diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/app.go b/workspaces/backend/api/app.go
index ef3fe7db..2f76c252 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/app.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/app.go
@@ -17,11 +17,13 @@ limitations under the License.
 package api
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/serializer"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authentication/authenticator"
 	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/authorization/authorizer"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
@@ -35,6 +37,9 @@ const (
 	Version    = "1.0.0"
 	PathPrefix = "/api/v1"
 
+	MediaTypeJson = "application/json"
+	MediaTypeYaml = "application/yaml"
+
 	NamespacePathParam    = "namespace"
 	ResourceNamePathParam = "name"
 
@@ -59,12 +64,13 @@ const (
 )
 
 type App struct {
-	Config       *config.EnvConfig
-	logger       *slog.Logger
-	repositories *repositories.Repositories
-	Scheme       *runtime.Scheme
-	RequestAuthN authenticator.Request
-	RequestAuthZ authorizer.Authorizer
+	Config               *config.EnvConfig
+	logger               *slog.Logger
+	repositories         *repositories.Repositories
+	Scheme               *runtime.Scheme
+	StrictYamlSerializer runtime.Serializer
+	RequestAuthN         authenticator.Request
+	RequestAuthZ         authorizer.Authorizer
 }
 
 // NewApp creates a new instance of the app
@@ -72,13 +78,21 @@ func NewApp(cfg *config.EnvConfig, logger *slog.Logger, cl client.Client, scheme
 
 	// TODO: log the configuration on startup
 
+	// get a serializer for Kubernetes YAML
+	codecFactory := serializer.NewCodecFactory(scheme)
+	yamlSerializerInfo, found := runtime.SerializerInfoForMediaType(codecFactory.SupportedMediaTypes(), runtime.ContentTypeYAML)
+	if !found {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to find Kubernetes serializer for media type: %s", runtime.ContentTypeYAML)
+	}
+
 	app := &App{
-		Config:       cfg,
-		logger:       logger,
-		repositories: repositories.NewRepositories(cl),
-		Scheme:       scheme,
-		RequestAuthN: reqAuthN,
-		RequestAuthZ: reqAuthZ,
+		Config:               cfg,
+		logger:               logger,
+		repositories:         repositories.NewRepositories(cl),
+		Scheme:               scheme,
+		StrictYamlSerializer: yamlSerializerInfo.StrictSerializer,
+		RequestAuthN:         reqAuthN,
+		RequestAuthZ:         reqAuthZ,
 	}
 	return app, nil
 }
@@ -106,6 +120,7 @@ func (a *App) Routes() http.Handler {
 	// workspacekinds
 	router.GET(AllWorkspaceKindsPath, a.GetWorkspaceKindsHandler)
 	router.GET(WorkspaceKindsByNamePath, a.GetWorkspaceKindHandler)
+	router.POST(AllWorkspaceKindsPath, a.CreateWorkspaceKindHandler)
 
 	// swagger
 	router.GET(SwaggerPath, a.GetSwaggerHandler)
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/helpers.go b/workspaces/backend/api/helpers.go
index 0076a060..7583ea70 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/helpers.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/helpers.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package api
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"mime"
 	"net/http"
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ func (a *App) WriteJSON(w http.ResponseWriter, status int, data any, headers htt
 		w.Header()[key] = value
 	}
 
