diff --git a/src/detect-engine.c b/src/detect-engine.c
index 823bab5b22..1eaa3465c3 100644
--- a/src/detect-engine.c
+++ b/src/detect-engine.c
@@ -1724,6 +1724,16 @@ static int DetectEngineTentantRegisterSelector(enum DetectEngineTenantSelectors
         return -1;
     }
 
+    DetectEngineTenantMapping *m = master->tenant_mapping_list;
+    while (m) {
+        if (m->traffic_id == traffic_id) {
+            SCLogInfo("traffic id already registered");
+            SCMutexUnlock(&master->lock);
+            return -1;
+        }
+        m = m->next;
+    }
+
     DetectEngineTenantMapping *map = SCCalloc(1, sizeof(*map));
     if (map == NULL) {
         SCLogInfo("memory fail");
@@ -1738,6 +1748,7 @@ static int DetectEngineTentantRegisterSelector(enum DetectEngineTenantSelectors
 
     master->tenant_selector = selector;
 
+    SCLogInfo("tenant handler %u %u %u registered", selector, tenant_id, traffic_id);
     SCMutexUnlock(&master->lock);
     return 0;
 }
@@ -1747,6 +1758,12 @@ int DetectEngineTentantRegisterVlanId(uint32_t tenant_id, uint16_t vlan_id)
     return DetectEngineTentantRegisterSelector(TENANT_SELECTOR_VLAN, tenant_id, (uint32_t)vlan_id);
 }
 
+int DetectEngineTentantRegisterPcapFile(uint32_t tenant_id)
+{
+    SCLogInfo("registering %u %d 0", TENANT_SELECTOR_DIRECT, tenant_id);
+    return DetectEngineTentantRegisterSelector(TENANT_SELECTOR_DIRECT, tenant_id, 0);
+}
+
 uint32_t DetectEngineTentantGetIdFromPcap(const void *ctx, const Packet *p)
 {
     return p->pcap_v.tenant_id;
diff --git a/src/detect-engine.h b/src/detect-engine.h
index 76253ab327..e67bc1c7ae 100644
--- a/src/detect-engine.h
+++ b/src/detect-engine.h
@@ -86,6 +86,9 @@ int DetectEngineReloadIsStart(void);
 void DetectEngineReloadSetDone(void);
 int DetectEngineReloadIsDone(void);
 
+int DetectEngineTentantRegisterVlanId(uint32_t tenant_id, uint16_t vlan_id);
+int DetectEngineTentantRegisterPcapFile(uint32_t tenant_id);
+
 /**
  * \brief Registers an app inspection engine.
  *
diff --git a/src/runmode-unix-socket.c b/src/runmode-unix-socket.c
index e4c848ca1e..81b5839b07 100644
--- a/src/runmode-unix-socket.c
+++ b/src/runmode-unix-socket.c
@@ -365,6 +365,8 @@ TmEcode UnixSocketPcapFilesCheck(void *data)
                 PcapFilesFree(cfile);
                 return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
             }
+        } else {
+            SCLogInfo("pcap-file.tenant-id not set");
         }
         this->currentfile = SCStrdup(cfile->filename);
         if (unlikely(this->currentfile == NULL)) {
@@ -425,6 +427,87 @@ void UnixSocketPcapFile(TmEcode tm)
 }
 
