diff --git a/pkg/image/registry/imagerepositorymapping/rest.go b/pkg/image/registry/imagerepositorymapping/rest.go
index e3ee25670245..00de63e1a01b 100644
--- a/pkg/image/registry/imagerepositorymapping/rest.go
+++ b/pkg/image/registry/imagerepositorymapping/rest.go
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ func (s *REST) Create(ctx kapi.Context, obj runtime.Object) (runtime.Object, err
 	}
 	repo.Tags[mapping.Tag] = image.Name
 
-	if err := s.imageRegistry.CreateImage(ctx, &image); err != nil {
+	if err := s.imageRegistry.CreateImage(ctx, &image); err != nil && !errors.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if err := s.imageRepositoryRegistry.UpdateImageRepository(ctx, repo); err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/image/registry/imagerepositorymapping/rest_test.go b/pkg/image/registry/imagerepositorymapping/rest_test.go
index 209c626a3e33..ce1f4057ba75 100644
--- a/pkg/image/registry/imagerepositorymapping/rest_test.go
+++ b/pkg/image/registry/imagerepositorymapping/rest_test.go
@@ -206,3 +206,149 @@ func checkExpectedNamespaceError(t *testing.T, err error) {
 	}
 
 }
+
+func TestAddExistingImageWithNewTag(t *testing.T) {
+	imageRegistry := test.NewImageRegistry()
+	imageRegistry.Err = errors.NewAlreadyExists("image", "existingImage")
+
+	imageRepositoryRegistry := test.NewImageRepositoryRegistry()
+	imageRepositoryRegistry.ImageRepositories = &api.ImageRepositoryList{
+		Items: []api.ImageRepository{
+			{
+				ObjectMeta: kapi.ObjectMeta{
+					Name: "repo1",
+				},
+				DockerImageRepository: "localhost:5000/someproject/somerepo",
+				Tags: map[string]string{
+					"existingTag": "existingImage",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	storage := &REST{imageRegistry, imageRepositoryRegistry}
+
+	mapping := api.ImageRepositoryMapping{
+		DockerImageRepository: "localhost:5000/someproject/somerepo",
+		Image: api.Image{
+			ObjectMeta: kapi.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "existingImage",
+			},
+			DockerImageReference: "localhost:5000/someproject/somerepo:imageID1",
+			DockerImageMetadata: api.DockerImage{
+				Config: api.DockerConfig{
+					Cmd:          []string{"ls", "/"},
+					Env:          []string{"a=1"},
+					ExposedPorts: map[string]struct{}{"1234/tcp": {}},
+					Memory:       1234,
+					CPUShares:    99,
+					WorkingDir:   "/workingDir",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		Tag: "latest",
+	}
+	_, err := storage.Create(kapi.NewDefaultContext(), &mapping)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected error creating mapping: %#v", err)
+	}
+
+	imageRegistry.Err = nil
+
+	image, err := imageRegistry.GetImage(kapi.NewDefaultContext(), "existingImage")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected error retrieving image: %#v", err)
+	}
+	if e, a := mapping.Image.DockerImageReference, image.DockerImageReference; e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %s, got %s", e, a)
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(mapping.Image.DockerImageMetadata, image.DockerImageMetadata) {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %#v, got %#v", mapping.Image, image)
+	}
+
+	repo, err := imageRepositoryRegistry.GetImageRepository(kapi.NewDefaultContext(), "repo1")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected non-nil err: %#v", err)
+	}
+	if repo == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected nil repo")
+	}
+	if len(repo.Tags) != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("Expected 2 tags in repo, got: %v", repo.Tags)
+	}
+	if e, a := "existingImage", repo.Tags["existingTag"]; e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %s, got %s", e, a)
+	}
+	if e, a := "existingImage", repo.Tags["latest"]; e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %s, got %s", e, a)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAddExistingImageAndTag(t *testing.T) {
+	imageRegistry := test.NewImageRegistry()
+	imageRegistry.Err = errors.NewAlreadyExists("image", "existingImage")
+
+	imageRepositoryRegistry := test.NewImageRepositoryRegistry()
+	imageRepositoryRegistry.ImageRepositories = &api.ImageRepositoryList{
+		Items: []api.ImageRepository{
+			{
+				ObjectMeta: kapi.ObjectMeta{
+					Name: "repo1",
+				},
+				DockerImageRepository: "localhost:5000/someproject/somerepo",
+				Tags: map[string]string{
+					"existingTag": "existingImage",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	storage := &REST{imageRegistry, imageRepositoryRegistry}
+
+	mapping := api.ImageRepositoryMapping{
+		DockerImageRepository: "localhost:5000/someproject/somerepo",
+		Image: api.Image{
+			ObjectMeta: kapi.ObjectMeta{
+				Name: "existingImage",
+			},
+			DockerImageReference: "localhost:5000/someproject/somerepo:imageID1",
+			DockerImageMetadata: api.DockerImage{
+				Config: api.DockerConfig{
+					Cmd:          []string{"ls", "/"},
+					Env:          []string{"a=1"},
+					ExposedPorts: map[string]struct{}{"1234/tcp": {}},
+					Memory:       1234,
+					CPUShares:    99,
+					WorkingDir:   "/workingDir",
+				},
+			},
+		},
+		Tag: "existingTag",
+	}
+	_, err := storage.Create(kapi.NewDefaultContext(), &mapping)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected error creating mapping: %#v", err)
+	}
+
+	imageRegistry.Err = nil
+
+	image, err := imageRegistry.GetImage(kapi.NewDefaultContext(), "existingImage")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected error retrieving image: %#v", err)
+	}
+	if e, a := mapping.Image.DockerImageReference, image.DockerImageReference; e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %s, got %s", e, a)
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(mapping.Image.DockerImageMetadata, image.DockerImageMetadata) {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %#v, got %#v", mapping.Image, image)
+	}
+
+	repo, err := imageRepositoryRegistry.GetImageRepository(kapi.NewDefaultContext(), "repo1")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected non-nil err: %#v", err)
+	}
+	if repo == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected nil repo")
+	}
+	if e, a := "existingImage", repo.Tags["existingTag"]; e != a {
+		t.Errorf("Expected %s, got %s", e, a)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/test/integration/imageclient_test.go b/test/integration/imageclient_test.go
index d5b8670d2059..644a22c5848f 100644
--- a/test/integration/imageclient_test.go
+++ b/test/integration/imageclient_test.go
@@ -148,8 +148,15 @@ func TestImageRepositoryMappingCreate(t *testing.T) {
 		Image:      *image,
 	}
 	mapping.Image.DockerImageReference = "different"
-	if err := openshift.Client.ImageRepositoryMappings(testNamespace).Create(mapping); err == nil || !errors.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
-		t.Fatalf("unexpected non-error or type: %v", err)
+	if err := openshift.Client.ImageRepositoryMappings(testNamespace).Create(mapping); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	image, err = openshift.Client.Images(testNamespace).Get(image.Name)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if image.DockerImageReference != "some/other/name" {
+		t.Fatalf("image was unexpectedly mutated: %#v", image)
 	}
 
