diff --git a/apps/roam/src/components/ModifyNodeDialog.tsx b/apps/roam/src/components/ModifyNodeDialog.tsx
index dafd67f07..f68490b87 100644
--- a/apps/roam/src/components/ModifyNodeDialog.tsx
+++ b/apps/roam/src/components/ModifyNodeDialog.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import {
   Button,
   Classes,
+  Colors,
   Dialog,
   Intent,
   Label,
@@ -22,7 +23,9 @@ import renderOverlay, {
 import fireQuery from "~/utils/fireQuery";
 import getDiscourseNodes, {
   excludeDefaultNodes,
+  type DiscourseNode,
 } from "~/utils/getDiscourseNodes";
+import { getAllDiscourseNodesSince } from "~/utils/getAllDiscourseNodesSince";
 import FuzzySelectInput from "./FuzzySelectInput";
 import { createBlock, updateBlock } from "roamjs-components/writes";
 import {
@@ -40,7 +43,7 @@ import posthog from "posthog-js";
 export type ModifyNodeDialogMode = "create" | "edit";
 export type ModifyNodeDialogProps = {
   mode: ModifyNodeDialogMode;
-  nodeType: string;
+  nodeType?: string;
   initialValue: { text: string; uid: string };
   initialReferencedNode?: { text: string; uid: string };
   sourceBlockUid?: string; //the block that we started modifying from
@@ -109,13 +112,15 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
       : allNodes.filter(excludeDefaultNodes);
   }, [includeDefaultNodes]);
 
-  const [selectedNodeType, setSelectedNodeType] = useState(() => {
+  const [selectedNodeType, setSelectedNodeType] = useState<
+    DiscourseNode | undefined
+  >(() => {
     const node = discourseNodes.find((n) => n.type === nodeType);
-    return node || discourseNodes[0];
+    return node;
   });
 
   const nodeFormat = useMemo(() => {
-    return selectedNodeType.format || "";
+    return selectedNodeType?.format || "";
   }, [selectedNodeType]);
 
   const referencedNode = useMemo(() => {
@@ -160,6 +165,19 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
           if (contentRequestIdRef.current === req && alive) {
             setOptions((prev) => ({ ...prev, content: results }));
           }
+        } else {
+          const rawResults = await getAllDiscourseNodesSince(
+            undefined,
+            discourseNodes,
+          );
+          const results = rawResults.map((r) => ({
+            text: r.text,
+            uid: r.source_local_id,
+            discourseNodeType: r.type,
+          }));
+          if (contentRequestIdRef.current === req && alive) {
+            setOptions((prev) => ({ ...prev, content: results }));
+          }
         }
       } catch (error) {
         if (contentRequestIdRef.current === req && alive) {
@@ -224,11 +242,24 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
       alive = false;
       refAlive = false;
     };
-  }, [selectedNodeType, referencedNode]);
-
-  const setValue = useCallback((r: Result) => {
-    setContent(r);
-  }, []);
+  }, [selectedNodeType, referencedNode, discourseNodes]);
+
+  const setValue = useCallback(
+    (r: Result) => {
+      setContent(r);
+      if (!selectedNodeType && r.uid) {
+        const detectedType = r.discourseNodeType;
+        if (detectedType) {
+          const nt = discourseNodes.find((n) => n.type === detectedType);
+          if (nt) {
+            setSelectedNodeType(nt);
+            setError("");
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    [selectedNodeType, discourseNodes],
+  );
 
   const setReferencedNodeValueCallback = useCallback((r: Result) => {
     setReferencedNodeValue(r);
@@ -304,9 +335,13 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
 
