diff --git a/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchModal.tsx b/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchModal.tsx
index 7f3064670..8ac390391 100644
--- a/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchModal.tsx
+++ b/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeSearchModal.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import {
 import { createRoot, Root } from "react-dom/client";
 import type DiscourseGraphPlugin from "~/index";
 import { NodeSearchFooter } from "~/components/NodeSearchFooter";
+import { NodeTypeChipsSearchInput } from "~/components/NodeTypeChipsSearchInput";
 import { NodeTypeFilterMenu } from "~/components/NodeTypeFilterMenu";
 import {
   openFileInNewLeaf,
@@ -332,7 +333,7 @@ const NodeSearch = ({
   // Single source of truth: ENG-2111's tag chips will read and write this too.
   const [selectedNodeTypeIds, setSelectedNodeTypeIds] = useState<string[]>([]);
   const [isTypeFilterOpen, setIsTypeFilterOpen] = useState(false);
-  const inputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement | null>(null);
+  const inputRef = useRef<HTMLSpanElement | null>(null);
   const userNames = useAuthorNames({ app, plugin, candidateState });
 
   const nodeTypesById = useMemo(() => {
@@ -471,14 +472,15 @@ const NodeSearch = ({
     <div className="flex h-full flex-col" onKeyDown={handleKeyDown}>
       {/* Padded so the filter trigger's count badge, which sits outside the
           button box, is not clipped by the modal's overflow-hidden content. */}
-      <div className="flex items-center gap-2 px-1 pt-1">
-        <input
-          ref={inputRef}
-          type="text"
-          value={query}
-          placeholder="Search discourse nodes by title"
-          onChange={(event) => setQuery(event.target.value)}
-          className="min-w-0 flex-1"
+      {/* Top-aligned: the field grows downwards, so the trigger stays on its first line. */}
+      <div className="flex items-start gap-2 px-1 pt-1">
+        <NodeTypeChipsSearchInput
+          inputRef={inputRef}
+          nodeTypes={plugin.settings.nodeTypes}
+          onQueryChange={setQuery}
+          onSelectedNodeTypeIdsChange={setSelectedNodeTypeIds}
+          query={query}
+          selectedNodeTypeIds={selectedNodeTypeIds}
         />
         <NodeTypeFilterMenu
           app={app}
diff --git a/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeTypeChipsSearchInput.tsx b/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeTypeChipsSearchInput.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ee6fe283f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/obsidian/src/components/NodeTypeChipsSearchInput.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,316 @@
+import {
+  useEffect,
+  useMemo,
+  useRef,
+  useState,
+  type KeyboardEvent,
+  type ReactElement,
+  type RefObject,
+} from "react";
+import { DiscourseNode } from "~/types";
+import { getAllDiscourseNodeColors } from "~/utils/colorUtils";
+import { getHintKeys } from "~/utils/keyboardHints";
+import {
+  getBestPrefixMatch,
+  getCompletionSuffix,
+} from "~/utils/nodeTypeChipCompletion";
+
+const NO_FOCUSED_CHIP = -1;
+
+const QUERY_PLACEHOLDER = "Search discourse nodes by title";
+
+type NodeTypeChip = {
+  backgroundColor: string;
+  id: string;
+  name: string;
+  textColor: string;
+};
+
+const isPlainCharacterKey = (event: KeyboardEvent): boolean =>
+  event.key.length === 1 && !event.altKey && !event.ctrlKey && !event.metaKey;
+
+// An editable span has no selectionStart, so the caret comes from the selection.
+const isCaretAtStart = (field: HTMLElement | null): boolean => {
+  const selection = field?.ownerDocument.getSelection();
+  if (!field || !selection?.isCollapsed || !selection.anchorNode) return false;
+  if (!field.contains(selection.anchorNode)) return false;
+  return selection.anchorOffset === 0;
+};
+
+const setCaretToEnd = (field: HTMLElement): void => {
+  const selection = field.ownerDocument.getSelection();
+  if (!selection) return;
+  const range = field.ownerDocument.createRange();
+  range.selectNodeContents(field);
+  range.collapse(false);
+  selection.removeAllRanges();
+  selection.addRange(range);
+};
+
+const NodeTypeChipTag = ({
+  chip,
+  isFocused,
+  onFocusChip,
+  onKeyDown,
+  onRemove,
+  registerRef,
+}: {
+  chip: NodeTypeChip;
+  isFocused: boolean;
+  onFocusChip: () => void;
+  onKeyDown: (event: KeyboardEvent<HTMLSpanElement>) => void;
+  onRemove: () => void;
+  registerRef: (element: HTMLSpanElement | null) => void;
+}): ReactElement => (
+  // Inline-flex so it shares the query's line box; out of the tab order because Tab commits.
