chore: update version to 0.14.0 for v0.14.0 release

Add detailed changelog for v0.14.0 release including:
- Docker Container Registry migration to GitHub Container Registry
- Enhanced search documentation with comprehensive syntax examples
- Cross-project file management with intelligent boundary detection
- 8 major bug fixes with issue numbers and commit links
- Technical improvements and infrastructure enhancements
- Migration guide and installation instructions

Covers all changes since v0.13.7 with proper categorization and
user-facing descriptions for better release communication.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
Signed-off-by: phernandez <paul@basicmachines.co>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,56 +1,138 @@
 # CHANGELOG
 
-## v0.13.8 (2025-06-20)
+## v0.14.0 (2025-06-26)
 
 ### Features
 
-- **Docker Container Support** - Complete Docker integration with volume mounting for Obsidian directories
-  ([`3269a2f`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/3269a2f33a7595f6d9e5207924062e2542f46759))
-  - Docker Compose configuration for easy deployment
-  - Volume mounting for persistent data and Obsidian integration
-  - Comprehensive Docker documentation and setup guides
-  - Streamlined container-based workflow
+- **Docker Container Registry Migration** - Switch from Docker Hub to GitHub Container Registry for better security and integration  
+  ([`616c1f0`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/616c1f0710da59c7098a5f4843d4f017877ff7b2))
+  - Automated Docker image publishing via GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline
+  - Enhanced container security with GitHub's integrated vulnerability scanning
+  - Streamlined container deployment workflow for production environments
+
+- **Enhanced Search Documentation** - Comprehensive search syntax examples for improved user experience
+  ([`a589f8b`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/a589f8b894e78cce01eb25656856cfea8785fbbf))
+  - Detailed examples for Boolean search operators (AND, OR, NOT)
+  - Advanced search patterns including phrase matching and field-specific queries
+  - User-friendly documentation for complex search scenarios
+
+- **Cross-Project File Management** - Intelligent move operations with project boundary detection
+  ([`db5ef7d`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/db5ef7d35cc0894309c7a57b5741c9dd978526d4))
+  - Automatic detection of cross-project move attempts with helpful guidance
+  - Clear error messages when attempting unsupported cross-project operations
 
 ### Bug Fixes
 
-- **#151**: Fix reset command project configuration persistence issue
-  ([`af44941`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/af44941d5aa57b5ad7fcc6af4ed700f49bdb6d4d))
-  - Reset command now properly clears project configuration from `~/.basic-memory/config.json`
-  - Eliminates issue where projects would be recreated after database reset
-  - Ensures clean slate when resetting Basic Memory installation
+- **#184**: Preserve permalinks when editing notes without frontmatter permalinks
+  ([`c2f4b63`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/c2f4b632cf04921b1a3c2f0d43831b80c519cb31))
+  - Fix permalink preservation during note editing operations
+  - Ensure consistent permalink handling across different note formats
+  - Maintain note identity and searchability during incremental edits
 
-- **#148**: Resolve project state inconsistency between MCP and CLI
-  ([`35e4f73`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/35e4f73ae8a65501da4d48258ed702f957184c92))
-  - Fix "Project not found" errors when switching default projects
-  - MCP session now automatically refreshes when project configuration changes
-  - Eliminates need to restart MCP server after project operations
-  - Ensures consistent project state across CLI and MCP interfaces
+- **#183**: Implement project-specific sync status checks for MCP tools
+  ([`12b5152`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/12b51522bc953fca117fc5bc01fcb29c6ca7e13c))
+  - Fix sync status reporting to correctly reflect current project state
+  - Resolve inconsistencies where sync status showed global instead of project-specific information
+  - Improve project isolation for sync operations and status reporting
 
