diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/pi/runtime/PiCounterId.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/pi/runtime/PiCounterId.java
index dcc7c02..015d86b 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/pi/runtime/PiCounterId.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/pi/runtime/PiCounterId.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 import com.google.common.annotations.Beta;
 import com.google.common.base.Objects;
+import org.onlab.util.Identifier;
 
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkArgument;
 import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;
@@ -26,12 +27,15 @@
  * Identifier of a counter of a protocol-independent pipeline.
  */
 @Beta
-public final class PiCounterId {
+public final class PiCounterId extends Identifier<String> {
 
+    private final String scope;
     private final String name;
     private final PiCounterType type;
 
-    private PiCounterId(String name, PiCounterType type) {
+    private PiCounterId(String scope, String name, PiCounterType type) {
+        super((!scope.isEmpty() ? scope + "." : "") + name);
+        this.scope = scope;
         this.name = name;
         this.type = type;
     }
@@ -47,7 +51,33 @@
         checkNotNull(name);
         checkNotNull(type);
         checkArgument(!name.isEmpty(), "Name can't be empty");
-        return new PiCounterId(name, type);
+        return new PiCounterId("", name, type);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns a counter identifier for the given scope, name, and type.
+     *
+     * @param scope counter scope
+     * @param name  counter name
+     * @param type  counter type
+     * @return counter identifier
+     */
+    public static PiCounterId of(String scope, String name, PiCounterType type) {
+        checkNotNull(scope);
+        checkNotNull(name);
+        checkNotNull(type);
+        checkArgument(!scope.isEmpty(), "Scope can't be empty");
+        checkArgument(!name.isEmpty(), "Name can't be empty");
+        return new PiCounterId(scope, name, type);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the scope of the counter.
+     *
+     * @return counter scope
+     */
+    public String scope() {
+        return this.scope;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -77,17 +107,12 @@
             return false;
         }
         PiCounterId that = (PiCounterId) o;
-        return Objects.equal(name, that.name) &&
+        return Objects.equal(id(), that.id()) &&
                 type == that.type;
     }
 
     @Override
     public int hashCode() {
-        return Objects.hashCode(name, type);
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public String toString() {
-        return type.name().toLowerCase() + ":" + name;
+        return Objects.hashCode(id(), type);
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/pi/runtime/PiHeaderFieldId.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/pi/runtime/PiHeaderFieldId.java
index 6af08ef..99f7e75 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/pi/runtime/PiHeaderFieldId.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/net/pi/runtime/PiHeaderFieldId.java
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@
  */
 public final class PiHeaderFieldId extends Identifier<String> {
 
+    // FIXME: this abstraction is brittle and we should drop any string-composition logic.
+    // e.g. in P4_14 there is no scope for match fields.
+    // In light of ONOS-7066, the best solution seems to have IDs defined as arbitrary
+    // strings equal to the entity names defined in the P4Info.
     private final String headerName;
     private final String fieldName;
     private final int index;