Mark a workspace work item type as default

POST/api/v2/workspaces/{slug}/work-item-types/{pk}/mark-default/

Promote a type to the workspace default — the type a work item gets when none is supplied. Exactly one type holds the flag, so marking this one clears it on the type that held it before.

is_default is read-only on create and update, which is why this is its own call. Send no body.

Workspace mode required

This write only succeeds while the workspace manages work item types at the workspace level. In project mode it returns 409 with code work_item_types_managed_at_project — set the default on the project endpoint instead. See Work item type modes.

Path Parameters

slug:requiredstring

The workspace slug. It appears in your Plane URLs — in https://app.plane.so/my-team/projects/, the slug is my-team.

pk:requiredstring (uuid)

The id of the work item type to make the default.

Body Parameters

None. The type is identified entirely by pk; send an empty request.

Scopes

workspaces.work_item_types:write

Errors

Status	Code	Cause
400	validation_error	The type can't be made default as requested. See errors[].
401	unauthorized	Missing or invalid credentials.
403	forbidden	Your role or token scope can't write workspace types.
404	resource_not_found	No such type or workspace, or it's outside your tenant.
409	work_item_types_managed_at_project	The workspace manages types at the project level. Use the project endpoint.
409	conflict	The default can't be moved in the current state — the response detail says why.
429	rate_limited	Throttled. Honor the Retry-After header before retrying.

Mark a workspace work item type as default

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.plane.so/api/v2/workspaces/my-team/work-item-types/9d2f1b73-4c85-4a06-b3e1-7f8c25a0d914/mark-default/" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $PLANE_API_KEY"

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.plane.so/api/v2/workspaces/my-team/work-item-types/9d2f1b73-4c85-4a06-b3e1-7f8c25a0d914/mark-default/",
    headers={"X-Api-Key": "your-api-key"},
)
print(response.json())

const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.plane.so/api/v2/workspaces/my-team/work-item-types/9d2f1b73-4c85-4a06-b3e1-7f8c25a0d914/mark-default/",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "X-Api-Key": "your-api-key",
    },
  }
);
const data = await response.json();

Response200

{
  "id": "9d2f1b73-4c85-4a06-b3e1-7f8c25a0d914",
  "name": "Task",
  "description": "Standard unit of work",
  "is_active": true,
  "is_default": true,
  "is_epic": false,
  "level": 0,
  "logo_props": {},
  "created_at": "2026-01-14T09:22:41.548221Z"
}

Response409

{
  "type": "https://api.plane.so/errors/work-item-types-managed-at-project",
  "title": "Conflict",
  "status": 409,
  "code": "work_item_types_managed_at_project",
  "detail": "This workspace manages work item types at the project level. Mark the default on the project's work item types endpoint."
}

Confirm the swap in one read

The response is the promoted type, not the pair. If you need to show the change, re-read the set with List workspace work item types — the previous default now reports is_default: false.