-	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeJson)
 	w.WriteHeader(status)
 	_, err = w.Write(js)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -61,11 +62,21 @@ func (a *App) DecodeJSON(r *http.Request, v any) error {
 	decoder := json.NewDecoder(r.Body)
 	decoder.DisallowUnknownFields()
 	if err := decoder.Decode(v); err != nil {
+		// NOTE: we don't wrap this error so we can unpack it in the caller
+		if a.IsMaxBytesError(err) {
+			return err
+		}
 		return fmt.Errorf("error decoding JSON: %w", err)
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
+// IsMaxBytesError checks if the error is an instance of http.MaxBytesError.
+func (a *App) IsMaxBytesError(err error) bool {
+	var maxBytesError *http.MaxBytesError
+	return errors.As(err, &maxBytesError)
+}
+
 // ValidateContentType validates the Content-Type header of the request.
 // If this method returns false, the request has been handled and the caller should return immediately.
 // If this method returns true, the request has the correct Content-Type.
@@ -94,3 +105,9 @@ func (a *App) LocationGetWorkspace(namespace, name string) string {
 	path = strings.Replace(path, ":"+ResourceNamePathParam, name, 1)
 	return path
 }
+
+// LocationGetWorkspaceKind returns the GET location (HTTP path) for a workspace kind resource.
+func (a *App) LocationGetWorkspaceKind(name string) string {
+	path := strings.Replace(WorkspaceKindsByNamePath, ":"+ResourceNamePathParam, name, 1)
+	return path
+}
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/response_errors.go b/workspaces/backend/api/response_errors.go
index cf7e1dd9..b9aadba3 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/response_errors.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/response_errors.go
@@ -156,6 +156,18 @@ func (a *App) conflictResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, err error
 	a.errorResponse(w, r, httpError)
 }
 
+// HTTP:413
+func (a *App) requestEntityTooLargeResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, err error) {
+	httpError := &HTTPError{
+		StatusCode: http.StatusRequestEntityTooLarge,
+		ErrorResponse: ErrorResponse{
+			Code:    strconv.Itoa(http.StatusRequestEntityTooLarge),
+			Message: err.Error(),
+		},
+	}
+	a.errorResponse(w, r, httpError)
+}
+
 // HTTP:415
 func (a *App) unsupportedMediaTypeResponse(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, err error) {
 	httpError := &HTTPError{
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/suite_test.go b/workspaces/backend/api/suite_test.go
index ad3e518a..ce03bdad 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/suite_test.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/suite_test.go
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@ var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 	By("creating the application")
 	// NOTE: we use the `k8sClient` rather than `k8sManager.GetClient()` to avoid race conditions with the cached client
 	a, err = NewApp(&config.EnvConfig{}, appLogger, k8sClient, k8sManager.GetScheme(), reqAuthN, reqAuthZ)
+	Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 	go func() {
 		defer GinkgoRecover()
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler.go b/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler.go
index c8e0b6af..85bd5a62 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler.go
@@ -18,11 +18,15 @@ package api
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/julienschmidt/httprouter"
 	kubefloworgv1beta1 "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/controller/api/v1beta1"
+	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/validation/field"
 
 	"github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/auth"
@@ -31,6 +35,9 @@ import (
 	repository "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories/workspacekinds"
 )
 
+// TODO: this should wrap the models.WorkspaceKindUpdate once we implement the update handler
+type WorkspaceKindCreateEnvelope Envelope[*models.WorkspaceKind]
+
 type WorkspaceKindListEnvelope Envelope[[]models.WorkspaceKind]
 
