diff --git a/web/gui/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ui/impl/TopologyViewMessageHandlerBase.java b/web/gui/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ui/impl/TopologyViewMessageHandlerBase.java
index e6b4ac4..8dbb111 100644
--- a/web/gui/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ui/impl/TopologyViewMessageHandlerBase.java
+++ b/web/gui/src/main/java/org/onosproject/ui/impl/TopologyViewMessageHandlerBase.java
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@
 import org.onosproject.ui.JsonUtils;
 import org.onosproject.ui.UiConnection;
 import org.onosproject.ui.UiMessageHandler;
+import org.onosproject.ui.topo.ButtonDescriptor;
 import org.onosproject.ui.topo.PropertyPanel;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
@@ -107,7 +108,8 @@
 import static org.onosproject.net.link.LinkEvent.Type.LINK_REMOVED;
 import static org.onosproject.ui.impl.TopologyViewMessageHandlerBase.StatsType.FLOW;
 import static org.onosproject.ui.impl.TopologyViewMessageHandlerBase.StatsType.PORT;
-import static org.onosproject.ui.topo.TopoConstants.*;
+import static org.onosproject.ui.topo.TopoConstants.CoreButtons;
+import static org.onosproject.ui.topo.TopoConstants.Properties;
 
 /**
  * Facility for creating messages bound for the topology viewer.
@@ -474,6 +476,7 @@
 
         PropertyPanel pp = new PropertyPanel(title, typeId)
             .id(deviceId.toString())
+
             .addProp(Properties.URI, deviceId.toString())
             .addProp(Properties.VENDOR, device.manufacturer())
             .addProp(Properties.HW_VERSION, device.hwVersion())
@@ -481,14 +484,19 @@
             .addProp(Properties.SERIAL_NUMBER, device.serialNumber())
             .addProp(Properties.PROTOCOL, annot.value(AnnotationKeys.PROTOCOL))
             .addSeparator()
+
             .addProp(Properties.LATITUDE, annot.value(AnnotationKeys.LATITUDE))
             .addProp(Properties.LONGITUDE, annot.value(AnnotationKeys.LONGITUDE))
             .addSeparator()
+
             .addProp(Properties.PORTS, portCount)
             .addProp(Properties.FLOWS, flowCount)
-            .addProp(Properties.TUNNELS, tunnelCount);
+            .addProp(Properties.TUNNELS, tunnelCount)
 
-        // TODO: add button descriptors
+            .addButton(CoreButtons.SHOW_DEVICE_VIEW)
+            .addButton(CoreButtons.SHOW_FLOW_VIEW)
+            .addButton(CoreButtons.SHOW_PORT_VIEW)
+            .addButton(CoreButtons.SHOW_GROUP_VIEW);
 
         return pp;
     }
@@ -862,13 +870,22 @@
         result.set("props", pnode);
 
         ArrayNode buttons = arrayNode();
-        for (PropertyPanel.Button b : pp.buttons()) {
-            buttons.add(b.id());
+        for (ButtonDescriptor b : pp.buttons()) {
+            buttons.add(json(b));
         }
         result.set("buttons", buttons);
         return result;
     }
 
+    // translates the button descriptor into JSON
+    private ObjectNode json(ButtonDescriptor bdesc) {
+        return objectNode()
+                .put("id", bdesc.id())
+                .put("gid", bdesc.glyphId())
+                .put("tt", bdesc.tooltip());
+    }
+
+
     // Produces canonical link key, i.e. one that will match link and its inverse.
     static LinkKey canonicalLinkKey(Link link) {
         String sn = link.src().elementId().toString();
diff --git a/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoOverlay.js b/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoOverlay.js
index 9dddc9b..f2b81f5 100644
--- a/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoOverlay.js
+++ b/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoOverlay.js
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
     var tos = 'TopoOverlayService: ';
 
     // injected refs
-    var $log, fs, gs, wss;
+    var $log, fs, gs, wss, ns;
 
     // internal state
     var overlays = {},
@@ -142,37 +142,53 @@
         }
     }
 
-    // install buttons from the current overlay
-    function installButtons(bids, addFn, data) {
-        if (current) {
-            bids.forEach(function (bid) {
-                var btn = current.buttons[bid],
-                    funcWrap = function () {
-                        btn.cb(data);
-                    };
+    var coreButtonPath = {
+        showDeviceView: 'device',
+        showFlowView: 'flow',
+        showPortView: 'port',
+        showGroupView: 'group'
+    };
 