+  <span
+    ref={registerRef}
+    role="button"
+    tabIndex={-1}
+    aria-label={chip.name}
+    title={chip.name}
+    contentEditable={false}
+    onClick={onFocusChip}
+    onKeyDown={onKeyDown}
+    style={{ backgroundColor: chip.backgroundColor, color: chip.textColor }}
+    className={`mr-1 inline-flex select-none items-center gap-1 whitespace-nowrap rounded-full py-0.5 pl-2 pr-1 align-middle text-xs font-semibold ${
+      isFocused ? "outline-accent outline outline-2 outline-offset-1" : ""
+    }`}
+  >
+    <span className="max-w-40 truncate">{chip.name}</span>
+    {/* `clickable-icon`, because Obsidian's `button:not(.clickable-icon)` rule outranks a utility class and would paint its own box behind the ×. */}
+    <button
+      type="button"
+      tabIndex={-1}
+      aria-label={`Remove ${chip.name} filter`}
+      onClick={(event) => {
+        event.stopPropagation();
+        onRemove();
+      }}
+      onMouseDown={(event) => event.preventDefault()}
+      className="clickable-icon !h-4 !w-4 !bg-transparent !p-0 !text-inherit !shadow-none hover:!opacity-70"
+    >
+      ×
+    </button>
+  </span>
+);
+
+/** `NodeSearch` owns the filter state, and as an ancestor already handles the arrows, Enter and Escape that bubble out of here. */
+export const NodeTypeChipsSearchInput = ({
+  inputRef,
+  nodeTypes,
+  onQueryChange,
+  onSelectedNodeTypeIdsChange,
+  query,
+  selectedNodeTypeIds,
+}: {
+  inputRef: RefObject<HTMLSpanElement | null>;
+  nodeTypes: DiscourseNode[];
+  onQueryChange: (query: string) => void;
+  onSelectedNodeTypeIdsChange: (ids: string[]) => void;
+  query: string;
+  selectedNodeTypeIds: string[];
+}): ReactElement => {
+  const [focusedChipIndex, setFocusedChipIndex] = useState(NO_FOCUSED_CHIP);
+  const chipRefs = useRef<(HTMLSpanElement | null)[]>([]);
+
+  const chipsById = useMemo(() => {
+    const byId = new Map<string, NodeTypeChip>();
+    getAllDiscourseNodeColors(nodeTypes).forEach(({ nodeType, colors }) => {
+      byId.set(nodeType.id, {
+        backgroundColor: colors.backgroundColor,
+        id: nodeType.id,
+        name: nodeType.name,
+        textColor: colors.textColor,
+      });
+    });
+    return byId;
+  }, [nodeTypes]);
+
+  const chips = useMemo(
+    () => selectedNodeTypeIds.flatMap((id) => chipsById.get(id) ?? []),
+    [chipsById, selectedNodeTypeIds],
+  );
+
+  const bestPrefixMatch = getBestPrefixMatch({
+    nodeTypes,
+    query,
+    selectedTypeIds: selectedNodeTypeIds,
+  });
+
+  const completionSuffix = getCompletionSuffix({ bestPrefixMatch, query });
+
+  // Uncontrolled, so re-rendering cannot move the caret — hence writing the text by hand.
+  const writeQuery = (value: string): void => {
+    const field = inputRef.current;
+    if (field) field.textContent = value;
+    onQueryChange(value);
+  };
+
+  const focusQuery = (): void => {
+    setFocusedChipIndex(NO_FOCUSED_CHIP);
+    const field = inputRef.current;
+    if (!field) return;
+    field.focus();
+    setCaretToEnd(field);
+  };
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (focusedChipIndex === NO_FOCUSED_CHIP) return;
+    if (focusedChipIndex < chips.length) {
+      chipRefs.current[focusedChipIndex]?.focus();
+      return;
+    }
+    // The dropdown can clear the filter mid-focus, stranding focus on a removed node.