 type WorkspaceKindEnvelope Envelope[models.WorkspaceKind]
@@ -123,3 +130,95 @@ func (a *App) GetWorkspaceKindsHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, _
 	responseEnvelope := &WorkspaceKindListEnvelope{Data: workspaceKinds}
 	a.dataResponse(w, r, responseEnvelope)
 }
+
+// CreateWorkspaceKindHandler creates a new workspace kind.
+//
+//	@Summary		Create workspace kind
+//	@Description	Creates a new workspace kind.
+//	@Tags			workspacekinds
+//	@Accept			application/yaml
+//	@Produce		json
+//	@Param			body	body		string					true	"Kubernetes YAML manifest of a WorkspaceKind"
+//	@Success		201		{object}	WorkspaceKindEnvelope	"WorkspaceKind created successfully"
+//	@Failure		400		{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Bad Request."
+//	@Failure		401		{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Unauthorized. Authentication is required."
+//	@Failure		403		{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Forbidden. User does not have permission to create WorkspaceKind."
+//	@Failure		409		{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Conflict. WorkspaceKind with the same name already exists."
+//	@Failure		413		{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Request Entity Too Large. The request body is too large.""
+//	@Failure		415		{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Unsupported Media Type. Content-Type header is not correct."
+//	@Failure		422		{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Unprocessable Entity. Validation error."
+//	@Failure		500		{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Internal server error. An unexpected error occurred on the server."
+//	@Router			/workspacekinds [post]
+func (a *App) CreateWorkspaceKindHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, _ httprouter.Params) {
+
+	// validate the Content-Type header
+	if success := a.ValidateContentType(w, r, MediaTypeYaml); !success {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// decode the request body
+	bodyBytes, err := io.ReadAll(r.Body)
+	if err != nil {
+		if a.IsMaxBytesError(err) {
+			a.requestEntityTooLargeResponse(w, r, err)
+			return
+		}
+		a.badRequestResponse(w, r, err)
+		return
+	}
+	workspaceKind := &kubefloworgv1beta1.WorkspaceKind{}
+	err = runtime.DecodeInto(a.StrictYamlSerializer, bodyBytes, workspaceKind)
+	if err != nil {
+		a.badRequestResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("error decoding request body: %w", err))
+		return
+	}
+
+	// validate the workspace kind
+	// NOTE: we only do basic validation so we know it's safe to send to the Kubernetes API server
+	//       comprehensive validation will be done by Kubernetes
+	// NOTE: checking the name field is non-empty also verifies that the workspace kind is not nil/empty
+	var valErrs field.ErrorList
+	wskNamePath := field.NewPath("metadata", "name")
+	valErrs = append(valErrs, helper.ValidateFieldIsDNS1123Subdomain(wskNamePath, workspaceKind.Name)...)
+	if len(valErrs) > 0 {
+		a.failedValidationResponse(w, r, errMsgRequestBodyInvalid, valErrs, nil)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// =========================== AUTH ===========================
+	authPolicies := []*auth.ResourcePolicy{
+		auth.NewResourcePolicy(
+			auth.ResourceVerbCreate,
+			&kubefloworgv1beta1.WorkspaceKind{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name: workspaceKind.Name,
+				},
+			},
+		),
+	}
+	if success := a.requireAuth(w, r, authPolicies); !success {
+		return
+	}
+	// ============================================================
+
+	createdWorkspaceKind, err := a.repositories.WorkspaceKind.Create(r.Context(), workspaceKind)
+	if err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, repository.ErrWorkspaceKindAlreadyExists) {
+			a.conflictResponse(w, r, err)
+			return
+		}
+		if apierrors.IsInvalid(err) {
+			causes := helper.StatusCausesFromAPIStatus(err)
+			a.failedValidationResponse(w, r, errMsgKubernetesValidation, nil, causes)
+			return
+		}
+		a.serverErrorResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("error creating workspace kind: %w", err))
+		return
+	}
+
+	// calculate the GET location for the created workspace kind (for the Location header)
+	location := a.LocationGetWorkspaceKind(createdWorkspaceKind.Name)
+
+	responseEnvelope := &WorkspaceKindCreateEnvelope{Data: createdWorkspaceKind}
+	a.createdResponse(w, r, responseEnvelope, location)
+}
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler_test.go b/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler_test.go
index f37c58c9..19853676 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler_test.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/workspacekinds_handler_test.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package api
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ import (
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/validation/field"
 
