Note types

Note types are reusable templates for note metadata. They build on Properties, but save you from rebuilding the same frontmatter over and over.

Think of a note type as a small schema: a name, an icon, a color, and an ordered set of properties. When you apply it to a note, Octarine adds the right fields and shows the right controls in the properties panel.

Definitions live in {workspace}/.octarine/types.json, so they sync with the rest of your workspace.

Why Use Them

Properties are flexible. Note types make them consistent.

Use note types when a group of notes needs the same structure every time:

• Tasks should always have status, priority, due date, and completion.
• Reading notes should always track source, author, rating, and status.
• Projects should always have owner, stage, start date, and target date.
• People notes might need role, company, last contact, and relationship.
• Recipes might need prep time, cuisine, rating, and dietary tags.

The payoff is small at first and very nice later: views become cleaner, search filters become more reliable, and AI suggestions have a clear schema to fill instead of guessing at property names.

Built-In Types

New workspaces start with three types:

Type	Good for	Typical properties
Task	Work items, errands, follow-ups, bugs	Status, Priority, Due Date, Completed, tags
Reading	Articles, books, papers, videos, saved links	Source, Author, Status, Rating, tags
Project	Projects with owners, dates, and changing status	Status, Owner, Start Date, Target Date, tags

You can keep these as-is, rename their fields, or replace them with types that match how you actually use Octarine.

Practical Examples

Task

Use a task type for anything that needs to move from "not done" to "done" with a bit of extra context.

---
oct.type: task
Status:
  - In Progress
Priority: 2
Due Date: 2026-06-18
Completed: false
tags:
  - launch
---

Good for:

• Follow-ups from meetings.
• Bugs or paper cuts you do not want to lose.
• Personal admin that needs a due date.
• Small project tasks that deserve their own note.

Reading

Use a reading type when you collect source material and want to remember what it was, who made it, and whether it is worth returning to.

---
oct.type: reading
Source: https://example.com/article
Author: Jane Smith
Status:
  - To Summarize
Rating: 4
tags:
  - research
  - product
---

Good for:

• Articles you plan to cite later.
• Books and papers with highlights.
• Videos or talks where the notes matter more than the file itself.
• Source material for a project brief or essay.

Project

Use a project type when a note acts as the central place for a piece of work.

---
oct.type: project
Status:
  - Active
Owner: [[People/Rajat]]
Start Date: 2026-06-01
Target Date: 2026-07-15
tags:
  - product
---

Good for:

• Product features.
• Client work.
• Research efforts.
• Home projects that have enough moving parts to deserve a hub.

People

A custom people type can make personal CRM-style notes much easier to scan.

---
oct.type: person
Company: Acme
Role: Designer
Last Contact: 2026-06-10
Relationship:
  - Collaborator
tags:
  - people
---

Good for:

• Remembering where you met someone.
• Tracking follow-ups.
• Grouping collaborators, customers, sources, or friends.

Decision

A decision type is useful when you want a durable record of why something changed.

---
oct.type: decision
Status:
  - Accepted
Decided On: 2026-06-12
Owner: [[People/Rajat]]
Area:
  - Editor
tags:
  - decision
---

Good for:

• Product decisions.
• Architecture notes.
• Team agreements.
• "Why did we do this?" notes you will thank yourself for later.

Creating And Editing Types

Open workspace Settings -> Note types.

Each type can have:

• A name.
• An icon.
• An accent color.
• A description.
• An ordered list of properties.

Properties can use the same types described in Properties: string, number, date, datetime, checkbox, list, and tags.

When you assign a type, Octarine records it in frontmatter as oct.type. For example, a task note uses oct.type: task and then includes the typed fields below it.

Good Type Design

Start with the notes you already create often. If you cannot name at least five notes that would use a type, it might be too early to formalize it.

Keep fields boring and reusable. Status, Owner, and Due Date will age better than a dozen fields tuned for one unusually specific note.

Prefer list properties when consistency matters. A project status dropdown is easier to filter than five slightly different strings like "Active", "active", "In progress", "Doing", and "currently working".

Use descriptions for fields that AI should fill carefully. A clear description helps Octarine suggest values that match your intent instead of simply guessing from the field name.