diff --git a/alternator/executor.cc b/alternator/executor.cc
index ff1c1d8f24..72ebae65ce 100644
--- a/alternator/executor.cc
+++ b/alternator/executor.cc
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ static void validate_tags(const std::map<sstring, sstring>& tags) {
 // to races during concurrent updates of the same table. Once Scylla schema updates
 // are fixed, this issue will automatically get fixed as well.
 enum class update_tags_action { add_tags, delete_tags };
-static future<> update_tags(const rjson::value& tags, schema_ptr schema, std::map<sstring, sstring>&& tags_map, update_tags_action action) {
+static future<> update_tags(service::migration_manager& mm, const rjson::value& tags, schema_ptr schema, std::map<sstring, sstring>&& tags_map, update_tags_action action) {
     if (action == update_tags_action::add_tags) {
         for (auto it = tags.Begin(); it != tags.End(); ++it) {
             const rjson::value& key = (*it)["Key"];
@@ -592,24 +592,12 @@ static future<> update_tags(const rjson::value& tags, schema_ptr schema, std::ma
     }
     validate_tags(tags_map);
 
-    std::stringstream serialized_tags;
-    serialized_tags << '{';
-    for (auto& tag_entry : tags_map) {
-        serialized_tags << format("'{}':'{}',", tag_entry.first, tag_entry.second);
-    }
-    std::string serialized_tags_str = serialized_tags.str();
-    if (!tags_map.empty()) {
-        serialized_tags_str[serialized_tags_str.size() - 1] = '}'; // trims the last ',' delimiter
-    } else {
-        serialized_tags_str.push_back('}');
-    }
-
-    sstring req = format("ALTER TABLE \"{}\".\"{}\" WITH {} = {}",
-            schema->ks_name(), schema->cf_name(), tags_extension::NAME, serialized_tags_str);
-    return db::execute_cql(std::move(req)).discard_result();
+    schema_builder builder(schema);
+    builder.set_extensions(schema::extensions_map{{sstring(tags_extension::NAME), ::make_shared<tags_extension>(std::move(tags_map))}});
+    return mm.announce_column_family_update(builder.build(), false, std::vector<view_ptr>(), false);
 }
 
-static future<> add_tags(service::storage_proxy& proxy, schema_ptr schema, rjson::value& request_info) {
+static future<> add_tags(service::migration_manager& mm, service::storage_proxy& proxy, schema_ptr schema, rjson::value& request_info) {
     const rjson::value* tags = rjson::find(request_info, "Tags");
     if (!tags || !tags->IsArray()) {
         return make_exception_future<>(api_error("ValidationException", format("Cannot parse tags")));
@@ -619,7 +607,7 @@ static future<> add_tags(service::storage_proxy& proxy, schema_ptr schema, rjson
     }
 
     std::map<sstring, sstring> tags_map = get_tags_of_table(schema);
-    return update_tags(rjson::copy(*tags), schema, std::move(tags_map), update_tags_action::add_tags);
+    return update_tags(mm, rjson::copy(*tags), schema, std::move(tags_map), update_tags_action::add_tags);
 }
 
 future<executor::request_return_type> executor::tag_resource(client_state& client_state, service_permit permit, rjson::value request) {
@@ -631,7 +619,7 @@ future<executor::request_return_type> executor::tag_resource(client_state& clien
             return api_error("AccessDeniedException", "Incorrect resource identifier");
         }
         schema_ptr schema = get_table_from_arn(_proxy, std::string_view(arn->GetString(), arn->GetStringLength()));
-        add_tags(_proxy, schema, request).get();
+        add_tags(_mm, _proxy, schema, request).get();
         return json_string("");
     });
 }
@@ -652,7 +640,7 @@ future<executor::request_return_type> executor::untag_resource(client_state& cli
         schema_ptr schema = get_table_from_arn(_proxy, std::string_view(arn->GetString(), arn->GetStringLength()));
 
         std::map<sstring, sstring> tags_map = get_tags_of_table(schema);
-        update_tags(*tags, schema, std::move(tags_map), update_tags_action::delete_tags).get();
+        update_tags(_mm, *tags, schema, std::move(tags_map), update_tags_action::delete_tags).get();
         return json_string("");
     });
 }
@@ -869,7 +857,7 @@ future<executor::request_return_type> executor::create_table(client_state& clien
             }).then([this, table_info = std::move(table_info), schema] () mutable {
                 future<> f = make_ready_future<>();
                 if (rjson::find(table_info, "Tags")) {
-                    f = add_tags(_proxy, schema, table_info);
+                    f = add_tags(_mm, _proxy, schema, table_info);
                 }
                 return f.then([table_info = std::move(table_info), schema] () mutable {
                     rjson::value status = rjson::empty_object();