 	models "github.com/kubeflow/notebooks/workspaces/backend/internal/models/workspacekinds"
 )
@@ -254,4 +256,255 @@ var _ = Describe("WorkspaceKinds Handler", func() {
 			Expect(rs.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusNotFound), descUnexpectedHTTPStatus, rr.Body.String())
 		})
 	})
+
+	// NOTE: these tests create and delete resources on the cluster, so cannot be run in parallel.
+	//       therefore, we run them using the `Serial` Ginkgo decorator.
+	Context("when creating a WorkspaceKind", Serial, func() {
+
+		var newWorkspaceKindName = "wsk-create-test"
+		var validYAML []byte
+
+		BeforeEach(func() {
+			validYAML = []byte(fmt.Sprintf(`
+apiVersion: kubeflow.org/v1beta1
+kind: WorkspaceKind
+metadata:
+  name: %s
+spec:
+  spawner:
+    displayName: "JupyterLab Notebook"
+    description: "A Workspace which runs JupyterLab in a Pod"
+    icon:
+      url: "https://jupyter.org/assets/favicons/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png"
+    logo:
+      url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Jupyter_logo.svg"
+  podTemplate:
+    serviceAccount:
+      name: "default-editor"
+    volumeMounts:
+      home: "/home/jovyan"
+    options:
+      imageConfig:
+        spawner:
+          default: "jupyterlab_scipy_190"
+        values:
+          - id: "jupyterlab_scipy_190"
+            spawner:
+              displayName: "jupyter-scipy:v1.9.0"
+              description: "JupyterLab, with SciPy Packages"
+            spec:
+              image: "ghcr.io/kubeflow/kubeflow/notebook-servers/jupyter-scipy:v1.9.0"
+              imagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent"
+              ports:
+                - id: "jupyterlab"
+                  displayName: "JupyterLab"
+                  port: 8888
+                  protocol: "HTTP"
+      podConfig:
+        spawner:
+          default: "tiny_cpu"
+        values:
+          - id: "tiny_cpu"
+            spawner:
+              displayName: "Tiny CPU"
+              description: "Pod with 0.1 CPU, 128 Mb RAM"
+            spec:
+              resources:
+                requests:
+                  cpu: 100m
+                  memory: 128Mi
+`, newWorkspaceKindName))
+		})
+
+		AfterEach(func() {
+			By("cleaning up the created WorkspaceKind")
+			wsk := &kubefloworgv1beta1.WorkspaceKind{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name: newWorkspaceKindName,
+				},
+			}
+			_ = k8sClient.Delete(ctx, wsk)
+		})
+
+		It("should succeed when creating a WorkspaceKind with valid YAML", func() {
+			By("creating the HTTP request")
+			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, bytes.NewReader(validYAML))
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeYaml)
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
+			By("executing CreateWorkspaceKindHandler")
+			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			a.CreateWorkspaceKindHandler(rr, req, httprouter.Params{})
+			rs := rr.Result()
+			defer rs.Body.Close()
+
+			By("verifying the HTTP response status code")
+			Expect(rs.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusCreated), descUnexpectedHTTPStatus, rr.Body.String())
+
+			By("verifying the resource was created in the cluster")
+			createdWsk := &kubefloworgv1beta1.WorkspaceKind{}
+			err = k8sClient.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: newWorkspaceKindName}, createdWsk)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+		})
+
+		It("should fail to create a WorkspaceKind with no name in the YAML", func() {
+			missingNameYAML := []byte(`
+apiVersion: kubeflow.org/v1beta1
+kind: WorkspaceKind
+metadata: {}
+spec:
+  spawner:
+    displayName: "This will fail"`)
+
+			By("creating the HTTP request")
+			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, bytes.NewReader(missingNameYAML))
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeYaml)
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
+			By("executing CreateWorkspaceKindHandler")
+			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			a.CreateWorkspaceKindHandler(rr, req, httprouter.Params{})
+			rs := rr.Result()
+			defer rs.Body.Close()
+
+			By("verifying the HTTP response status code")
+			Expect(rs.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusUnprocessableEntity), descUnexpectedHTTPStatus, rr.Body.String())
+
+			By("decoding the error response")
+			var response ErrorEnvelope
+			err = json.Unmarshal(rr.Body.Bytes(), &response)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			By("verifying the error message indicates a validation failure")
+			Expect(response.Error.Cause.ValidationErrors).To(BeComparableTo(
+				[]ValidationError{
+					{
+						Type:    field.ErrorTypeRequired,
+						Field:   "metadata.name",
+						Message: field.ErrorTypeRequired.String(),
+					},
+				},
+			))
+		})
+
+		It("should fail to create a WorkspaceKind that already exists", func() {
+			By("creating the HTTP request")
+			req1, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, bytes.NewReader(validYAML))
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			req1.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeYaml)
+			req1.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
+			By("executing CreateWorkspaceKindHandler for the first time")
+			rr1 := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			a.CreateWorkspaceKindHandler(rr1, req1, httprouter.Params{})
+			rs1 := rr1.Result()
+			defer rs1.Body.Close()
+
+			By("verifying the HTTP response status code for the first request")
