diff --git a/client/src/api/schema/schema.ts b/client/src/api/schema/schema.ts
index d4c9e9238542..678b34d63a66 100644
--- a/client/src/api/schema/schema.ts
+++ b/client/src/api/schema/schema.ts
@@ -6392,7 +6392,7 @@ export interface components {
          */
         ItemTagsCreatePayload: {
             /** value of the item tag */
-            value: string;
+            value?: string;
         };
         /**
          * ItemTagsListResponse
@@ -13796,7 +13796,7 @@ export interface operations {
                 history_id: string;
             };
         };
-        requestBody: {
+        requestBody?: {
             content: {
                 "application/json": components["schemas"]["ItemTagsCreatePayload"];
             };
@@ -15103,7 +15103,7 @@ export interface operations {
                 tag_name: string;
             };
         };
-        requestBody: {
+        requestBody?: {
             content: {
                 "application/json": components["schemas"]["ItemTagsCreatePayload"];
             };
@@ -19862,7 +19862,7 @@ export interface operations {
                 tag_name: string;
             };
         };
-        requestBody: {
+        requestBody?: {
             content: {
                 "application/json": components["schemas"]["ItemTagsCreatePayload"];
             };
diff --git a/lib/galaxy/schema/item_tags.py b/lib/galaxy/schema/item_tags.py
index 6458241717c9..1237e42f01dc 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy/schema/item_tags.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy/schema/item_tags.py
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ class ItemTagsListResponse(Model):
 class ItemTagsCreatePayload(Model):
     """Payload schema for creating an item tag."""
 
-    value: str = Field(
-        Required,
+    value: Optional[str] = Field(
+        None,
         title="value of the item tag",
     )
diff --git a/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/api/item_tags.py b/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/api/item_tags.py
index 7b7f7fb65389..a32805ac4d49 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/api/item_tags.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy/webapps/galaxy/api/item_tags.py
@@ -72,8 +72,10 @@ def create(
                 trans: ProvidesAppContext = DependsOnTrans,
                 item_id: DecodedDatabaseIdField = Path(..., title="Item ID", alias=tagged_item_id),
                 tag_name: str = Path(..., title="Tag Name"),
-                payload: ItemTagsCreatePayload = Body(...),
+                payload: ItemTagsCreatePayload = Body(None),
             ) -> ItemTagsResponse:
+                if payload is None:
+                    payload = ItemTagsCreatePayload()
                 return self.manager.create(trans, tagged_item_class, item_id, tag_name, payload)
 
             @router.put(
diff --git a/lib/galaxy_test/api/test_item_tags.py b/lib/galaxy_test/api/test_item_tags.py
index 319e91a2ce22..3bf856126c8d 100644
--- a/lib/galaxy_test/api/test_item_tags.py
+++ b/lib/galaxy_test/api/test_item_tags.py
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+from typing import (
+    Any,
+    Dict,
+)
+
 from galaxy_test.base.populators import (
     DatasetCollectionPopulator,
     DatasetPopulator,
@@ -6,7 +11,7 @@
 from galaxy_test.driver import integration_util
 
 
-class TestHistoriesApi(integration_util.IntegrationTestCase):
+class TestItemTagsApi(integration_util.IntegrationTestCase):
     dataset_populator: DatasetPopulator
 
     @classmethod
@@ -20,75 +25,77 @@ def setUp(self):
         self.dataset_collection_populator = DatasetCollectionPopulator(self.galaxy_interactor)
 
     def test_get_tags_workflows(self):
-        response = self._test_get_tags(self._create_prefixes()["workflows"])
+        response = self._test_get_tags(self._create_prefix("workflows"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_create_tag_workflows(self):
-        response = self._test_create_tag(self._create_prefixes()["workflows"])
+        response = self._test_create_tag(self._create_prefix("workflows"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_update_tag_workflows(self):
-        response = self._test_update_tag(self._create_prefixes()["workflows"])
+        response = self._test_update_tag(self._create_prefix("workflows"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_get_tag_workflows(self):
-        response = self._test_get_tag(self._create_prefixes()["workflows"])
+        response = self._test_get_tag(self._create_prefix("workflows"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_delete_tag_workflows(self):
-        response = self._test_delete_tag(self._create_prefixes()["workflows"])
+        response = self._test_delete_tag(self._create_prefix("workflows"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_get_tags_histories(self):
-        response = self._test_get_tags(self._create_prefixes()["histories"])
+        response = self._test_get_tags(self._create_prefix("histories"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_create_tag_histories(self):
-        response = self._test_create_tag(self._create_prefixes()["histories"])
+        response = self._test_create_tag(self._create_prefix("histories"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_update_tag_histories(self):
-        response = self._test_update_tag(self._create_prefixes()["histories"])
+        response = self._test_update_tag(self._create_prefix("histories"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_get_tag_histories(self):
-        response = self._test_get_tag(self._create_prefixes()["histories"])
+        response = self._test_get_tag(self._create_prefix("histories"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_delete_tag_histories(self):
-        response = self._test_delete_tag(self._create_prefixes()["histories"])
+        response = self._test_delete_tag(self._create_prefix("histories"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_get_tags_histories_content(self):
-        response = self._test_get_tags(self._create_prefixes()["histories_content"])
+        response = self._test_get_tags(self._create_prefix("histories_content"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_create_tag_histories_content(self):
-        response = self._test_create_tag(self._create_prefixes()["histories_content"])
+        response = self._test_create_tag(self._create_prefix("histories_content"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_update_tag_histories_content(self):
-        response = self._test_update_tag(self._create_prefixes()["histories_content"])
+        response = self._test_update_tag(self._create_prefix("histories_content"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_get_tag_histories_content(self):
-        response = self._test_get_tag(self._create_prefixes()["histories_content"])
+        response = self._test_get_tag(self._create_prefix("histories_content"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
     def test_delete_tag_histories_content(self):
-        response = self._test_delete_tag(self._create_prefixes()["histories_content"])
+        response = self._test_delete_tag(self._create_prefix("histories_content"))
         self._assert_status_code_is(response, 200)
 
-    def _create_prefixes(self):
-        workflow_id = self._create_workflow()
+    def _create_prefix(self, type_: str) -> str:
+        if type_ == "workflows":
+            workflow_id = self._create_workflow()
+            return f"workflows/{workflow_id}"
         history_id = self._create_history()
-        history_content_id = self._create_history_contents(history_id)
-        prefixs = {
-            "workflows": f"workflows/{workflow_id}",
-            "histories": f"histories/{history_id}",
-            "histories_content": f"histories/{history_id}/contents/{history_content_id}",
-        }
-        return prefixs
+        if type_ == "histories":
+            return f"histories/{history_id}"
+        elif type_ == "histories_content":
+            history_content_id = self._create_history_contents(history_id)
+            return f"histories/{history_id}/contents/{history_content_id}"
+        else:
+            raise ValueError(f"Unrecognized type_ {type_}")
 
     def _test_get_tags(self, prefix):
         url = f"{prefix}/tags"
@@ -123,7 +130,7 @@ def _test_delete_tag(self, prefix):
 
     def _create_valid_tag(self, prefix: str):
         url = f"{prefix}/tags/awesometagname"
-        tag_data = dict(value="awesometagvalue")
+        tag_data: Dict[str, Any] = {}  # Can also be dict(value="awesometagvalue")
         response = self._post(url, data=tag_data, json=True)
         return response