Asset bundles

Build reusable hardware kits from existing Layer inventory, preview availability and shortages, and assign serialized devices to a person in one operation.

Asset bundles are reusable hardware-allocation kits. A bundle describes the equipment a person should receive, then Layer matches that request against the serialized devices that are currently available in your inventory.

A bundle never creates synthetic assets. Every successful allocation points to an existing device in Asset inventory.

Use bundles when:

New hires in the same role receive a repeatable hardware kit.
IT needs to see shortages before promising equipment.
An admin wants to review or override the exact devices selected for a person.
A required device is unavailable and the allocation should remain visibly incomplete.

Before you start

You need:

An organization-admin account.
The recipient in your Layer workspace.
Serialized hardware records in an available state.
Enough inventory to satisfy the kit, or a plan for any reported shortages.

Create a bundle

Open asset bundles

Go to Assets → Bundles in the Layer dashboard.

Describe the kit

Create a bundle with a clear role or workflow name, such as “Engineering laptop kit.” Add the hardware requirements that should be matched during allocation.

Mark required and optional items

Required items determine whether the kit is ready to complete. Optional items can be reported as shortages without hiding the rest of the available allocation.

Save the reusable definition

Saving the bundle records the allocation rules. It does not create or reserve any device.

Preview an allocation

Preview the bundle before assigning it. Layer evaluates the kit against inventory that is available at that moment and returns:

The existing devices selected for the recipient.
Required shortages that block a complete allocation.
Optional shortages that do not erase otherwise valid matches.
Any administrator overrides applied to the proposed selection.

Availability is evaluated at preview and assignment time. A device selected in an earlier preview can become unavailable if another workflow assigns it first.

Assign the bundle

Choose the recipient

Select the person who should receive the kit.

Review the proposed devices

Confirm the serialized assets Layer selected. If the interface offers an override, use it to choose a different available device.

Resolve required shortages

Add inventory or adjust the proposed allocation when a required item is unavailable. Layer keeps shortages explicit rather than inventing a placeholder asset.

Assign

Submit the allocation. Layer links the selected existing assets to the recipient and returns the assigned devices, the resulting status, and any remaining shortages.

An allocation with unresolved required inventory can remain a draft. A completed allocation reports the existing assets that were assigned. In both cases, the response keeps shortages visible so an incomplete kit cannot look complete.

What changes in inventory

Bundle assignment changes the ownership state of matched hardware; it does not manufacture new records.

Before assignment	After assignment
A serialized device is available in inventory.	The same device is linked to the selected person.
The bundle contains reusable allocation rules.	The bundle remains reusable for the next recipient.
A required item has no available match.	The shortage remains explicit and the allocation can stay in draft.

To correct a device record, update Asset inventory. To recover equipment from someone who is leaving, use the offboarding workflow.