   const onSubmit = async () => {
     if (!content.text.trim()) return;
+    if (!selectedNodeType && !isContentLocked) {
+      setError("Please select a node type");
+      return;
+    }
     posthog.capture("Modify Node Dialog: Submit Triggered", {
       mode,
-      nodeType: selectedNodeType.type,
+      nodeType: selectedNodeType?.type,
     });
     try {
       if (mode === "create") {
@@ -326,7 +361,7 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
               await addImageToPage({
                 pageUid,
                 imageUrl,
-                configPageUid: selectedNodeType.type,
+                configPageUid: selectedNodeType?.type || "",
                 extensionAPI,
               });
             }
@@ -373,7 +408,7 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
         } else {
           formattedTitle = await getNewDiscourseNodeText({
             text: content.text.trim(),
-            nodeType: selectedNodeType.type,
+            nodeType: selectedNodeType!.type,
             blockUid: sourceBlockUid,
           });
         }
@@ -384,7 +419,7 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
         // Create new discourse node
         const newPageUid = await createDiscourseNode({
           text: formattedTitle,
-          configPageUid: selectedNodeType.type,
+          configPageUid: selectedNodeType!.type,
           extensionAPI,
           imageUrl,
         });
@@ -505,56 +540,68 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
         style={{ pointerEvents: "all" }}
       >
         <div className={`${Classes.DIALOG_BODY} flex flex-col gap-4`}>
+          {/* Content Input */}
+          <Label className="w-full">
+            Content
+            <FuzzySelectInput
+              value={content}
+              setValue={setValue}
+              options={options.content}
+              placeholder={
+                loading
+                  ? "..."
+                  : selectedNodeType
+                    ? `Enter a ${selectedNodeType.text.toLowerCase()} ...`
+                    : "Search all nodes..."
+              }
+              mode={mode}
+              isLocked={isContentLocked}
+              autoFocus={!isContentLocked}
+            />
+          </Label>
+
           {/* Node Type Selector */}
           <div className="flex w-full">
-            <Label autoFocus={false}>
+            <Label autoFocus={false} className="w-full">
               Node Type
               <MenuItemSelect
                 items={discourseNodes.map((n) => n.type)}
                 transformItem={(t) =>
                   discourseNodes.find((n) => n.type === t)?.text || t
                 }
-                activeItem={selectedNodeType.type}
+                activeItem={selectedNodeType?.type ?? null}
                 onItemSelect={(t) => {
                   const nt = discourseNodes.find((n) => n.type === t);
                   if (nt) {
                     setSelectedNodeType(nt);
                     setReferencedNodeValue({ text: "", uid: "" });
+                    setError("");
                   }
                 }}
-                disabled={mode === "edit" || disableNodeTypeChange}
-                popoverProps={{ openOnTargetFocus: false }}
-                className={
-                  mode === "edit" || disableNodeTypeChange
-                    ? "cursor-not-allowed opacity-50"
-                    : ""
+                disabled={
+                  mode === "edit" || disableNodeTypeChange || isContentLocked
                 }
+                popoverProps={{ openOnTargetFocus: false }}
+                ButtonProps={{
+                  className:
+                    mode === "edit" || disableNodeTypeChange || isContentLocked
+                      ? "cursor-not-allowed opacity-50"
+                      : "",
+                  onFocus: (e) => {
+                    e.currentTarget.style.boxShadow = `0 0 0 2px ${Colors.BLUE3}, 0 0 0 4px ${Colors.BLUE3}4d`;
+                  },
+                  onBlur: (e) => {
+                    e.currentTarget.style.boxShadow = "";
+                  },
+                }}
               />
             </Label>
           </div>
 
-          {/* Content Input */}
-          <div className="w-full">
-            <Label>Content</Label>
-            <FuzzySelectInput
-              value={content}
-              setValue={setValue}
-              options={options.content}
-              placeholder={
-                loading
-                  ? "..."
-                  : `Enter a ${selectedNodeType.text.toLowerCase()} ...`
-              }
-              mode={mode}
-              isLocked={isContentLocked}
-              autoFocus={!isContentLocked}
-            />
-          </div>
-
           {/* Referenced Node Input */}
           {referencedNode && !isContentLocked && mode === "create" && (
-            <div className="w-full">
-              <Label>{referencedNode.name}</Label>
+            <Label className="w-full">
+              {referencedNode.name}
               <FuzzySelectInput
                 value={referencedNodeValue}
                 setValue={setReferencedNodeValueCallback}
@@ -564,7 +611,7 @@ const ModifyNodeDialog = ({
                 isLocked={isReferencedNodeLocked}
                 autoFocus={false}
               />
-            </div>
+            </Label>
           )}
         </div>
         {/* Submit Button */}
diff --git a/apps/roam/src/utils/getAllDiscourseNodesSince.ts b/apps/roam/src/utils/getAllDiscourseNodesSince.ts
index acff9c624..3d047f386 100644
--- a/apps/roam/src/utils/getAllDiscourseNodesSince.ts
+++ b/apps/roam/src/utils/getAllDiscourseNodesSince.ts
@@ -64,10 +64,10 @@ export const getDiscourseNodeTypeWithSettingsBlockNodes = async (
 };
 
 export const getAllDiscourseNodesSince = async (
-  since: ISODateString,
+  since: ISODateString | undefined,
   nodeTypes: DiscourseNode[],
 ): Promise<RoamDiscourseNodeData[]> => {
-  const sinceMs = new Date(since).getTime();
+  const sinceMs = since ? new Date(since).getTime() : 0;
   if (!nodeTypes.length) {
     return [];
   }
diff --git a/apps/roam/src/utils/registerCommandPaletteCommands.ts b/apps/roam/src/utils/registerCommandPaletteCommands.ts
index 6e5dbf61e..2eb143229 100644
--- a/apps/roam/src/utils/registerCommandPaletteCommands.ts
+++ b/apps/roam/src/utils/registerCommandPaletteCommands.ts
@@ -189,19 +189,9 @@ export const registerCommandPaletteCommands = (onloadArgs: OnloadArgs) => {
 
     const selectionStart = uid ? getSelectionStartForBlock(uid) : 0;
 
-    const defaultNodeType =
-      getDiscourseNodes().filter(excludeDefaultNodes)[0]?.type;
-    if (!defaultNodeType) {
-      renderToast({
-        id: "create-discourse-node-command-no-types",
-        content: "No discourse node types found in settings.",
-      });
-      return;
-    }
-
     renderModifyNodeDialog({
       mode: "create",
-      nodeType: defaultNodeType,
+      nodeType: "",
       initialValue: { text: "", uid: "" },
       extensionAPI,
       onSuccess: async (result) => {