How to Configure AND vs OR Logic with Device Tags in ControlUp Alerts

When configuring alerts in ControlUp based on device tags, a frequent question arises regarding whether selecting multiple device tags in the alert conditions operates as an OR or AND logic. It was clarified that in the current ControlUp alert configuration interface, when multiple device tags are selected, the alert triggers if the device has any one of the specified tags. This means the condition acts as a logical OR between the tags rather than an AND.

The user interface presents these tag selections as checkboxes, limiting the direct ability to express compound AND logic (such as requiring both tags to be present simultaneously). There is no built-in switch or toggle to explicitly select AND versus OR behavior for device tag conditions. While the idea of combining tags using expressions like “tag1&&tag2” was discussed, this is not supported directly within the tag selection box, and typing such expressions does not function as a filter in the UI.

However, a workaround approach involves leveraging multiple alert conditions, which are inherently ANDed together by ControlUp. For instance, instead of trying to combine two tags in one condition, you can create two separate conditions that must both be true, effectively achieving an AND between device tag criteria. Since tags are treated as string fields in the system, operators such as “contains” or “=” can be used in these conditions. Using “contains” is useful but may lead to partial matches, which requires careful tag naming conventions to avoid unintended matches (e.g., “reboot_device” matching both “reboot_device” and “no_reboot_device”).

To address this, users have adapted by modifying their tagging strategies to use more distinctive and unambiguous tag names like “device_reboot_yes” and “device_reboot_no,” which helps ensure that the use of “contains” or equality checks does not overlap between conflicting tags. Some users also explored adding exclusion conditions (e.g., conditions that exclude devices with certain tags), but these might not cover all scenarios adequately.

The community suggested it would be valuable for ControlUp to enhance alert configuration with explicit AND/OR toggles or support for string operations like “starts with” to improve flexibility for tag-based alerting. Meanwhile, using multiple conditions combined with clear tag naming conventions is the recommended practical approach for achieving AND logic with device tags in alerts.

For more detailed information on alert condition configuration and tag-based filtering, refer to the official ControlUp documentation at https://docs.controlup.com. This includes guidance on condition operators, tag management, and best practices for alert configurations.

Read the entire ‘How to Configure AND vs OR Logic with Device Tags in ControlUp Alerts’ thread below:

Hi everyone, I have a question.

I’m creating an alert, and I only want it to fire if a device has two specific device tags.

In the alert configuration, when I select both device tags, does that work as an OR condition or an AND condition?

If you dont mind, you can blug your tag names
Send a screenshot

It looks like this when you select two device tags. Not sure if this helps you.

I just answered my own question.

`The alert applies to devices that have any of the selected tags.`

Awesome

Not what I wanted to see.

Hoping they add support for `AND` and `OR` conditions.

Then i would do the tag as tag1&&tag2

Meaning that i needs both tags on the device to trigger the alert – i hope that is what you want

It is check boxes so I don’t think I can do that, but I will try.

I see

No, you cannot type it out like unless I’m just doing it wrong.

I agree, there should be another switch that you can tick to say do an `AND` or an `OR`

FYI

You could do this depening on the index that you are goinf to use

`=` or `contains`

Look at you!

Now that is some awesome find and method!

I was using the the options above the Configuration.

I’ll try shortly and hopefully this will work.

Let me know

—…and this is why we still need to chat with other humans

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Why i like the community

You might need to make some modifications to what Eugene suggested, but it should still work. Attaching screenshots of how I’d set this up and the relevant docs.
• Since tags are a text/string field, you need to use the “contains” operator.
• The ‘&&’ might work to combine multiple tags in a single condition, but you could always just add another condition (when multiple conditions are added, they are ANDed together).

Thanks,. I like this approach also.

Timothy, I have two device tags `reboot_device` and `no_reboot_device`. If I am forced to use contains and only need to target `reboot_device` tags, what is the best approach?

I’ll test, but I wonder if `contains` will also include `no_reboot_device` tags?

Good point. I’ll do some research on setting up an exact string match… important use case.

I guess a workaround for that specific situation would be to add another condition “contains!!no_reboot_device” to exclude it but that wouldn’t be sufficient for all situations.

I also wish they add support for `starts with`

I ended up changing my device tags to `device_reboot_yes` and `device_reboot_no`

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