-- **FastMCP Compatibility** - Resolve deprecation warnings for FastMCP integration
-  ([`7be001c`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/7be001ca6834b3344bb6160cbe537b36bcbaa579))
-  - Update FastMCP usage patterns to eliminate deprecation warnings
-  - Improve future compatibility with FastMCP library updates
-  - Clean up entity repository and service layer code
+- **#180**: Handle Boolean search syntax with hyphenated terms
+  ([`546e3cd`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/546e3cd8db98b74f746749d41887f8a213cd0b11))
+  - Fix search parsing issues with hyphenated terms in Boolean queries
+  - Improve search query tokenization for complex term structures
+  - Enhanced search reliability for technical documentation and multi-word concepts
+
+- **#174**: Respect BASIC_MEMORY_HOME environment variable in Docker containers
+  ([`9f1db23`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/9f1db23c78d4648e2c242ad1ee27eed85e3f3b5d))
+  - Fix Docker container configuration to properly honor custom home directory settings
+  - Improve containerized deployment flexibility with environment variable support
+  - Ensure consistent behavior between local and containerized installations
+
+- **#168**: Scope entity queries by project_id in upsert_entity method
+  ([`2a3adc1`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/2a3adc109a3e4d7ccd65cae4abf63d9bb2338326))
+  - Fix entity isolation issues in multi-project setups
+  - Prevent cross-project entity conflicts during database operations
+  - Strengthen project boundary enforcement at the database level
+
+- **#166**: Handle None from_entity in Context API RelationSummary
+  ([`8a065c3`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/8a065c32f4e41613207d29aafc952a56e3a52241))
+  - Fix null pointer exceptions in relation processing
+  - Improve error handling for incomplete relation data
+  - Enhanced stability for knowledge graph traversal operations
+
+- **#164**: Remove log level configuration from mcp_server.run()
+  ([`224e4bf`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/224e4bf9e4438c44a82ffc21bd1a282fe9087690))
+  - Simplify MCP server startup by removing redundant log level settings
+  - Fix potential logging configuration conflicts
+  - Streamline server initialization process
+
+- **#162**: Ensure permalinks are generated for entities with null permalinks during move operations
+  ([`f506507`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/f50650763dbd4322c132e4bdc959ce4bf074374b))
+  - Fix move operations for entities without existing permalinks
+  - Automatic permalink generation during file move operations
+  - Maintain database consistency during file reorganization
 
 ### Technical Improvements
 
-- **Comprehensive Integration Testing** - New test suites for critical user workflows
-  - Full integration tests for database reset functionality
-  - End-to-end project state synchronization testing
-  - Real MCP client-server communication validation
-  - Direct config file validation without complex mocking
+- **Comprehensive Test Coverage** - Extensive test suites for new features and edge cases
+  - Enhanced test coverage for project-specific sync status functionality
+  - Additional test scenarios for search syntax validation and edge cases
+  - Integration tests for Docker CI workflow and container publishing
+  - Comprehensive move operations testing with project boundary validation
 
-- **Code Quality** - Enhanced error handling and validation
-  - Improved project state management across system components
-  - Better session refresh patterns for configuration changes
-  - Streamlined Docker setup with reduced image size
+- **Docker CI/CD Pipeline** - Production-ready automated container publishing
+  ([`74847cc`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/74847cc3807b0c6ed511e0d83e0d560e9f07ec44))
+  - Automated Docker image building and publishing on release
+  - Multi-architecture container support for AMD64 and ARM64 platforms
+  - Integrated security scanning and vulnerability assessments
+  - Streamlined deployment pipeline for production environments
 
-### Documentation
+- **Release Process Improvements** - Enhanced automation and quality gates
+  ([`a52ce1c`](https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory/commit/a52ce1c8605ec2cd450d1f909154172cbc30faa2))
+  - Homebrew formula updates limited to stable releases only
+  - Improved release automation with better quality control
+  - Enhanced CI/CD pipeline reliability and error handling
 
-- **Docker Integration Guide** - Complete documentation for container deployment
-  - Step-by-step Docker Compose setup instructions
-  - Volume mounting configuration for Obsidian workflows
-  - Container-based development environment setup
+- **Code Quality Enhancements** - Improved error handling and validation
+  - Better null safety in entity and relation processing
+  - Enhanced project isolation validation throughout the codebase
+  - Improved error messages and user guidance for edge cases
+  - Strengthened database consistency guarantees across operations
+
+### Infrastructure
+
+- **GitHub Container Registry Integration** - Modern container infrastructure
+  - Migration from Docker Hub to GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io)
+  - Improved security with integrated vulnerability scanning
+  - Better integration with GitHub-based development workflow
+  - Enhanced container versioning and artifact management
+
+- **Enhanced CI/CD Workflows** - Robust automated testing and deployment
+  - Automated Docker image publishing on releases
+  - Comprehensive test coverage validation before deployment
+  - Multi-platform container building and publishing
+  - Integration with GitHub's security and monitoring tools
+
+### Migration Guide
+
+This release includes several behind-the-scenes improvements and fixes. All changes are backward compatible:
+
+- **Docker Users**: Container images now served from `ghcr.io/basicmachines-co/basic-memory` instead of Docker Hub
+- **Search Users**: Enhanced search syntax handling - existing queries continue to work unchanged
+- **Multi-Project Users**: Improved project isolation - all existing projects remain fully functional
+- **All Users**: Enhanced stability and error handling - no breaking changes to existing workflows
+
+### Installation
+
+```bash
+# Latest stable release
+uv tool install basic-memory
+
+# Update existing installation  
+uv tool upgrade basic-memory
+
+# Docker (new registry)
+docker pull ghcr.io/basicmachines-co/basic-memory:latest
+```
 
