diff --git a/ecml_tools/create/input.py b/ecml_tools/create/input.py
index 8633da9..0e4902c 100644
--- a/ecml_tools/create/input.py
+++ b/ecml_tools/create/input.py
@@ -688,6 +688,41 @@ def __repr__(self):
         return super().__repr__(content)
 
 
+class IncludeResult(Result):
+    def __init__(self, context, action_path, dates, result, results):
+        super().__init__(context, action_path, dates)
+        # result is the content of the include
+        self.result = result
+        # results is the list of the included results
+        self.results = results
+
+    @cached_property
+    def datasource(self):
+        for i in self.results:
+            # for each include trigger the datasource to be computed
+            # and saved in context but drop it
+            i.datasource
+        # then return the content of the result
+        # which can use the datasources of the included results
+        return self.result.datasource
+
+
+class IncludeAction(ActionWithList):
+    def __init__(self, context, action_path, includes, content):
+        super().__init__(context, ["include"], *includes)
+        self.content = action_factory(content, context, ["input"])
+
+    def select(self, dates):
+        results = [a.select(dates) for a in self.actions]
+        return IncludeResult(
+            self.context,
+            self.action_path,
+            dates,
+            self.content.select(dates),
+            results,
+        )
+
+
 class ConcatAction(Action):
     def __init__(self, context, action_path, *configs):
         super().__init__(context, action_path, *configs)
@@ -745,7 +780,7 @@ def action_factory(config, context, action_path):
     cls = dict(
         date_shift=DateShiftAction,
         # date_filter=DateFilterAction,
-        # include=IncludeAction,
+        include=IncludeAction,
         concat=ConcatAction,
         join=JoinAction,
         pipe=PipeAction,
@@ -811,8 +846,17 @@ def __init__(self, /, order_by, flatten_grid, remapping):
 
 
 class InputBuilder:
-    def __init__(self, config, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, config, include, **kwargs):
         self.kwargs = kwargs
+
+        config = deepcopy(config)
+        if include:
+            config = dict(
+                include=dict(
+                    includes=include,
+                    content=config,
+                )
+            )
         self.config = config
         self.action_path = ["input"]
 
diff --git a/ecml_tools/create/loaders.py b/ecml_tools/create/loaders.py
index d487d9c..a4101ca 100644
--- a/ecml_tools/create/loaders.py
+++ b/ecml_tools/create/loaders.py
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ def build_input(self):
 
         builder = build_input(
             self.main_config.input,
+            include=self.main_config.get("include", {}),
             order_by=self.output.order_by,
             flatten_grid=self.output.flatten_grid,
             remapping=build_remapping(self.output.remapping),
diff --git a/tests/create-include.yaml b/tests/create-include.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad3e53f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/create-include.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+description: "develop version of the dataset for a few days and a few variables, once data on mars is cached it should take a few seconds to generate the dataset"
+dataset_status: testing
+purpose: aifs
+name: test-small
+config_format_version: 2
+
+common:
+  mars_request: &mars_request
+    expver: "0001"
+    class: ea
+    grid: 20./20.
+
+dates:
+  start: 2020-12-30 00:00:00
+  end: 2021-01-03 12:00:00
+  frequency: 12h
+  group_by: monthly
+
+include:
+  - mars:
+      <<: *mars_request
+      param: [2t]
+      levtype: sfc
+      stream: oper
+      type: an
+
+input:
+  constants:
+    template: ${include.0.mars}
+    param:
+      - cos_latitude
+
+output:
+  chunking: { dates: 1, ensembles: 1 }
+  dtype: float32
+  flatten_grid: True
+  order_by: [valid_datetime, param_level, number]
+  remapping:
+    param_level: "{param}_{levelist}"
+  statistics: param_level
+  statistics_end: 2021
diff --git a/tests/create-missing.yaml b/tests/create-missing.yaml
index 61b9d89..8e5b89f 100644
--- a/tests/create-missing.yaml
+++ b/tests/create-missing.yaml
@@ -17,34 +17,19 @@ dates:
   group_by: monthly
   missing: ['2021-01-03 00:00:00']
 
+include:
+  - mars:
+      <<: *mars_request
+      param: [2t]
+      levtype: sfc
+      stream: oper
+      type: an
 
 input:
-  join:
-    - mars:
-        <<: *mars_request
-        param: [2t]
-        levtype: sfc
-        stream: oper
-        type: an
-
-    - mars:
-        <<: *mars_request
-        param: [q, t]
-        levtype: pl
-        level: [50, 100]
-        stream: oper
-        type: an
-
-    - accumulations:
-        <<: *mars_request
-        levtype: sfc
-        param: [cp, tp]
-        # accumulation_period: 6h
-
-    - constants:
-        template: ${input.join.0.mars}
-        param:
-          - cos_latitude
+  constants:
+    template: ${include.0.mars}
+    param:
+      - cos_latitude
 
 output:
   chunking: { dates: 1, ensembles: 1 }