+    setFocusedChipIndex(NO_FOCUSED_CHIP);
+    inputRef.current?.focus();
+  }, [chips, focusedChipIndex, inputRef]);
+
+  const commitNodeType = (nodeType: DiscourseNode): void => {
+    if (selectedNodeTypeIds.includes(nodeType.id)) return;
+    // Raw, not canonicalised: collapsing a full selection would vanish the new chip.
+    onSelectedNodeTypeIdsChange([...selectedNodeTypeIds, nodeType.id]);
+    writeQuery("");
+  };
+
+  const removeChip = (chipId: string): void => {
+    onSelectedNodeTypeIdsChange(
+      selectedNodeTypeIds.filter((id) => id !== chipId),
+    );
+  };
+
+  const handleChipKeyDown = (
+    event: KeyboardEvent<HTMLSpanElement>,
+    chipIndex: number,
+    chipId: string,
+  ): void => {
+    if (event.key === "ArrowLeft") {
+      event.preventDefault();
+      setFocusedChipIndex(Math.max(0, chipIndex - 1));
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (event.key === "ArrowRight") {
+      event.preventDefault();
+      if (chipIndex >= chips.length - 1) {
+        focusQuery();
+        return;
+      }
+      setFocusedChipIndex(chipIndex + 1);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (event.key === "Backspace" || event.key === "Delete") {
+      event.preventDefault();
+      removeChip(chipId);
+      const remaining = chips.length - 1;
+      if (!remaining) {
+        focusQuery();
+        return;
+      }
+      // Backspace walks left, Delete takes the chip that closed the gap: no focus jump.
+      const nextIndex =
+        event.key === "Backspace"
+          ? chipIndex - 1
+          : Math.min(chipIndex, remaining - 1);
+      if (nextIndex < 0) {
+        focusQuery();
+        return;
+      }
+      setFocusedChipIndex(nextIndex);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (isPlainCharacterKey(event)) {
+      event.preventDefault();
+      writeQuery(event.key);
+      focusQuery();
+    }
+  };
+
+  const handleQueryKeyDown = (event: KeyboardEvent<HTMLSpanElement>): void => {
+    // Suppress the line break only; Enter still bubbles, and modified Enter reaches nothing else.
+    if (event.key === "Enter" && !event.nativeEvent.isComposing) {
+      event.preventDefault();
+    }
+
+    if (event.key === "Tab") {
+      // With nothing pending, Tab is left alone so it still reaches the footer actions.
+      if (!bestPrefixMatch) return;
+      event.preventDefault();
+      commitNodeType(bestPrefixMatch);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (!chips.length) return;
+    if (!isCaretAtStart(inputRef.current)) return;
+
+    // Highlight first, so an over-eager Backspace cannot silently drop a filter.
+    if (event.key === "Backspace" && !query.length) {
+      event.preventDefault();
+      setFocusedChipIndex(chips.length - 1);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (event.key === "ArrowLeft") {
+      event.preventDefault();
+      setFocusedChipIndex(chips.length - 1);
+    }
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div
+      // A block box, not flex: chips and the query are inline siblings, so they flow as one sentence.
+      // `border-solid` is required: with no `@tailwind base`, `border` sets width but no style.
+      className="border-modifier-border bg-modifier-form-field min-h-[calc(var(--font-ui-medium)*var(--line-height-tight)_+_12px)] min-w-0 flex-1 cursor-text rounded-[var(--input-radius)] border border-solid px-2 py-1 text-[length:var(--font-ui-medium)] leading-[var(--line-height-tight)] focus-within:border-[color:var(--background-modifier-border-focus)] hover:border-[color:var(--background-modifier-border-hover)]"
+      // Padding clicks only: elsewhere the browser has already placed the caret.