 ## v0.13.7 (2025-06-19)
 

src/basic_memory/__init__.py

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """basic-memory - Local-first knowledge management combining Zettelkasten with knowledge graphs"""
 
 # Package version - updated by release automation
-__version__ = "0.14.0b1"
+__version__ = "0.14.0"
 
 # API version for FastAPI - independent of package version
 __api_version__ = "v0"

src/basic_memory/markdown/utils.py

@@ -38,7 +38,9 @@ def entity_model_from_markdown(
     # Update basic fields
     model.title = markdown.frontmatter.title
     model.entity_type = markdown.frontmatter.type
-    model.permalink = markdown.frontmatter.permalink
+    # Only update permalink if it exists in frontmatter, otherwise preserve existing
+    if markdown.frontmatter.permalink is not None:
+        model.permalink = markdown.frontmatter.permalink
     model.file_path = str(file_path)
     model.content_type = "text/markdown"
     model.created_at = markdown.created

src/basic_memory/mcp/tools/search.py

@@ -45,13 +45,18 @@ def _format_search_error_response(error_message: str, query: str, search_type: s
             - Boolean OR: `meeting OR discussion`
             - Boolean NOT: `project NOT archived`
             - Grouped: `(project OR planning) AND notes`
+            - Exact phrases: `"weekly standup meeting"`
+            - Content-specific: `tag:example` or `category:observation`
 
             ## Try again with:
             ```
-            search_notes("INSERT_CLEAN_QUERY_HERE")
+            search_notes("{clean_query}")
             ```
 
-            Replace INSERT_CLEAN_QUERY_HERE with your simplified search terms.
+            ## Alternative search strategies:
+            - Break into simpler terms: `search_notes("{' '.join(clean_query.split()[:2])}")`
+            - Try different search types: `search_notes("{clean_query}", search_type="title")`
+            - Use filtering: `search_notes("{clean_query}", types=["entity"])`
             """).strip()
 
     # Project not found errors (check before general "not found")
@@ -85,24 +90,39 @@ def _format_search_error_response(error_message: str, query: str, search_type: s
 
             No content found matching '{query}' in the current project.
 
-            ## Suggestions to try:
+            ## Search strategy suggestions:
             1. **Broaden your search**: Try fewer or more general terms
                - Instead of: `{query}`
                - Try: `{simplified_query}`
 
-            2. **Check spelling**: Verify terms are spelled correctly
-            3. **Try different search types**:
-               - Text search: `search_notes("{query}", search_type="text")`
-               - Title search: `search_notes("{query}", search_type="title")`
-               - Permalink search: `search_notes("{query}", search_type="permalink")`
+            2. **Check spelling and try variations**:
+               - Verify terms are spelled correctly
+               - Try synonyms or related terms
 
-            4. **Use boolean operators**:
-               - Try OR search for broader results
+            3. **Use different search approaches**:
+               - **Text search**: `search_notes("{query}", search_type="text")` (searches full content)
+               - **Title search**: `search_notes("{query}", search_type="title")` (searches only titles)
+               - **Permalink search**: `search_notes("{query}", search_type="permalink")` (searches file paths)
 
