Update a workspace work item type

PATCH/api/v2/workspaces/{slug}/work-item-types/{pk}/

Rename a type, rewrite its description, or retire it with is_active: false. The edit lands once and every project working from the workspace list sees it — that is the point of managing types at the workspace level.

The update is partial: omitted fields are left untouched, and omitting a field is not the same as sending null. There is no PUT.

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. 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 update.

Body Parameters

Every field is optional — send only what changes.

name:optionalstring

New display name. Maximum 255 characters. Renaming is safe for integrations that key on id; anything matching on the old name breaks, which is a reason to key on id.

description:optionalstring

New description of what the type is for.

is_active:optionalboolean

Send false to retire the type from pickers without deleting it — work items already classified with it keep their type. Send true to bring it back.

external_id:optionalstring

Your system's identifier for this type. Maximum 255 characters. Send null to clear it. Write-only — it is not returned on read.

external_source:optionalstring

The system external_id came from, for example jira. Maximum 255 characters. Send null to clear it. Write-only, like external_id.

is_default, is_epic, level, and logo_props are read-only — sending them has no effect. To change which type is the default, call Mark a type as default.

Scopes

workspaces.work_item_types:write

Errors

Status	Code	Cause
400	validation_error	An invalid value — for example a name over 255 characters. 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 change collides with another type — most often a name already in use.
429	rate_limited	Throttled. Honor the Retry-After header before retrying.

Update a workspace work item type

curl -X PATCH \
  "https://api.plane.so/api/v2/workspaces/my-team/work-item-types/c1a7d3f4-6b28-4e90-8d15-2f7a0b9c4e63/" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $PLANE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
  "name": "Defect",
  "description": "A confirmed break in shipped behavior"
}'

import requests

response = requests.patch(
    "https://api.plane.so/api/v2/workspaces/my-team/work-item-types/c1a7d3f4-6b28-4e90-8d15-2f7a0b9c4e63/",
    headers={"X-Api-Key": "your-api-key"},
    json={
        "name": "Defect",
        "description": "A confirmed break in shipped behavior",
    },
)
print(response.json())

const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.plane.so/api/v2/workspaces/my-team/work-item-types/c1a7d3f4-6b28-4e90-8d15-2f7a0b9c4e63/",
  {
    method: "PATCH",
    headers: {
      "X-Api-Key": "your-api-key",
      "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      name: "Defect",
      description: "A confirmed break in shipped behavior",
    }),
  }
);
const data = await response.json();

Response200

{
  "id": "c1a7d3f4-6b28-4e90-8d15-2f7a0b9c4e63",
  "name": "Defect",
  "description": "A confirmed break in shipped behavior",
  "is_active": true,
  "is_default": false,
  "is_epic": false,
  "level": 0,
  "logo_props": {},
  "created_at": "2026-01-14T09:22:41.478363Z"
}

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. Update the type on the project's work item types endpoint."
}

Deactivate before you delete

is_active: false is the reversible move: the type stops appearing in pickers, existing work items keep their classification, and you can undo it with one call. Reach for Delete only when the type should be gone for good.