diff --git a/app/controllers/repository_columns_controller.rb b/app/controllers/repository_columns_controller.rb
index aee0b4b7a..b9df94444 100644
--- a/app/controllers/repository_columns_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/repository_columns_controller.rb
@@ -34,6 +34,18 @@ class RepositoryColumnsController < ApplicationController
     raise NotImplementedError
   end
 
+  def describe_all
+    response_json = @repository.repository_columns.map do |column|
+      {
+        id: column.id,
+        name: escape_input(column.name),
+        data_type: column.data_type,
+        items: column.items&.map { |item| { id: item.id, label: escape_input(item.data) } }
+      }
+    end
+    render json: { response: response_json }
+  end
+
   def edit
     render json: {
       html: render_to_string(
@@ -118,7 +130,8 @@ class RepositoryColumnsController < ApplicationController
   end
 
   def load_asset_type_columns
-    render_403 unless can_read_repository?(@repository)
+    render_403 && return unless can_read_repository?(@repository)
+
     @asset_columns = load_asset_columns(search_params[:q])
   end
 
diff --git a/app/models/repository_column.rb b/app/models/repository_column.rb
index 8d5f071a4..16b36d16f 100644
--- a/app/models/repository_column.rb
+++ b/app/models/repository_column.rb
@@ -100,6 +100,11 @@ class RepositoryColumn < ApplicationRecord
     Constants::REPOSITORY_LIST_ITEMS_DELIMITERS_MAP[metadata['delimiter']&.to_sym] || "\n"
   end
 
+  def items
+    items_method_name = "#{data_type.chomp('Value').underscore}_items"
+    __send__(items_method_name) if respond_to?(items_method_name, true)
+  end
+
   private
 
   def repository_list_value_deep_dup(new_column)
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index 6ca4aa9e8..60706a24c 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -584,7 +584,11 @@ Rails.application.routes.draw do
       get :table_toolbar
       get :status
 
-      resources :repository_columns, only: %i(index new edit destroy)
+      resources :repository_columns, only: %i(index new edit destroy) do
+        collection do
+          get :describe_all
+        end
+      end
       resources :repository_rows, only: %i(create show update) do
         collection do
           get :print_modal