-            ## Check what content exists:
-            - Recent activity: `recent_activity(timeframe="7d")`
-            - List files: `list_directory("/")`
-            - Browse by folder: `list_directory("/notes")` or `list_directory("/docs")`
+            4. **Try boolean operators for broader results**:
+               - OR search: `search_notes("{' OR '.join(query.split()[:3])}")`
+               - Remove restrictive terms: Focus on the most important keywords
+
+            5. **Use filtering to narrow scope**:
+               - By content type: `search_notes("{query}", types=["entity"])`
+               - By recent content: `search_notes("{query}", after_date="1 week")`
+               - By entity type: `search_notes("{query}", entity_types=["observation"])`
+
+            6. **Try advanced search patterns**:
+               - Tag search: `search_notes("tag:your-tag")`
+               - Category search: `search_notes("category:observation")`
+               - Pattern matching: `search_notes("*{query}*", search_type="permalink")`
+
+            ## Explore what content exists:
+            - **Recent activity**: `recent_activity(timeframe="7d")` - See what's been updated recently
+            - **List directories**: `list_directory("/")` - Browse all content
+            - **Browse by folder**: `list_directory("/notes")` or `list_directory("/docs")`
+            - **Check project**: `get_current_project()` - Verify you're in the right project
             """).strip()
 
     # Server/API errors
@@ -151,25 +171,36 @@ You don't have permission to search in the current project: {error_message}
 
 Error searching for '{query}': {error_message}
 
-## General troubleshooting:
-1. **Check your query**: Ensure it uses valid search syntax
-2. **Try simpler terms**: Use basic words without special characters
+## Troubleshooting steps:
+1. **Simplify your query**: Try basic words without special characters
+2. **Check search syntax**: Ensure boolean operators are correctly formatted
 3. **Verify project access**: Make sure you can access the current project
-4. **Check recent activity**: `recent_activity(timeframe="7d")` to see if content exists
+4. **Test with simple search**: Try `search_notes("test")` to verify search is working
 
-## Alternative approaches:
-- Browse files: `list_directory("/")`
-- Try different search type: `search_notes("{query}", search_type="title")`
-- Search with filters: `search_notes("{query}", types=["entity"])`
+## Alternative search approaches:
+- **Different search types**: 
+  - Title only: `search_notes("{query}", search_type="title")`
+  - Permalink patterns: `search_notes("{query}*", search_type="permalink")`
+- **With filters**: `search_notes("{query}", types=["entity"])`
+- **Recent content**: `search_notes("{query}", after_date="1 week")`
+- **Boolean variations**: `search_notes("{' OR '.join(query.split()[:2])}")`
 
-## Need help?
-- View recent changes: `recent_activity()`
-- List projects: `list_projects()` 
-- Check current project: `get_current_project()`"""
+## Explore your content:
+- **Browse files**: `list_directory("/")` - See all available content
+- **Recent activity**: `recent_activity(timeframe="7d")` - Check what's been updated
+- **Project info**: `get_current_project()` - Verify current project
+- **All projects**: `list_projects()` - Switch to different project if needed
+
+## Search syntax reference:
+- **Basic**: `keyword` or `multiple words`
+- **Boolean**: `term1 AND term2`, `term1 OR term2`, `term1 NOT term2`
+- **Phrases**: `"exact phrase"`
+- **Grouping**: `(term1 OR term2) AND term3`
+- **Patterns**: `tag:example`, `category:observation`"""
 
 
 @mcp.tool(
-    description="Search across all content in the knowledge base.",
+    description="Search across all content in the knowledge base with advanced syntax support.",
 )
 async def search_notes(
     query: str,
@@ -181,24 +212,60 @@ async def search_notes(
     after_date: Optional[str] = None,
     project: Optional[str] = None,
 ) -> SearchResponse | str:
-    """Search across all content in the knowledge base.
+    """Search across all content in the knowledge base with comprehensive syntax support.
 