-                if (btn) {
-                    addFn({
-                        id: current.mkId(bid),
-                        gid: current.mkGid(btn.gid),
-                        cb: funcWrap,
-                        tt: btn.tt
-                    });
-                }
-            });
-        }
+    // install core buttons, and include any additional from the current overlay
+    function installButtons(buttons, addFn, data, devId) {
+
+        angular.forEach(buttons, function (btn) {
+            var path = coreButtonPath[btn.id],
+                _id,
+                _gid,
+                _cb,
+                action;
+
+            if (path) {
+                // core callback function
+                _id = btn.id;
+                _gid = btn.gid;
+                action = function () {
+                    ns.navTo(path, { devId: devId });
+                };
+            } else if (current) {
+                _id = current.mkId(btn.id);
+                _gid = current.mkGid(btn.gid);
+                action = current.buttonActions[btn.id] || function () {};
+            }
+
+            _cb = function () { action(data); };
+
+            addFn({ id: _id, gid: _gid, cb: _cb, tt: btn.tt});
+        });
 
     }
 
     angular.module('ovTopo')
     .factory('TopoOverlayService',
-        ['$log', 'FnService', 'GlyphService', 'WebSocketService',
+        ['$log', 'FnService', 'GlyphService', 'WebSocketService', 'NavService',
 
-        function (_$log_, _fs_, _gs_, _wss_) {
+        function (_$log_, _fs_, _gs_, _wss_, _ns_) {
             $log = _$log_;
             fs = _fs_;
             gs = _gs_;
             wss = _wss_;
+            ns = _ns_;
 
             return {
                 register: register,
diff --git a/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoPanel.js b/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoPanel.js
index 9869f64..7db17f0 100644
--- a/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoPanel.js
+++ b/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoPanel.js
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@
             .select('.actionBtns')
             .append('div')
             .classed('actionBtn', true);
-        bns.button(btnDiv, idDet + o.id, o.gid, o.cb, o.tt);
+        bns.button(btnDiv, idDet + '-' + o.id, o.gid, o.cb, o.tt);
     }
 
     var friendlyIndex = {
diff --git a/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoSelect.js b/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoSelect.js
index c02ef51..fe2f7a1 100644
--- a/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoSelect.js
+++ b/web/gui/src/main/webapp/app/view/topo/topoSelect.js
@@ -229,13 +229,14 @@
     //  Event Handlers
 
     function showDetails(data) {
-        var buttons = fs.isA(data.buttons);
+        var buttons = fs.isA(data.buttons) || [];
 
         // display the data for the single selected node
         tps.displaySingle(data);
 
-        // TODO: use server-side-button-descriptors to add buttons
+        tov.installButtons(buttons, tps.addAction, data, data.props['URI']);
 
+        // TODO: MOVE traffic buttons to the traffic overlay
         // always add the 'show traffic' action
         tps.addAction({
             id: '-sin-rel-traf-btn',
@@ -254,49 +255,6 @@
             });
         }
 
-        // TODO: for now, install overlay buttons here
-        if (buttons) {
-            tov.installButtons(buttons, tps.addAction, data);
-        }
-
-
-        // TODO: have the server return explicit class and ID of each node
-        // for now, we assume the node is a device if it has a URI
-        if ((data.props).hasOwnProperty('URI')) {
-            tps.addAction({
-                id: 'device-table-btn',
-                gid: data.type,
-                cb: function () {
-                    ns.navTo(devPath, { devId: data.props['URI'] });
-                },
-                tt: 'Show device view'
-            });
-            tps.addAction({
-                id: 'flows-table-btn',
-                gid: 'flowTable',
-                cb: function () {
-                    ns.navTo(flowPath, { devId: data.props['URI'] });
-                },
-                tt: 'Show flow view for this device'
-            });
-            tps.addAction({
-                id: 'ports-table-btn',
-                gid: 'portTable',
-                cb: function () {
-                    ns.navTo(portPath, { devId: data.props['URI'] });
-                },
-                tt: 'Show port view for this device'
-            });
-            tps.addAction({
-                id: 'groups-table-btn',
-                gid: 'groupTable',
-                cb: function () {
-                    ns.navTo(groupPath, { devId: data.props['URI'] });
-                },
-                tt: 'Show group view for this device'
-            });
-        }
-
         tps.displaySomething();
     }