fix(core): let edit_note metadata set a note's type

src/basic_memory/man/man3/edit-note(3).md

@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@ permalink, or memory:// URL — there is no fuzzy fallback for edits.
   heading of any level and preserves subsections
 - **metadata** — dict of frontmatter fields merged in alongside any operation;
   given keys overwrite or add, other keys and the body are untouched.
-  `title`, `type`, and `permalink` are ignored; keys cannot be deleted
+  `title` and `permalink` are ignored; `type` is applied like any other
+  frontmatter field; keys cannot be deleted
 - **project** / **project_id** / **workspace** — routing; same semantics as
   [[write-note(3)]]
 

src/basic_memory/mcp/tools/edit_note.py

@@ -437,9 +437,9 @@ async def edit_note(
         metadata: Optional dict of frontmatter fields to merge, independent of `operation`.
             Provided keys overwrite existing frontmatter values (or are added if new);
             unrelated frontmatter keys and the note body are left untouched. Can be
-            combined with any operation in the same call. `title`, `type`, and `permalink`
-            are ignored since those have their own dedicated handling. Key deletion is
-            not supported.
+            combined with any operation in the same call. `title` and `permalink` are
+            ignored since those have their own dedicated handling; `type` is applied like
+            any other frontmatter field. Key deletion is not supported.
         output_format: "text" returns the existing markdown summary. "json" returns
             machine-readable edit metadata.
         context: Optional FastMCP context for performance caching.

src/basic_memory/schemas/request.py

@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ class EditEntityRequest(BaseModel):
     replace_subsections: bool = True
     # Frontmatter fields to merge, independent of `operation` (issue #1011). Set/overwrite
     # semantics: provided keys overwrite existing values, unrelated keys and the body are
-    # untouched. title/type/permalink are ignored — they have their own resolution paths.
+    # untouched. title/permalink are ignored — they have their own resolution paths.
     metadata: Optional[dict[str, Any]] = None
 
     @field_validator("section")

src/basic_memory/services/note_preparation.py

@@ -689,18 +689,20 @@ def apply_edit_operation(
     raise ValueError(f"Unsupported operation: {operation}")
 
 
-# title/type/permalink already have dedicated resolution paths in
-# prepare_edit_entity_content (H1 title reconciliation, permalink resolver). Letting a
-# metadata merge touch them would race with those paths and could be silently reverted.
-_METADATA_IDENTITY_FIELDS = frozenset({"title", "type", "permalink"})
+# title and permalink get reworked after the merge in prepare_edit_entity_content —
+# title by H1 reconciliation, permalink by the collision-suffixing resolver. Either can
+# hand back a value the caller did not ask for, so a metadata merge that set them would
+# be silently reverted. `type` has no such second opinion: prepare_edit_entity_content
+# just reads it back out of the frontmatter, so writing it there is how you set it.
+_METADATA_IDENTITY_FIELDS = frozenset({"title", "permalink"})
 
 
 def _merge_metadata_into_markdown(markdown_content: str, metadata: dict[str, Any]) -> str:
     """Merge caller-supplied fields into a markdown string's YAML frontmatter.
 
-    Identity fields (title/type/permalink) are dropped from the merge; every other key
-    overwrites the existing frontmatter value or is added new. The note body, and any
-    frontmatter keys not present in ``metadata``, are left untouched.
+    Identity fields (title/permalink) are dropped from the merge; every other key,
+    ``type`` included, overwrites the existing frontmatter value or is added new. The
+    note body, and any frontmatter keys not present in ``metadata``, are left untouched.
     """
     null_keys = sorted(key for key, value in metadata.items() if value is None)
     if null_keys:

test-int/mcp/test_edit_note_integration.py

@@ -876,7 +876,7 @@ async def test_edit_note_metadata_merges_frontmatter(mcp_server, app, test_proje
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_edit_note_metadata_ignores_identity_fields(mcp_server, app, test_project):
-    """title/type/permalink in `metadata` are ignored rather than hijacking the note's identity."""
+    """title/permalink in `metadata` are ignored rather than hijacking the note's identity."""
 
