diff --git a/src/basic_memory/cli/commands/tool.py b/src/basic_memory/cli/commands/tool.py
index 54fc51fa..8da155e4 100644
--- a/src/basic_memory/cli/commands/tool.py
+++ b/src/basic_memory/cli/commands/tool.py
@@ -389,28 +389,20 @@ def _plain_search_results(result: dict[str, Any], query: str = "") -> None:
             print(f"    {snippet}")
 
 
-def _plain_read_note(result: dict[str, Any], *, include_frontmatter: bool = False) -> None:
-    """Render read-note as a plain title/permalink header, optional frontmatter, then body."""
-    title = result.get("title", "")
-    permalink = result.get("permalink", "")
-    content = result.get("content", "")
+def _plain_read_note(result: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+    """Render read-note content faithfully: the note body, or the literal file.
 
-    # Trigger: --include-frontmatter makes the API return the literal file
-    # (frontmatter block included) as content.
-    # Why: plain mode should show that file verbatim -- the file's own
-    #      frontmatter already carries title/permalink, so a header line and a
-    #      synthesized key/value block would both duplicate it.
-    # Outcome: with the flag, emit ONLY the file; without it, a title/permalink
-    #      header then the body, trimmed to keep the gap a single blank line.
-    if not include_frontmatter:
-        header = f"{title}  [{permalink}]" if permalink else title
-        print(header)
-        print()
+    Plain mode adds NO decoration: no header line, no synthesized frontmatter
+    block, no placeholder for empty notes. Without --include-frontmatter the
+    API returns the note body; with it, the literal file (frontmatter block
+    included). Either is printed verbatim, trimmed only of the surrounding
+    newline artifacts the API keeps from frontmatter stripping, so the output
+    round-trips (e.g. ``read-note X --plain --include-frontmatter > note.md``).
+    """
+    content = result.get("content", "")
     body = content.strip("\n") if content else ""
     if body:
         print(body)
-    else:
-        print("(no content)")
 
 
 def _plain_build_context(result: dict[str, Any]) -> None:
@@ -679,7 +671,7 @@ def read_note(
         if mode == "json" or isinstance(result, str):
             _print_json(result)
         elif mode == "plain":
-            _plain_read_note(result, include_frontmatter=include_frontmatter)
+            _plain_read_note(result)
         else:
             _display_read_note(result, include_frontmatter=include_frontmatter)
     except ValueError as e:
diff --git a/tests/cli/test_cli_tool_rich_output.py b/tests/cli/test_cli_tool_rich_output.py
index dfbb2b2c..5082b610 100644
--- a/tests/cli/test_cli_tool_rich_output.py
+++ b/tests/cli/test_cli_tool_rich_output.py
@@ -755,19 +755,14 @@ def test_search_notes_plain_empty(mock_mcp):
     return_value=READ_NOTE_RESULT,
 )
 def test_read_note_plain_output(mock_mcp):
-    """read-note --plain emits a header line and the raw markdown body."""
+    """read-note --plain emits the note body faithfully, with no decoration."""
     result = _tty_runner(["tool", "read-note", "test-note", "--plain"])
 
     assert result.exit_code == 0, f"CLI failed: {result.output}"
-    assert "Test Note  [notes/test-note]" in result.output
-    # Raw markdown body, not Rich-rendered
-    assert "# Test Note" in result.output
-    assert "hello world" in result.output
-    # No frontmatter without the flag
-    assert "tags:" not in result.output
-    # Exactly one blank line between header and body: the payload's leading
-    # newline (frontmatter-strip artifact) must not stack with the renderer's.
-    assert "Test Note  [notes/test-note]\n\n# Test Note" in result.output
+    # No synthesized header line -- plain mode is the payload, faithfully.
+    assert "[notes/test-note]" not in result.output
+    # The body verbatim, trimmed of the API's frontmatter-strip newline artifact.
+    assert result.output == "# Test Note\n\nhello world\n"
 
 
 @patch(
@@ -798,11 +793,11 @@ def test_read_note_plain_include_frontmatter(mock_mcp):
     return_value={"title": "", "permalink": "", "content": "", "frontmatter": {}},
 )
 def test_read_note_plain_empty_content(mock_mcp):
-    """read-note --plain handles empty content."""
+    """read-note --plain prints nothing for an empty note (no placeholder)."""
     result = _tty_runner(["tool", "read-note", "empty-note", "--plain"])
 
     assert result.exit_code == 0, f"CLI failed: {result.output}"
-    assert "(no content)" in result.output
+    assert result.output == ""
 
 
 @patch(