 #ifdef BUILD_UNIX_SOCKET
+/**
+ * \brief Command to add a tenant handler
+ *
+ * \param cmd the content of command Arguments as a json_t object
+ * \param answer the json_t object that has to be used to answer
+ * \param data pointer to data defining the context here a PcapCommand::
+ */
+TmEcode UnixSocketRegisterTenantHandler(json_t *cmd, json_t* answer, void *data)
+{
+    const char *htype;
+    json_int_t traffic_id = -1;
+
+    if (!(DetectEngineMultiTenantEnabled())) {
+        SCLogInfo("error: multi-tenant support not enabled");
+        json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("multi-tenant support not enabled"));
+        return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+    }
+
+    /* 1 get tenant id */
+    json_t *jarg = json_object_get(cmd, "id");
+    if (!json_is_integer(jarg)) {
+        SCLogInfo("error: command is not a string");
+        json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("id is not an integer"));
+        return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+    }
+    int tenant_id = json_integer_value(jarg);
+
+    /* 2 get tenant handler type */
+    jarg = json_object_get(cmd, "htype");
+    if (!json_is_string(jarg)) {
+        SCLogInfo("error: command is not a string");
+        json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("command is not a string"));
+        return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+    }
+    htype = json_string_value(jarg);
+
+    SCLogDebug("add-tenant-handler: %d %s", tenant_id, htype);
+
+    /* 3 get optional hargs */
+    json_t *hargs = json_object_get(cmd, "hargs");
+    if (hargs != NULL) {
+        if (!json_is_integer(hargs)) {
+            SCLogInfo("error: hargs not a number");
+            json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("hargs not a number"));
+            return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+        }
+        traffic_id = json_integer_value(hargs);
+    }
+
+    /* 4 add to system */
+    int r = -1;
+    if (strcmp(htype, "pcap") == 0) {
+        r = DetectEngineTentantRegisterPcapFile(tenant_id);
+    } else if (strcmp(htype, "vlan") == 0) {
+        if (traffic_id < 0) {
+            json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("vlan requires argument"));
+            return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+        }
+        if (traffic_id > USHRT_MAX) {
+            json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("vlan argument out of range"));
+            return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+        }
+
+        SCLogInfo("VLAN handler: id %u maps to tenant %u", (uint32_t)traffic_id, tenant_id);
+        r = DetectEngineTentantRegisterVlanId(tenant_id, (uint32_t)traffic_id);
+    }
+    if (r != 0) {
+        json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("handler setup failure"));
+        return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+    }
+
+    if (DetectEngineMTApply() < 0) {
+        json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("couldn't apply settings"));
+        // TODO cleanup
+        return TM_ECODE_FAILED;
+    }
+
+    json_object_set_new(answer, "message", json_string("handler added"));
+    return TM_ECODE_OK;
+}
+
 /**
  * \brief Command to add a tenant
  *
diff --git a/src/runmode-unix-socket.h b/src/runmode-unix-socket.h
index b844c890a6..68e324337c 100644
--- a/src/runmode-unix-socket.h
+++ b/src/runmode-unix-socket.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ int RunModeUnixSocketIsActive(void);
 void UnixSocketPcapFile(TmEcode tm);
 
 #ifdef BUILD_UNIX_SOCKET
+TmEcode UnixSocketRegisterTenantHandler(json_t *cmd, json_t* answer, void *data);
 TmEcode UnixSocketRegisterTenant(json_t *cmd, json_t* answer, void *data);
 TmEcode UnixSocketUnregisterTenant(json_t *cmd, json_t* answer, void *data);
 #endif
diff --git a/src/unix-manager.c b/src/unix-manager.c
index 8bea8c4834..384e590785 100644
--- a/src/unix-manager.c
+++ b/src/unix-manager.c
@@ -899,6 +899,7 @@ static TmEcode UnixManager(ThreadVars *th_v, void *thread_data)
     UnixManagerRegisterCommand("conf-get", UnixManagerConfGetCommand, &command, UNIX_CMD_TAKE_ARGS);
     UnixManagerRegisterCommand("dump-counters", StatsOutputCounterSocket, NULL, 0);
     UnixManagerRegisterCommand("reload-rules", UnixManagerReloadRules, NULL, 0);
+    UnixManagerRegisterCommand("register-tenant-handler", UnixSocketRegisterTenantHandler, &command, UNIX_CMD_TAKE_ARGS);
     UnixManagerRegisterCommand("register-tenant", UnixSocketRegisterTenant, &command, UNIX_CMD_TAKE_ARGS);
     UnixManagerRegisterCommand("unregister-tenant", UnixSocketUnregisterTenant, &command, UNIX_CMD_TAKE_ARGS);