     This tool searches the knowledge base using full-text search, pattern matching,
     or exact permalink lookup. It supports filtering by content type, entity type,
-    and date.
+    and date, with advanced boolean and phrase search capabilities.
+
+    ## Search Syntax Examples
+
+    ### Basic Searches
+    - `search_notes("keyword")` - Find any content containing "keyword"
+    - `search_notes("exact phrase")` - Search for exact phrase match
+
+    ### Advanced Boolean Searches  
+    - `search_notes("term1 term2")` - Find content with both terms (implicit AND)
+    - `search_notes("term1 AND term2")` - Explicit AND search (both terms required)
+    - `search_notes("term1 OR term2")` - Either term can be present
+    - `search_notes("term1 NOT term2")` - Include term1 but exclude term2
+    - `search_notes("(project OR planning) AND notes")` - Grouped boolean logic
+
+    ### Content-Specific Searches
+    - `search_notes("tag:example")` - Search within specific tags (if supported by content)
+    - `search_notes("category:observation")` - Filter by observation categories
+    - `search_notes("author:username")` - Find content by author (if metadata available)
+
+    ### Search Type Examples
+    - `search_notes("Meeting", search_type="title")` - Search only in titles
+    - `search_notes("docs/meeting-*", search_type="permalink")` - Pattern match permalinks
+    - `search_notes("keyword", search_type="text")` - Full-text search (default)
+
+    ### Filtering Options
+    - `search_notes("query", types=["entity"])` - Search only entities
+    - `search_notes("query", types=["note", "person"])` - Multiple content types
+    - `search_notes("query", entity_types=["observation"])` - Filter by entity type
+    - `search_notes("query", after_date="2024-01-01")` - Recent content only
+    - `search_notes("query", after_date="1 week")` - Relative date filtering
+
+    ### Advanced Pattern Examples
+    - `search_notes("project AND (meeting OR discussion)")` - Complex boolean logic
+    - `search_notes("\"exact phrase\" AND keyword")` - Combine phrase and keyword search
+    - `search_notes("bug NOT fixed")` - Exclude resolved issues
+    - `search_notes("docs/2024-*", search_type="permalink")` - Year-based permalink search
 
     Args:
-        query: The search query string
+        query: The search query string (supports boolean operators, phrases, patterns)
         page: The page number of results to return (default 1)
         page_size: The number of results to return per page (default 10)
         search_type: Type of search to perform, one of: "text", "title", "permalink" (default: "text")
         types: Optional list of note types to search (e.g., ["note", "person"])
         entity_types: Optional list of entity types to filter by (e.g., ["entity", "observation"])
-        after_date: Optional date filter for recent content (e.g., "1 week", "2d")
+        after_date: Optional date filter for recent content (e.g., "1 week", "2d", "2024-01-01")
         project: Optional project name to search in. If not provided, uses current active project.
 
     Returns:
-        SearchResponse with results and pagination info
+        SearchResponse with results and pagination info, or helpful error guidance if search fails
 
     Examples:
         # Basic text search
@@ -216,16 +283,19 @@ async def search_notes(
         # Boolean search with grouping
         results = await search_notes("(project OR planning) AND notes")
 
+        # Exact phrase search
+        results = await search_notes("\"weekly standup meeting\"")
+
         # Search with type filter
         results = await search_notes(
             query="meeting notes",
             types=["entity"],
         )
 
-        # Search with entity type filter, e.g., note vs
+        # Search with entity type filter
         results = await search_notes(
             query="meeting notes",
-            types=["entity"],
+            entity_types=["observation"],
         )
 
         # Search for recent content
@@ -242,6 +312,13 @@ async def search_notes(
 
         # Search in specific project
         results = await search_notes("meeting notes", project="work-project")
+
+        # Complex search with multiple filters
+        results = await search_notes(
+            query="(bug OR issue) AND NOT resolved",
+            types=["entity"],
+            after_date="2024-01-01"
+        )
     """
     # Create a SearchQuery object based on the parameters
     search_query = SearchQuery()

src/basic_memory/schemas/response.py

@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ class EntityResponse(SQLAlchemyModel):
     }
     """
 
-    permalink: Permalink
+    permalink: Optional[Permalink]
     title: str
     file_path: str
     entity_type: EntityType

tests/mcp/test_tool_edit_note.py

@@ -359,3 +359,42 @@ async def test_edit_note_find_replace_empty_find_text(client):
     assert isinstance(result, str)
     assert "# Edit Failed" in result
     # Should contain helpful guidance about the error
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_edit_note_preserves_permalink_when_frontmatter_missing(client):
+    """Test that editing a note preserves the permalink when frontmatter doesn't contain one.
+    
+    This is a regression test for issue #170 where edit_note would fail with a validation error
+    because the permalink was being set to None when the markdown file didn't have a permalink
+    in its frontmatter.
+    """
+    # Create initial note
+    await write_note.fn(
+        title="Test Note",
+        folder="test",
+        content="# Test Note\nOriginal content here.",
+    )
+
+    # Verify the note was created with a permalink
+    first_result = await edit_note.fn(
+        identifier="test/test-note",
+        operation="append",
+        content="\nFirst edit.",
+    )
+    
+    assert isinstance(first_result, str)
+    assert "permalink: test/test-note" in first_result
+    
+    # Perform another edit - this should preserve the permalink even if the 
+    # file doesn't have a permalink in its frontmatter
+    second_result = await edit_note.fn(
+        identifier="test/test-note",
+        operation="append", 
+        content="\nSecond edit.",
+    )
+
+    assert isinstance(second_result, str)
+    assert "Edited note (append)" in second_result
+    assert "permalink: test/test-note" in second_result
+    # The edit should succeed without validation errors

tests/mcp/test_tool_search.py

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from unittest.mock import patch
 
 from basic_memory.mcp.tools import write_note
 from basic_memory.mcp.tools.search import search_notes, _format_search_error_response
+from basic_memory.schemas.search import SearchResponse
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -23,9 +24,14 @@ async def test_search_text(client):
     # Search for it
     response = await search_notes.fn(query="searchable")
 