     async with Client(mcp_server) as client:
         await client.call_tool(
@@ -898,7 +898,6 @@ async def test_edit_note_metadata_ignores_identity_fields(mcp_server, app, test_
                 "content": "",
                 "metadata": {
                     "title": "Hijacked Title",
-                    "type": "hijacked",
                     "permalink": "hijacked/permalink",
                     "status": "resolved",
                 },
@@ -922,6 +921,52 @@ async def test_edit_note_metadata_ignores_identity_fields(mcp_server, app, test_
         assert "status: draft" not in content
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_edit_note_metadata_sets_note_type(mcp_server, app, test_project):
+    """`type` in `metadata` reaches both the file's frontmatter and the indexed entity."""
+
+    async with Client(mcp_server) as client:
+        await client.call_tool(
+            "write_note",
+            {
+                "project": test_project.name,
+                "title": "Type Change Note",
+                "directory": "tickets",
+                "content": "# Type Change Note\n\nBody.",
+            },
+        )
+
+        await client.call_tool(
+            "edit_note",
+            {
+                "project": test_project.name,
+                "identifier": "tickets/type-change-note",
+                "operation": "append",
+                "content": "",
+                "metadata": {"type": "decision"},
+            },
+        )
+
+        read_result = await client.call_tool(
+            "read_note",
+            {"project": test_project.name, "identifier": "tickets/type-change-note"},
+        )
+        content = read_result.content[0].text
+        assert parse_frontmatter(content)["type"] == "decision"
+        assert "Body." in content
+
+        # The index has to agree with the file, otherwise the note reverts on the next sync.
+        search_result = await client.call_tool(
+            "search_notes",
+            {
+                "project": test_project.name,
+                "query": "Type Change Note",
+                "note_types": ["decision"],
+            },
+        )
+        assert "tickets/type-change-note" in search_result.content[0].text
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_edit_note_metadata_null_values_rejected_before_auto_create(
     mcp_server, app, test_project

tests/services/test_entity_service_prepare.py

@@ -680,6 +680,7 @@ async def test_prepare_edit_entity_content_metadata_ignores_identity_fields(
     entity_service,
     file_service,
 ) -> None:
+    """title and permalink stay under their own resolvers, whatever `metadata` says."""
     created = await entity_service.create_entity(
         EntitySchema(
             title="Metadata Identity Guard",
@@ -697,7 +698,6 @@ async def test_prepare_edit_entity_content_metadata_ignores_identity_fields(
         content="",
         metadata={
             "title": "Hijacked Title",
-            "type": "hijacked",
             "permalink": "hijacked/permalink",
             "status": "resolved",
         },
@@ -709,6 +709,41 @@ async def test_prepare_edit_entity_content_metadata_ignores_identity_fields(
     assert prepared.entity_fields.permalink == created.permalink
     assert prepared_frontmatter["title"] == "Metadata Identity Guard"
     assert prepared_frontmatter["permalink"] == created.permalink
+    # An untouched note type is not collateral damage of the guard above.
+    assert prepared.entity_fields.note_type == "note"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_prepare_edit_entity_content_metadata_sets_note_type(
+    entity_service,
+    file_service,
+) -> None:
+    """`type` is a plain frontmatter field: the merge writes it and the read-back keeps it."""
+    created = await entity_service.create_entity(
+        EntitySchema(
+            title="Metadata Type Change",
+            directory="notes",
+            note_type="note",
+            content="Original body",
+        )
+    )
+
+    current_content = await file_service.read_file_content(created.file_path)
+    prepared = await entity_service.prepare_edit_entity_content(
+        created,
+        current_content,
+        operation="append",
+        content="",
+        metadata={"type": "decision"},
+    )
+
+    prepared_frontmatter = parse_frontmatter(prepared.markdown_content)
+    assert prepared_frontmatter["type"] == "decision"
+    assert prepared.entity_fields.note_type == "decision"
+    # Setting the type is not a license to move the note.
+    assert prepared.entity_fields.title == "Metadata Type Change"
+    assert prepared.entity_fields.permalink == created.permalink
+    assert "Original body" in remove_frontmatter(prepared.markdown_content)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -826,10 +861,22 @@ async def test_prepare_edit_entity_content_metadata_rejects_null_values(
 def test_merge_metadata_into_markdown_identity_only_metadata_is_noop():
     """A merge holding only identity fields must leave the markdown byte-identical."""
     markdown = "---\nstatus: draft\n---\n\nBody  \n"
-    merged = _merge_metadata_into_markdown(markdown, {"title": "X", "type": "y", "permalink": "z"})
+    merged = _merge_metadata_into_markdown(markdown, {"title": "X", "permalink": "z"})
     assert merged == markdown
 
 
+def test_merge_metadata_into_markdown_writes_type():
+    """`type` is merged like any other field, while title and permalink are still dropped."""
+    markdown = "---\ntitle: Keep Me\ntype: note\npermalink: notes/keep-me\n---\n\nBody\n"
+    merged = _merge_metadata_into_markdown(
+        markdown, {"title": "X", "type": "decision", "permalink": "z"}
+    )
+    merged_frontmatter = parse_frontmatter(merged)
+    assert merged_frontmatter["type"] == "decision"
+    assert merged_frontmatter["title"] == "Keep Me"
+    assert merged_frontmatter["permalink"] == "notes/keep-me"
+
+
 def test_merge_metadata_into_markdown_preserves_crlf_body():
     """CRLF notes keep their body when the separator line is dropped for re-dumping."""
     markdown = "---\r\nstatus: draft\r\n---\r\n\r\nBody line\r\n"