+			Expect(rs1.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusCreated), descUnexpectedHTTPStatus, rr1.Body.String())
+
+			By("creating a second HTTP request")
+			req2, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, bytes.NewReader(validYAML))
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			req2.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeYaml)
+			req2.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
+			By("executing CreateWorkspaceKindHandler for the second time")
+			rr2 := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			a.CreateWorkspaceKindHandler(rr2, req2, httprouter.Params{})
+			rs2 := rr2.Result()
+			defer rs2.Body.Close()
+
+			By("verifying the HTTP response status code for the second request")
+			Expect(rs2.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusConflict), descUnexpectedHTTPStatus, rr1.Body.String())
+		})
+
+		It("should fail when the YAML has the wrong kind", func() {
+			wrongKindYAML := []byte(`
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Pod
+metadata:
+  name: i-am-the-wrong-kind`)
+
+			By("creating the HTTP request")
+			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, bytes.NewReader(wrongKindYAML))
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeYaml)
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
+			By("executing CreateWorkspaceKindHandler")
+			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			a.CreateWorkspaceKindHandler(rr, req, httprouter.Params{})
+			rs := rr.Result()
+			defer rs.Body.Close()
+
+			By("verifying the HTTP response status code")
+			Expect(rs.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusBadRequest), descUnexpectedHTTPStatus, rr.Body.String())
+			Expect(rr.Body.String()).To(ContainSubstring("unable to decode /v1, Kind=Pod into *v1beta1.WorkspaceKind"))
+		})
+
+		It("should fail when the body is not valid YAML", func() {
+			notYAML := []byte(`this is not yaml {`)
+
+			By("creating the HTTP request")
+			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, bytes.NewReader(notYAML))
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeYaml)
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
+			By("executing CreateWorkspaceKindHandler")
+			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			a.CreateWorkspaceKindHandler(rr, req, httprouter.Params{})
+			rs := rr.Result()
+			defer rs.Body.Close()
+
+			By("verifying the HTTP response status code")
+			Expect(rs.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusBadRequest), descUnexpectedHTTPStatus, rr.Body.String())
+
+			By("decoding the error response")
+			var response ErrorEnvelope
+			err = json.Unmarshal(rr.Body.Bytes(), &response)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			By("verifying the error message indicates a decoding failure")
+			Expect(response.Error.Message).To(ContainSubstring("error decoding request body: couldn't get version/kind; json parse error"))
+		})
+
+		It("should fail for an empty YAML object", func() {
+			invalidYAML := []byte("{}")
+
+			By("creating the HTTP request")
+			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, AllWorkspaceKindsPath, bytes.NewReader(invalidYAML))
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeYaml)
+			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
+
+			By("executing the CreateWorkspaceKindHandler")
+			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			a.CreateWorkspaceKindHandler(rr, req, httprouter.Params{})
+			rs := rr.Result()
+			defer rs.Body.Close()
+
+			By("verifying the HTTP response status code")
+			Expect(rs.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusUnprocessableEntity), descUnexpectedHTTPStatus, rr.Body.String())
+
+			By("decoding the error response")
+			var response ErrorEnvelope
+			err = json.Unmarshal(rr.Body.Bytes(), &response)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			By("verifying the error message indicates a validation failure")
+			Expect(response.Error.Cause.ValidationErrors).To(BeComparableTo(
+				[]ValidationError{
+					{
+						Type:    field.ErrorTypeRequired,
+						Field:   "metadata.name",
+						Message: field.ErrorTypeRequired.String(),
+					},
+				},
+			))
+		})
+	})
 })
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler.go b/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler.go
index 2cf909fd..97354b12 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler.go
@@ -176,6 +176,8 @@ func (a *App) GetWorkspacesHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps ht
 //	@Failure		401			{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Unauthorized. Authentication is required."
 //	@Failure		403			{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Forbidden. User does not have permission to create workspace."
 //	@Failure		409			{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Conflict. Workspace with the same name already exists."
+//	@Failure		413			{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Request Entity Too Large. The request body is too large."
+//	@Failure		415			{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Unsupported Media Type. Content-Type header is not correct."
 //	@Failure		500			{object}	ErrorEnvelope			"Internal server error. An unexpected error occurred on the server."
 //	@Router			/workspaces/{namespace} [post]
 func (a *App) CreateWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps httprouter.Params) {
@@ -190,7 +192,7 @@ func (a *App) CreateWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps
 	}
 