-    # Verify results
-    assert len(response.results) > 0
-    assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    # Verify results - handle both success and error cases
+    if isinstance(response, SearchResponse):
+        # Success case - verify SearchResponse
+        assert len(response.results) > 0
+        assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    else:
+        # If search failed and returned error message, test should fail with informative message
+        pytest.fail(f"Search failed with error: {response}")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -43,9 +49,14 @@ async def test_search_title(client):
     # Search for it
     response = await search_notes.fn(query="Search Note", search_type="title")
 
-    # Verify results
-    assert len(response.results) > 0
-    assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    # Verify results - handle both success and error cases
+    if isinstance(response, str):
+        # If search failed and returned error message, test should fail with informative message  
+        pytest.fail(f"Search failed with error: {response}")
+    else:
+        # Success case - verify SearchResponse
+        assert len(response.results) > 0
+        assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -63,9 +74,14 @@ async def test_search_permalink(client):
     # Search for it
     response = await search_notes.fn(query="test/test-search-note", search_type="permalink")
 
-    # Verify results
-    assert len(response.results) > 0
-    assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    # Verify results - handle both success and error cases
+    if isinstance(response, SearchResponse):
+        # Success case - verify SearchResponse
+        assert len(response.results) > 0
+        assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    else:
+        # If search failed and returned error message, test should fail with informative message
+        pytest.fail(f"Search failed with error: {response}")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -83,9 +99,14 @@ async def test_search_permalink_match(client):
     # Search for it
     response = await search_notes.fn(query="test/test-search-*", search_type="permalink")
 
-    # Verify results
-    assert len(response.results) > 0
-    assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    # Verify results - handle both success and error cases
+    if isinstance(response, SearchResponse):
+        # Success case - verify SearchResponse
+        assert len(response.results) > 0
+        assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    else:
+        # If search failed and returned error message, test should fail with informative message
+        pytest.fail(f"Search failed with error: {response}")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -103,9 +124,14 @@ async def test_search_pagination(client):
     # Search for it
     response = await search_notes.fn(query="searchable", page=1, page_size=1)
 
-    # Verify results
-    assert len(response.results) == 1
-    assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    # Verify results - handle both success and error cases
+    if isinstance(response, SearchResponse):
+        # Success case - verify SearchResponse
+        assert len(response.results) == 1
+        assert any(r.permalink == "test/test-search-note" for r in response.results)
+    else:
+        # If search failed and returned error message, test should fail with informative message
+        pytest.fail(f"Search failed with error: {response}")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -121,8 +147,13 @@ async def test_search_with_type_filter(client):
     # Search with type filter
     response = await search_notes.fn(query="type", types=["note"])
 
-    # Verify all results are entities
-    assert all(r.type == "entity" for r in response.results)
+    # Verify results - handle both success and error cases
+    if isinstance(response, SearchResponse):
+        # Success case - verify all results are entities
+        assert all(r.type == "entity" for r in response.results)
+    else:
+        # If search failed and returned error message, test should fail with informative message
+        pytest.fail(f"Search failed with error: {response}")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -138,8 +169,13 @@ async def test_search_with_entity_type_filter(client):
     # Search with entity type filter
     response = await search_notes.fn(query="type", entity_types=["entity"])
 
-    # Verify all results are entities
-    assert all(r.type == "entity" for r in response.results)
+    # Verify results - handle both success and error cases
+    if isinstance(response, SearchResponse):
+        # Success case - verify all results are entities
+        assert all(r.type == "entity" for r in response.results)
+    else:
+        # If search failed and returned error message, test should fail with informative message
+        pytest.fail(f"Search failed with error: {response}")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -156,8 +192,13 @@ async def test_search_with_date_filter(client):
     one_hour_ago = datetime.now() - timedelta(hours=1)
     response = await search_notes.fn(query="recent", after_date=one_hour_ago.isoformat())
 