+      onClick={(event) => {
+        if (event.target === event.currentTarget) focusQuery();
+      }}
+    >
+      {chips.map((chip, index) => (
+        <NodeTypeChipTag
+          key={chip.id}
+          chip={chip}
+          isFocused={focusedChipIndex === index}
+          onFocusChip={() => setFocusedChipIndex(index)}
+          onKeyDown={(event) => handleChipKeyDown(event, index, chip.id)}
+          onRemove={() => {
+            removeChip(chip.id);
+            focusQuery();
+          }}
+          registerRef={(element) => {
+            chipRefs.current[index] = element;
+          }}
+        />
+      ))}
+      {/* `plaintext-only` so a pasted selection cannot bring markup in with it. */}
+      <span
+        ref={inputRef}
+        contentEditable="plaintext-only"
+        role="textbox"
+        aria-label={QUERY_PLACEHOLDER}
+        spellCheck={false}
+        suppressContentEditableWarning
+        onInput={(event) =>
+          onQueryChange(event.currentTarget.textContent ?? "")
+        }
+        onKeyDown={handleQueryKeyDown}
+        className="dg-search-chip-input whitespace-pre-wrap break-words align-middle outline-none"
+      />
+      {!!bestPrefixMatch && (
+        <span aria-hidden className="align-middle">
+          <span className="text-muted">{completionSuffix}</span>
+          <kbd className="dg-search-footer-key ml-2">
+            {getHintKeys(["Tab"])[0]}
+          </kbd>
+        </span>
+      )}
+      {!query && !chips.length && (
+        <span aria-hidden className="text-muted pointer-events-none">
+          {QUERY_PLACEHOLDER}
+        </span>
+      )}
+    </div>
+  );
+};
diff --git a/apps/obsidian/src/utils/keyboardHints.ts b/apps/obsidian/src/utils/keyboardHints.ts
index a14586ab3..ec38800a8 100644
--- a/apps/obsidian/src/utils/keyboardHints.ts
+++ b/apps/obsidian/src/utils/keyboardHints.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { Platform } from "obsidian";
 
-export type HintKey = "Mod" | "Alt" | "Shift" | "Enter" | "Escape";
+export type HintKey = "Mod" | "Alt" | "Shift" | "Enter" | "Escape" | "Tab";
 
 // Obsidian shows glyphs on macOS and spelled-out words everywhere else.
 const MAC_SYMBOLS: Record<HintKey, string> = {
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ const MAC_SYMBOLS: Record<HintKey, string> = {
   Shift: "⇧",
   Enter: "↵",
   Escape: "esc",
+  Tab: "⇥",
 };
 
 const NON_MAC_SYMBOLS: Record<HintKey, string> = {
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ const NON_MAC_SYMBOLS: Record<HintKey, string> = {
   Shift: "Shift",
   Enter: "Enter",
   Escape: "Esc",
+  Tab: "Tab",
 };
 
 /** Takes `isMacOS` so the non-mac branch can be checked without that platform. */
diff --git a/apps/obsidian/src/utils/nodeTypeChipCompletion.ts b/apps/obsidian/src/utils/nodeTypeChipCompletion.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..97ab61ade
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/obsidian/src/utils/nodeTypeChipCompletion.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import { DiscourseNode } from "~/types";
+
+/** Ghost completion for the search modal's chips; prefix-only, as a substring match has no suffix to draw. */
+
+/** Exact match beats the first partial, so a name that prefixes another stays reachable. */
+export const getBestPrefixMatch = ({
+  nodeTypes,
+  query,
+  selectedTypeIds,
+}: {
+  nodeTypes: DiscourseNode[];
+  query: string;
+  selectedTypeIds: string[];
+}): DiscourseNode | null => {
+  const normalizedQuery = query.trim().toLowerCase();
+  if (!normalizedQuery) return null;
+
+  const selectedTypeIdSet = new Set(selectedTypeIds);
+  const matches = nodeTypes.filter(
+    (nodeType) =>
+      !selectedTypeIdSet.has(nodeType.id) &&
+      nodeType.name.toLowerCase().startsWith(normalizedQuery),
+  );
+  if (!matches.length) return null;
+
+  const exactMatch = matches.find(
+    (nodeType) => nodeType.name.toLowerCase() === normalizedQuery,
+  );
+  return exactMatch ?? matches[0] ?? null;
+};
+
+export const getCompletionSuffix = ({
+  bestPrefixMatch,
+  query,
+}: {
+  bestPrefixMatch: DiscourseNode | null;
+  query: string;
+}): string => {
+  if (!bestPrefixMatch) return "";
+  const trimmedQuery = query.trim();
+  const { name } = bestPrefixMatch;
+  if (name.toLowerCase() === trimmedQuery.toLowerCase()) return "";
+  return name.slice(trimmedQuery.length);
+};