diff --git a/src/basic_memory/repository/repository.py b/src/basic_memory/repository/repository.py
index 0b0bb192..381f15c0 100644
--- a/src/basic_memory/repository/repository.py
+++ b/src/basic_memory/repository/repository.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """Base repository implementation."""
 
-from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from datetime import datetime
 from typing import Type, Optional, Any, Sequence, TypeVar, List
 
 from loguru import logger
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ class Repository[T: Base]:
         :param model: the model to add
         :return: the added model instance
         """
-        async with db.scoped_session(self.session_maker) as session:            
+        async with db.scoped_session(self.session_maker) as session:
             session.add(model)
             await session.flush()
 
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ class Repository[T: Base]:
         async with db.scoped_session(self.session_maker) as session:
             # Only include valid columns that are provided in entity_data
             model_data = self.get_model_data(data)
-            model = self.Model(**model_data)            
+            model = self.Model(**model_data)
             session.add(model)
             await session.flush()
 
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ class Repository[T: Base]:
 
             return await self.select_by_ids(session, [model.id for model in model_list])  # pyright: ignore [reportAttributeAccessIssue]
 
-    async def update(self, entity_id: int, entity_data: dict) -> Optional[T]:
+    async def update(self, entity_id: int, entity_data: dict | T) -> Optional[T]:
         """Update an entity with the given data."""
         logger.debug(f"Updating {self.Model.__name__} {entity_id} with data: {entity_data}")
         async with db.scoped_session(self.session_maker) as session:
@@ -219,10 +219,15 @@ class Repository[T: Base]:
                 )
                 entity = result.scalars().one()
 
-                for key, value in entity_data.items():
-                    if key in self.valid_columns:
-                        setattr(entity, key, value)
-                
+                if isinstance(entity_data, dict):
+                    for key, value in entity_data.items():
+                        if key in self.valid_columns:
+                            setattr(entity, key, value)
+                            
+                elif isinstance(entity_data, self.Model):
+                    for column in self.Model.__table__.columns.keys():
+                        setattr(entity, column, getattr(entity_data, column))
+                        
                 await session.flush()  # Make sure changes are flushed
                 await session.refresh(entity)  # Refresh
 
diff --git a/src/basic_memory/services/entity_service.py b/src/basic_memory/services/entity_service.py
index 302d348a..30e2e40b 100644
--- a/src/basic_memory/services/entity_service.py
+++ b/src/basic_memory/services/entity_service.py
@@ -220,9 +220,6 @@ class EntityService(BaseService[EntityModel]):
         # Clear observations for entity
         await self.observation_repository.delete_by_fields(entity_id=db_entity.id)
 
-        # update values from markdown
-        db_entity = entity_model_from_markdown(file_path, markdown, db_entity)
-
         # add new observations
         observations = [
             Observation(
@@ -236,6 +233,9 @@ class EntityService(BaseService[EntityModel]):
         ]
         await self.observation_repository.add_all(observations)
 
+        # update values from markdown
+        db_entity = entity_model_from_markdown(file_path, markdown, db_entity)
+
         # checksum value is None == not finished with sync
         db_entity.checksum = None
         
@@ -243,16 +243,7 @@ class EntityService(BaseService[EntityModel]):
         # checksum value is None == not finished with sync
         return await self.repository.update(
             db_entity.id,
-            {
-                "title": db_entity.title,
-                "entity_type": db_entity.entity_type,
-                "entity_metadata": db_entity.entity_metadata,
-                # TODO redo update, get created, modified from file
-                "created_at": markdown.frontmatter.created,
-                "updated_at": markdown.frontmatter.modified,
-                # Mark as incomplete
-                "checksum": None,
-            },
+            db_entity,
         )
 
     async def update_entity_relations(
diff --git a/tests/repository/test_repository.py b/tests/repository/test_repository.py
index a8685ede..7b4cff72 100644
--- a/tests/repository/test_repository.py
+++ b/tests/repository/test_repository.py
@@ -123,6 +123,36 @@ async def test_delete_by_ids(repository):
     assert await repository.find_by_id(ids_to_delete[2]) is None
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_update(repository):
+    """Test finding entities modified since a timestamp."""
+    # Create initial test data
+    instance = TestModel(id="test_add", name="Test Add")
+    await repository.add(instance)
+
+    instance = TestModel(id="test_add", name="Updated")
+
+    # Find recently modified
+    modified = await repository.update(instance.id, {"name": "Updated"})
+    assert modified is not None
+    assert modified.name == "Updated"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_update_model(repository):
+    """Test finding entities modified since a timestamp."""
+    # Create initial test data
+    instance = TestModel(id="test_add", name="Test Add")
+    await repository.add(instance)
+
+    instance.name = "Updated"
+
+    # Find recently modified
+    modified = await repository.update(instance.id, instance)
+    assert modified is not None
+    assert modified.name == "Updated"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_find_modified_since(repository):
     """Test finding entities modified since a timestamp."""