 	// validate the Content-Type header
-	if success := a.ValidateContentType(w, r, "application/json"); !success {
+	if success := a.ValidateContentType(w, r, MediaTypeJson); !success {
 		return
 	}
 
@@ -198,6 +200,10 @@ func (a *App) CreateWorkspaceHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, ps
 	bodyEnvelope := &WorkspaceCreateEnvelope{}
 	err := a.DecodeJSON(r, bodyEnvelope)
 	if err != nil {
+		if a.IsMaxBytesError(err) {
+			a.requestEntityTooLargeResponse(w, r, err)
+			return
+		}
 		a.badRequestResponse(w, r, fmt.Errorf("error decoding request body: %w", err))
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler_test.go b/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler_test.go
index 179b91b8..10f1b445 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler_test.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/api/workspaces_handler_test.go
@@ -729,7 +729,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			path := strings.Replace(WorkspacesByNamespacePath, ":"+NamespacePathParam, namespaceNameCrud, 1)
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, path, strings.NewReader(string(bodyEnvelopeJSON)))
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeJson)
 
 			By("setting the auth headers")
 			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
@@ -845,7 +845,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Workspaces Handler", func() {
 			path := strings.Replace(WorkspacesByNamespacePath, ":"+NamespacePathParam, namespaceNameCrud, 1)
 			req, err := http.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, path, strings.NewReader(string(bodyEnvelopeJSON)))
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
-			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+			req.Header.Set("Content-Type", MediaTypeJson)
 			req.Header.Set(userIdHeader, adminUser)
 
 			rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories/workspacekinds/repo.go b/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories/workspacekinds/repo.go
index 3796e297..02cd208b 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories/workspacekinds/repo.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/internal/repositories/workspacekinds/repo.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 var ErrWorkspaceKindNotFound = errors.New("workspace kind not found")
+var ErrWorkspaceKindAlreadyExists = errors.New("workspacekind already exists")
 
 type WorkspaceKindRepository struct {
 	client client.Client
@@ -68,3 +69,26 @@ func (r *WorkspaceKindRepository) GetWorkspaceKinds(ctx context.Context) ([]mode
 
