diff --git a/libs/cypress/e2e/devices/approveEnrollmentRequest.cy.ts b/libs/cypress/e2e/devices/approveEnrollmentRequest.cy.ts
index 8ade7527b..5068144b6 100644
--- a/libs/cypress/e2e/devices/approveEnrollmentRequest.cy.ts
+++ b/libs/cypress/e2e/devices/approveEnrollmentRequest.cy.ts
@@ -25,9 +25,12 @@ describe('Enrollment requests approval', () => {
     approveERModalPage.modalTitle.should('contain.text', 'Approve pending device');
     approveERModalPage.deviceName.should('contain.text', FIRST_PENDING_ENROLLMENT_REQUEST_NAME);
 
-    // Define a new label. The field for adding the new label is focused and can be changed
+    // Define a new label. Format guidance is a placeholder, not an input value.
     approveERModalPage.addNewLabelButton.click();
-    cy.focused().should('have.value', 'key=value').clear().type('this-is-a-test=yes');
+    approveERModalPage.newLabelField
+      .should('have.value', '')
+      .and('have.attr', 'placeholder', 'key=value')
+      .type('this-is-a-test=yes');
 
     // Fill in the rest of the form
     approveERModalPage.deviceAliasField.type('new-device');
diff --git a/libs/cypress/pages/ApproveEnrollmentRequestModalPage.ts b/libs/cypress/pages/ApproveEnrollmentRequestModalPage.ts
index 3a08b842b..88a18648e 100644
--- a/libs/cypress/pages/ApproveEnrollmentRequestModalPage.ts
+++ b/libs/cypress/pages/ApproveEnrollmentRequestModalPage.ts
@@ -19,12 +19,8 @@ export class ApproveEnrollmentRequestModalPage {
     return cy.get('button').contains('Add label');
   }
 
-  get newlyAddedLabelButton() {
-    return cy.get('button').contains('key=value');
-  }
-
   get newLabelField() {
-    return cy.get('#editable-input').should('contain.value', 'key=value');
+    return this.body.get('input[aria-label="New label"]');
   }
 
   get deviceName() {
diff --git a/libs/ui-components/src/components/Device/EditDeviceWizard/steps/SystemdUnitsForm.tsx b/libs/ui-components/src/components/Device/EditDeviceWizard/steps/SystemdUnitsForm.tsx
index 5e3995cbc..0b8b5d456 100644
--- a/libs/ui-components/src/components/Device/EditDeviceWizard/steps/SystemdUnitsForm.tsx
+++ b/libs/ui-components/src/components/Device/EditDeviceWizard/steps/SystemdUnitsForm.tsx
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ const SystemdUnitsForm = () => {
         isEditable
         addLabelControl={
           <EditableLabelControl
-            defaultLabel="name.service"
+            placeholder="name.service"
             addButtonText={t('Add service')}
             onAddLabel={onAdd}
             isEditable
diff --git a/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/OciBaseImagesSection.tsx b/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/OciBaseImagesSection.tsx
index 87caf0142..ab81998da 100644
--- a/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/OciBaseImagesSection.tsx
+++ b/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/OciBaseImagesSection.tsx
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ const TagsField = ({
       <LabelGroup
         numLabels={5}
         isEditable
-        addLabelControl={<EditableLabelControl defaultLabel="tag" addButtonText={t('Add tag')} onAddLabel={onAdd} />}
+        addLabelControl={<EditableLabelControl placeholder="tag" addButtonText={t('Add tag')} onAddLabel={onAdd} />}
       >
         {value?.map((tag, idx) => (
           <Label
diff --git a/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/utils.oci.test.ts b/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/utils.oci.test.ts
index c64ffef9f..7a3648057 100644
--- a/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/utils.oci.test.ts
+++ b/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/utils.oci.test.ts
@@ -220,4 +220,19 @@ describe('OCI repository utils', () => {
     const schema = repositorySchema(t, undefined)(values);
     await expect(schema.validate(values)).rejects.toThrow();
   });
+
+  it('rejects an undefined tag without throwing a runtime error', async () => {
+    const values = getOciFormValues({
+      deltaStorageTarget: false,
+      baseImages: [
+        {
+          displayName: '',
+          imageName: 'my-org/base',
+          tags: [undefined as unknown as string],
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+    const schema = repositorySchema(t, undefined)(values);
+    await expect(schema.validate(values)).rejects.toThrow('The following tags are not valid');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/utils.ts b/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/utils.ts
index 6bcd016e7..8e32ce475 100644
--- a/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/utils.ts
+++ b/libs/ui-components/src/components/Repository/CreateRepository/utils.ts
@@ -949,7 +949,7 @@ export const repositorySchema =
                   .test('invalid-tags', (tags: string[] | undefined, testContext) => {
                     const tagsValidation = (tags || []).reduce(
                       (acc, tag) => {
-                        if (!tag.trim()) {
+                        if (!tag) {
                           acc[tag] = t('Tag is required');
                           return acc;
                         }
diff --git a/libs/ui-components/src/components/common/EditableLabelControl.tsx b/libs/ui-components/src/components/common/EditableLabelControl.tsx
index 863ddf993..7383c00db 100644
--- a/libs/ui-components/src/components/common/EditableLabelControl.tsx
+++ b/libs/ui-components/src/components/common/EditableLabelControl.tsx
@@ -6,14 +6,14 @@ import { useTranslation } from '../../hooks/useTranslation';
 type EditableLabelControlProps = {
   isEditable?: boolean;
   addButtonText?: string;
-  defaultLabel: string;
+  placeholder?: string;
   onAddLabel: (text: string) => void;
   className?: string;
 };
 