-    # Verify we get results within timeframe
-    assert len(response.results) > 0
+    # Verify results - handle both success and error cases
+    if isinstance(response, SearchResponse):
+        # Success case - verify we get results within timeframe
+        assert len(response.results) > 0
+    else:
+        # If search failed and returned error message, test should fail with informative message
+        pytest.fail(f"Search failed with error: {response}")
 
 
 class TestSearchErrorFormatting:
@@ -212,7 +253,7 @@ class TestSearchErrorFormatting:
 
         assert "# Search Failed" in result
         assert "Error searching for 'test query': unknown error" in result
-        assert "General troubleshooting" in result
+        assert "## Troubleshooting steps:" in result
 
 
 class TestSearchToolErrorHandling:

tests/repository/test_search_repository.py

@@ -551,12 +551,14 @@ class TestSearchTermPreparation:
     def test_boolean_query_empty_parts_coverage(self, search_repository):
         """Test Boolean query parsing with empty parts (line 143 coverage)."""
         # Create queries that will result in empty parts after splitting
-        result1 = search_repository._prepare_boolean_query("hello AND  AND world")  # Double operator
+        result1 = search_repository._prepare_boolean_query(
+            "hello AND  AND world"
+        )  # Double operator
         assert "hello" in result1 and "world" in result1
-        
+
         result2 = search_repository._prepare_boolean_query("  OR test")  # Leading operator
         assert "test" in result2
-        
+
         result3 = search_repository._prepare_boolean_query("test OR  ")  # Trailing operator
         assert "test" in result3
 
@@ -566,19 +568,19 @@ class TestSearchTermPreparation:
         result = search_repository._prepare_parenthetical_term('(say "hello" world)')
         # Should escape quotes by doubling them
         assert '""hello""' in result
-        
+
         # Test term with single quotes
-        result2 = search_repository._prepare_parenthetical_term('(it\'s working)')
+        result2 = search_repository._prepare_parenthetical_term("(it's working)")
         assert "it's working" in result2
 
     def test_needs_quoting_empty_input(self, search_repository):
         """Test _needs_quoting with empty inputs (line 207 coverage)."""
         # Test empty string
         assert not search_repository._needs_quoting("")
-        
+
         # Test whitespace-only string
         assert not search_repository._needs_quoting("   ")
-        
+
         # Test None-like cases
         assert not search_repository._needs_quoting("\t")
 
@@ -587,11 +589,11 @@ class TestSearchTermPreparation:
         # Test empty string
         result1 = search_repository._prepare_single_term("")
         assert result1 == ""
-        
+
         # Test whitespace-only string
         result2 = search_repository._prepare_single_term("   ")
         assert result2 == "   "  # Should return as-is
-        
+
         # Test string that becomes empty after strip
         result3 = search_repository._prepare_single_term("\t\n")
         assert result3 == "\t\n"  # Should return original

tests/schemas/test_schemas.py

@@ -127,6 +127,36 @@ def test_entity_out_from_attributes():
     assert len(entity.relations) == 1
 
 
+def test_entity_response_with_none_permalink():
+    """Test EntityResponse can handle None permalink (fixes issue #170).
+    
+    This test ensures that EntityResponse properly validates when the permalink
+    field is None, which can occur when markdown files don't have explicit 
+    permalinks in their frontmatter during edit operations.
+    """
+    # Simulate database model attributes with None permalink
+    db_data = {
+        "title": "Test Entity",
+        "permalink": None,  # This should not cause validation errors
+        "file_path": "test/test-entity.md",
+        "entity_type": "note",
+        "content_type": "text/markdown",
+        "observations": [],
+        "relations": [],
+        "created_at": "2023-01-01T00:00:00",
+        "updated_at": "2023-01-01T00:00:00",
+    }
+    
+    # This should not raise a ValidationError
+    entity = EntityResponse.model_validate(db_data)
+    assert entity.permalink is None
+    assert entity.title == "Test Entity"
+    assert entity.file_path == "test/test-entity.md"
+    assert entity.entity_type == "note"
+    assert len(entity.observations) == 0
+    assert len(entity.relations) == 0
+
+
 def test_search_nodes_input():
     """Test SearchNodesInput validation."""
     search = SearchNodesRequest.model_validate({"query": "test query"})