.com/docs/api/devices/create-device

`POST https://app.xplantpro.com/api/v1/devices`

- Required scope: `write:devices`
- Credentials: workspace API key (`xpk_`)
- Idempotency-Key: honoured (24 hours)

If the workspace has already connected every device its plan includes, or its plan includes none, the request is refused with `DEVICE_LIMIT_REACHED`. A retired device does not count. Send an `Idempotency-Key` so a retried request cannot register the same device twice.

Send an `Idempotency-Key` header to make retries safe: a repeat with the same key within 24 hours returns the first response instead of writing twice. See [Idempotency](https://docs.xplantpro.com/docs/idempotency.md).

## Headers

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Idempotency-Key` | string | No | Any unique string you choose per logical write. A retry carrying the same key within 24 hours returns the first result instead of writing again. Scoped to your API key and this operation. 8–255 characters. Must match `^[A-Za-z0-9._:~-]+$`. |

## Request body

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `name` | string | Yes | What the lab calls the device, as it appears in the device list. 1–100 characters. |
| `type` | `"sensor"` \| `"controller"` \| `"gateway"` | No | What kind of device this is. Default `"sensor"`. |
| `hardware` | string | No | The board or model, for example `Raspberry Pi 4`. Up to 100 characters. |
| `firmware_version` | string | No | The firmware or software version the device runs. Up to 50 characters. |
| `room_id` | string (uuid) | No | The growing room the device sits in. Must be a room in the workspace. |
| `metadata` | object | No | Any JSON object you want kept with the device. Default `{}`. |

## Example

**curl**

```bash
curl -X POST https://app.xplantpro.com/api/v1/devices \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $XPLANT_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Shelf 3 climate probe",
    "type": "sensor",
    "hardware": "Raspberry Pi 4",
    "firmware_version": "1.4.2",
    "room_id": "2c6f9a41-7d3e-4b8a-a1c5-9e0d4f7b3a26",
    "metadata": {
      "shelf": 3
    }
  }'
```

**JavaScript**

```js
import { XPlantClient } from "@shmaplex/xplant-sdk";

const client = new XPlantClient({ apiKey: process.env.XPLANT_API_KEY });

const device = await client.devices.register({
  name: "Shelf 3 climate probe",
  type: "sensor",
  hardware: "Raspberry Pi 4",
  firmware_version: "1.4.2",
  room_id: "2c6f9a41-7d3e-4b8a-a1c5-9e0d4f7b3a26",
  metadata: { shelf: 3 },
});
```

**Python**

```python
import os
import requests

resp = requests.post(
    "https://app.xplantpro.com/api/v1/devices",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['XPLANT_API_KEY']}"},
    json={
        "name": "Shelf 3 climate probe",
        "type": "sensor",
        "hardware": "Raspberry Pi 4",
        "firmware_version": "1.4.2",
        "room_id": "2c6f9a41-7d3e-4b8a-a1c5-9e0d4f7b3a26",
        "metadata": {"shelf": 3},
    },
    timeout=10,
)
body = resp.json()
if not body["ok"]:
    raise RuntimeError(f"{resp.status_code} {body['code']}: {body['error']}")
device = body["data"]
```

## Response

`201` with `{ "ok": true, "data": … }`. `data` holds the result.

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string (uuid) | Yes | — |
| `name` | string | Yes | — |
| `type` | string | Yes | One of `sensor`, `controller`, `gateway`. |
| `hardware` | string \| null | Yes | — |
| `status` | string | Yes | `active` while the device is in service. `paused` or `retired` once someone in the lab takes it out of service, which refuses its readings and revokes its device tokens. |
| `firmware_version` | string \| null | Yes | — |
| `room_id` | string \| null (uuid) | Yes | The growing room the device sits in, if one was set. |
| `last_seen_at` | string \| null | Yes | When the device was last heard from, as an ISO 8601 timestamp. A heartbeat updates it. Null if it has never been heard from. |
| `metadata` | object | Yes | The JSON object stored with the device when it was registered. |
| `created_at` | string | Yes | — |
| `updated_at` | string | Yes | — |

```json title="Response"
{
  "ok": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "8e3b1f52-6c0d-4a7e-9b21-5f4d8c2a7e13",
    "name": "Shelf 3 climate probe",
    "type": "sensor",
    "hardware": "Raspberry Pi 4",
    "status": "active",
    "firmware_version": "1.4.2",
    "room_id": "2c6f9a41-7d3e-4b8a-a1c5-9e0d4f7b3a26",
    "last_seen_at": null,
    "metadata": {
      "shelf": 3
    },
    "created_at": "2026-09-01T09:30:00.000Z",
    "updated_at": "2026-09-01T09:30:00.000Z"
  }
}
```

| Response header | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `Idempotent-Replay` | `true` when this response is a replay of an earlier request with the same `Idempotency-Key`. |
| `X-Request-Id` | Identifies this request. Include it when you contact support. |

## Errors

| Status | Code | When |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `400` | `VALIDATION_ERROR` | The request body is not valid JSON. |
| `401` | `UNAUTHORIZED` | The key is missing, malformed or revoked, or its owner is no longer a member of the workspace. |
| `402` | `PAID_PLAN_REQUIRED` | The workspace has no paid plan. Connecting devices is included with every paid plan. |
| `402` | `DEVICE_LIMIT_REACHED` | The workspace has connected every device its plan includes — retire a device it no longer uses, or contact support to raise the limit — or its plan includes no connected devices at all. `error` says which. Nothing was registered. |
| `403` | `FORBIDDEN` | The key lacks a scope this operation requires, or its owner's current role in the workspace cannot use it — a key never does more than its owner can in xPlant. `error` names the scope, and for a role, the role it needs. |
| `403` | `DEVICE_TOKEN_NOT_ACCEPTED` | A device token was sent; this operation needs a workspace API key. |
| `404` | `NOT_FOUND` | `room_id` does not name a growing room in the workspace. Nothing was registered. |
| `409` | `IDEMPOTENCY_IN_FLIGHT` | A request with this `Idempotency-Key` is still being processed; retry after `Retry-After` seconds. |
| `422` | `VALIDATION_ERROR` | The `Idempotency-Key` header is malformed. |
| `422` | `VALIDATION_ERROR` | A field failed validation. `error` names the first one, for example `name: String must contain at least 1 character(s)`. |
| `429` | `RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED` | Too many requests for this key, device token or workspace. Wait `Retry-After` seconds. |
| `500` | `DEVICE_CREATE_FAILED` | The device could not be saved. Retry with the same `Idempotency-Key`. |
| `503` | `DEVICE_LIMIT_UNAVAILABLE` | The workspace's device allowance could not be checked, so nothing was registered. Retry shortly. |

Branch on `code`, never on the `error` text. See [Errors](https://docs.xplantpro.com/docs/errors.md).