Tag Copier

License: PRO+ (Professional Edition or higher)
Plugin Type: Index Plugin
Author: Diskover Data, Inc.

Overview

The Tag Copier plugin automatically preserves tags when you re-index a storage location. Whether your team has manually tagged files for review workflows or automated systems have applied classification tags, this plugin ensures that valuable tagging work survives index rebuilds.

When enabled, Tag Copier:

• Automatically discovers the most recent previous index for your scan path

• Loads all tagged documents from that index into memory

• Applies matching tags to files during the new indexing process

• Works with both files and directories

Why does this matter? Tags in Diskover represent organizational intelligence—approvals, classifications, workflow states, and more. Without tag preservation, every re-index would require manual re-tagging or re-running automation rules against your entire dataset.

Use Cases

For Storage Administrators:

• Rebuild indexes after Diskover version upgrades while keeping user-applied tags intact

• Perform routine full re-indexes on a schedule without disrupting tagging workflows

• Recover from index corruption while preserving organizational metadata

For Data Managers:

• Maintain classification tags (confidential, public, internal) across index operations

• Keep workflow tags (pending-approval, ready-for-review) active during maintenance windows

• Preserve legal hold tags for compliance requirements

For IT Operations:

• Implement index rotation strategies while maintaining tag continuity

• Switch from incremental to full indexing without losing tag investments

• Support storage migrations where file paths remain identical

Understanding Tag Migration

Why Tag Preservation Matters

Tags in Diskover represent significant organizational value that would be costly to recreate:

Without tag preservation, every re-index would require re-tagging thousands of files, re-running auto-tag rules, and disrupting any tag-dependent workflows.

How Path-Based Matching Works

The Tag Copier plugin uses full file paths as the matching key between indexes. When a file is indexed, the plugin looks up its complete path (parent directory + filename) in the previous index. If a match is found, all tags from that document are copied to the new index entry.

Key characteristics:

• Matching is based on the complete path (parent_path + name)

• Tags are copied as a complete list—all tags or none

• Files that moved or were renamed will not match (different path)

• New files not present in the previous index receive no tags from this plugin

Important: The plugin requires a previous index to copy tags from. On the first-ever index of a path, no tags will be copied because there is no source index.

Requirements

System Requirements

• Python 3.9 or higher

• Diskover indexer with plugin support enabled

• A pre-existing index for the same scan path (tags must exist somewhere to be copied)

Python Dependencies

This plugin has no external Python dependencies beyond the Diskover core libraries. All required functionality is provided by the standard Diskover installation.

Installation

Step 1: Enable the Plugin

1. Navigate to Diskover Admin > Plugins > Index Plugins > Tag Copier

2. Enable the plugin using the toggle switch

3. Save the configuration

Step 2: Enable in Index Task Configuration

1. Navigate to Diskover > Configurations > select your configuration (e.g., Default)

2. Scroll to the bottom to find Index Plugins Enablement

3. Enable the Tag Copier plugin

4. Save the configuration

Step 3: Verify Previous Index Exists

The plugin requires a previous index for the same scan path. Verify one exists before expecting tag migration:

Linux:

curl -s "http://localhost:9200/_cat/indices/diskover-*?h=index,docs.count,store.size" | sort

Windows (PowerShell):

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:9200/_cat/indices/diskover-*?h=index,docs.count,store.size"

Step 4: Run an Index Scan

Run a scan using the configuration where you enabled Tag Copier. The plugin will automatically:

1. Discover the latest previous index for your scan path

2. Load all tagged documents from that index

3. Apply matching tags as files are indexed

Configuration

No Configuration Required

The Tag Copier plugin is designed to work automatically without any configuration parameters. When enabled, it:

1. Automatically discovers the latest previous index for the current scan path

2. Loads all tagged documents from that index into memory

3. Applies matching tags during the indexing process

Why No Configuration?

The plugin is intentionally configuration-free because:

• Automatic index discovery locates the correct source index based on your scan path

• All-or-nothing tag copying transfers complete tag lists without filtering

• Path-based matching provides unambiguous document matching

• Universal applicability works the same way for all file types and paths

Indexed Fields

The Tag Copier plugin does not add any new fields to indexed documents. Instead, it populates the existing tags field with values from the previous index.

Field Reference

Example Document

A file that had tags in the previous index will appear in the new index with those tags preserved:

{
  "name": "quarterly_report.pdf",
  "parent_path": "/mnt/data/finance/2024",
  "tags": ["reviewed", "approved", "q4-2024"],
  "size": 2458624,
  "mtime": "2024-12-15T14:30:00Z"
}

Searching in Diskover

Use these search queries in the Diskover web interface to find and verify tagged files.

Basic Tag Searches

Verifying Tag Migration

After re-indexing with Tag Copier enabled, verify that tags were preserved by searching for files that should have specific tags:

tags:your-important-tag

Compare the results with what you expected from the previous index. If tags are missing, see the Troubleshooting section below.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Tags Not Copying

Symptom: Files that had tags in the previous index don't have tags in the new index.

Diagnosis steps:

1. Check for initialization errors in logs:

   Linux:

   grep -i "tag_copier" /var/log/diskover/diskover.log | tail -30

2. Verify a previous index exists for your scan path

3. Verify the previous index contains tagged documents

Common causes:

• No previous index exists (expected on first indexing)

• Source index has no tagged documents

• File paths changed between index runs (renamed or moved files)

Path Mismatch Issues

Symptom: Tags exist in the previous index but don't appear in the new index for specific files.

Tags will not migrate if:

• Files were renamed between index runs

• Files were moved to a different directory

• The scan path was specified differently (e.g., trailing slash differences)

• Symbolic links resolved differently between runs

Resolution: Ensure scan paths are identical between index runs and that files have not been moved or renamed.

Memory Considerations

The plugin loads all tagged paths into memory during initialization. For environments with many tagged files, ensure sufficient memory is available:

For very large environments with millions of tagged files, ensure the indexing host has adequate RAM.

Debug Logging

Enable verbose logging to trace plugin behavior:

Linux:

tail -f /var/log/diskover/diskover.log | grep -E "(tag_copier|tags)"

Windows:
Check Diskover service logs or the configured log location for entries containing "tag_copier".

Support

• Diskover Documentation

• Diskover Support Portal

Last Updated: January 2026
Diskover Data, Inc.