diff --git a/src/Entity/Note.php b/src/Entity/Note.php
index 0aca368b64..3a58fcf165 100644
--- a/src/Entity/Note.php
+++ b/src/Entity/Note.php
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ class Note extends Entity
     // @codeCoverageIgnoreStart
     private int $id;
     private int $actor_id;
-    private string $content_type = 'text/plain';
-    private string $content;
-    private string $rendered;
+    private ?string $content_type = null;
+    private ?string $content      = null;
+    private ?string $rendered     = null;
     private ?int $reply_to;
     private ?bool $is_local;
     private ?string $source;
@@ -312,8 +312,8 @@ class Note extends Entity
             'fields' => [
                 'id'           => ['type' => 'serial',    'not null' => true],
                 'actor_id'     => ['type' => 'int',       'foreign key' => true, 'target' => 'Actor.id', 'multiplicity' => 'one to one', 'not null' => true, 'description' => 'who made the note'],
-                'content'      => ['type' => 'text',      'not null' => true, 'description' => 'note content'],
-                'content_type' => ['type' => 'varchar',   'not null' => true, 'default' => 'text/plain', 'length' => 129,      'description' => 'A note can be written in a multitude of formats such as text/plain, text/markdown, application/x-latex, and text/html'],
+                'content'      => ['type' => 'text',      'description' => 'note content'],
+                'content_type' => ['type' => 'varchar',   'default' => 'text/plain', 'length' => 129,      'description' => 'A note can be written in a multitude of formats such as text/plain, text/markdown, application/x-latex, and text/html'],
                 'rendered'     => ['type' => 'text',      'description' => 'rendered note content, so we can keep the microtags (if not local)'],
                 'reply_to'     => ['type' => 'int',       'foreign key' => true, 'target' => 'Note.id', 'multiplicity' => 'one to one', 'description' => 'note replied to, null if root of a conversation'],
                 'is_local'     => ['type' => 'bool',      'description' => 'was this note generated by a local actor'],