 	return workspaceKindsModels, nil
 }
+
+func (r *WorkspaceKindRepository) Create(ctx context.Context, workspaceKind *kubefloworgv1beta1.WorkspaceKind) (*models.WorkspaceKind, error) {
+	// create workspace kind
+	if err := r.client.Create(ctx, workspaceKind); err != nil {
+		if apierrors.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
+			return nil, ErrWorkspaceKindAlreadyExists
+		}
+		if apierrors.IsInvalid(err) {
+			// NOTE: we don't wrap this error so we can unpack it in the caller
+			//       and extract the validation errors returned by the Kubernetes API server
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// convert the created workspace to a WorkspaceKindUpdate model
+	//
+	// TODO: this function should return the WorkspaceKindUpdate model, once the update WSK api is implemented
+	//
+	createdWorkspaceKindModel := models.NewWorkspaceKindModelFromWorkspaceKind(workspaceKind)
+
+	return &createdWorkspaceKindModel, nil
+}
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/openapi/docs.go b/workspaces/backend/openapi/docs.go
index e0fc73e4..ba09bcc6 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/openapi/docs.go
+++ b/workspaces/backend/openapi/docs.go
@@ -122,6 +122,86 @@ const docTemplate = `{
                         }
                     }
                 }
+            },
+            "post": {
+                "description": "Creates a new workspace kind.",
+                "consumes": [
+                    "application/yaml"
+                ],
+                "produces": [
+                    "application/json"
+                ],
+                "tags": [
+                    "workspacekinds"
+                ],
+                "summary": "Create workspace kind",
+                "parameters": [
+                    {
+                        "description": "Kubernetes YAML manifest of a WorkspaceKind",
+                        "name": "body",
+                        "in": "body",
+                        "required": true,
+                        "schema": {
+                            "type": "string"
+                        }
+                    }
+                ],
+                "responses": {
+                    "201": {
+                        "description": "WorkspaceKind created successfully",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.WorkspaceKindEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "400": {
+                        "description": "Bad Request.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "401": {
+                        "description": "Unauthorized. Authentication is required.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "403": {
+                        "description": "Forbidden. User does not have permission to create WorkspaceKind.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "409": {
+                        "description": "Conflict. WorkspaceKind with the same name already exists.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "413": {
+                        "description": "Request Entity Too Large. The request body is too large.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "415": {
+                        "description": "Unsupported Media Type. Content-Type header is not correct.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "422": {
+                        "description": "Unprocessable Entity. Validation error.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "500": {
+                        "description": "Internal server error. An unexpected error occurred on the server.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
             }
         },
         "/workspacekinds/{name}": {
@@ -352,6 +432,18 @@ const docTemplate = `{
                             "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
                         }
                     },
+                    "413": {
+                        "description": "Request Entity Too Large. The request body is too large.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "415": {
+                        "description": "Unsupported Media Type. Content-Type header is not correct.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
                     "500": {
                         "description": "Internal server error. An unexpected error occurred on the server.",
                         "schema": {
diff --git a/workspaces/backend/openapi/swagger.json b/workspaces/backend/openapi/swagger.json
index 4f9fdeff..31c2b554 100644
--- a/workspaces/backend/openapi/swagger.json
+++ b/workspaces/backend/openapi/swagger.json
@@ -120,6 +120,86 @@
                         }
                     }
                 }
+            },
+            "post": {
+                "description": "Creates a new workspace kind.",
+                "consumes": [
+                    "application/yaml"
+                ],
+                "produces": [
+                    "application/json"
+                ],
+                "tags": [
+                    "workspacekinds"
+                ],
+                "summary": "Create workspace kind",
+                "parameters": [
+                    {
+                        "description": "Kubernetes YAML manifest of a WorkspaceKind",
+                        "name": "body",
+                        "in": "body",
+                        "required": true,
+                        "schema": {
+                            "type": "string"
+                        }
+                    }
+                ],
+                "responses": {
+                    "201": {
+                        "description": "WorkspaceKind created successfully",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.WorkspaceKindEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "400": {
+                        "description": "Bad Request.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "401": {
+                        "description": "Unauthorized. Authentication is required.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "403": {
+                        "description": "Forbidden. User does not have permission to create WorkspaceKind.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "409": {
+                        "description": "Conflict. WorkspaceKind with the same name already exists.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "413": {
+                        "description": "Request Entity Too Large. The request body is too large.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "415": {
+                        "description": "Unsupported Media Type. Content-Type header is not correct.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "422": {
+                        "description": "Unprocessable Entity. Validation error.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "500": {
+                        "description": "Internal server error. An unexpected error occurred on the server.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
             }
         },
         "/workspacekinds/{name}": {
@@ -350,6 +430,18 @@
                             "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
                         }
                     },
+                    "413": {
+                        "description": "Request Entity Too Large. The request body is too large.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "415": {
+                        "description": "Unsupported Media Type. Content-Type header is not correct.",
+                        "schema": {
+                            "$ref": "#/definitions/api.ErrorEnvelope"
+                        }
+                    },
                     "500": {
                         "description": "Internal server error. An unexpected error occurred on the server.",
                         "schema": {