 	// ensure the correct tags are set
@@ -157,7 +164,7 @@ func TestImageRepositoryMappingCreate(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %v", err)
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(updated.Tags, map[string]string{"newer": "image1"}) {
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(updated.Tags, map[string]string{"newer": "image1", "newest": "image2"}) {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected object: %#v", updated.Tags)
 	}
 
@@ -168,6 +175,56 @@ func TestImageRepositoryMappingCreate(t *testing.T) {
 	if fromTag.Name != "image1" || fromTag.UID == "" || fromTag.DockerImageReference != "some/other/name" {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected object: %#v", fromTag)
 	}
+
+	fromTag, err = openshift.Client.ImageRepositoryTags(testNamespace).Get(repo.Name, "newest")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if fromTag.Name != "image2" || fromTag.UID == "" || fromTag.DockerImageReference != "some/other/name" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected object: %#v", fromTag)
+	}
+
+	// verify that image repository mappings can use the same image for different tags
+	mapping = &imageapi.ImageRepositoryMapping{
+		ObjectMeta: kapi.ObjectMeta{Name: repo.Name},
+		Tag:        "anothertag",
+		Image:      *image,
+	}
+	if err := openshift.Client.ImageRepositoryMappings(testNamespace).Create(mapping); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	// ensure the correct tags are set
+	updated, err = openshift.Client.ImageRepositories(testNamespace).Get(repo.Name)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(updated.Tags, map[string]string{"newer": "image1", "newest": "image2", "anothertag": "image2"}) {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected object: %#v", updated.Tags)
+	}
+
+	fromTag, err = openshift.Client.ImageRepositoryTags(testNamespace).Get(repo.Name, "newer")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if fromTag.Name != "image1" || fromTag.UID == "" || fromTag.DockerImageReference != "some/other/name" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected object: %#v", fromTag)
+	}
+
+	fromTag, err = openshift.Client.ImageRepositoryTags(testNamespace).Get(repo.Name, "newest")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if fromTag.Name != "image2" || fromTag.UID == "" || fromTag.DockerImageReference != "some/other/name" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected object: %#v", fromTag)
+	}
+	fromTag, err = openshift.Client.ImageRepositoryTags(testNamespace).Get(repo.Name, "anothertag")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if fromTag.Name != "image2" || fromTag.UID == "" || fromTag.DockerImageReference != "some/other/name" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected object: %#v", fromTag)
+	}
+
 }
 
 func TestImageRepositoryDelete(t *testing.T) {