 const EditableLabelControl = ({
   addButtonText,
-  defaultLabel,
+  placeholder,
   onAddLabel,
   isEditable = true,
   className,
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ const EditableLabelControl = ({
     <TextInput
       aria-label={t('New label')}
       autoFocus
+      placeholder={placeholder}
       value={label}
       onChange={(ev: React.FormEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
         setLabel(ev.currentTarget.value);
@@ -61,7 +62,6 @@ const EditableLabelControl = ({
       className={className}
       onClick={() => {
         setIsEditing(true);
-        setLabel(defaultLabel);
       }}
     >
       {addButtonText || t('Add label')}
diff --git a/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/LabelsField.tsx b/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/LabelsField.tsx
index 1446203f2..d7e9a5452 100644
--- a/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/LabelsField.tsx
+++ b/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/LabelsField.tsx
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ const LabelsField = ({
           })}
       </LabelGroup>
       <EditableLabelControl
-        defaultLabel="key=value"
+        placeholder="key=value"
         addButtonText={addButtonText}
         onAddLabel={onAdd}
         isEditable={!isLoading}
diff --git a/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/ListItemField.tsx b/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/ListItemField.tsx
index a632015d3..42e506651 100644
--- a/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/ListItemField.tsx
+++ b/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/ListItemField.tsx
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ const ListItemField = ({
         isEditable={!isLoading}
         addLabelControl={
           <EditableLabelControl
-            defaultLabel=""
             addButtonText={addButtonText || t('Add item')}
             onAddLabel={onAdd}
             isEditable={!isLoading}
diff --git a/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/TextListField.tsx b/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/TextListField.tsx
index 28e970eaf..51c843087 100644
--- a/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/TextListField.tsx
+++ b/libs/ui-components/src/components/form/TextListField.tsx
@@ -52,9 +52,7 @@ const TextListField = ({ name, onChangeCallback, addButtonText, helperText }: Te
       <LabelGroup
         numLabels={5}
         isEditable
-        addLabelControl={
-          <EditableLabelControl defaultLabel="" addButtonText={addButtonText} onAddLabel={onAdd} isEditable />
-        }
+        addLabelControl={<EditableLabelControl addButtonText={addButtonText} onAddLabel={onAdd} isEditable />}
       >
         {valueList.map((text, index) => {
           return (