diff --git a/packages/react/src/types/nodes.ts b/packages/react/src/types/nodes.ts
index f4ad2820..4307742d 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/types/nodes.ts
+++ b/packages/react/src/types/nodes.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { NodeTypes } from './general';
  */
 export type Node<
   NodeData extends Record<string, unknown> = Record<string, unknown>,
-  NodeType extends string = string
+  NodeType extends string | undefined = undefined
 > = NodeBase<NodeData, NodeType> & {
   style?: CSSProperties;
   className?: string;
diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/lib/types/nodes.ts b/packages/svelte/src/lib/types/nodes.ts
index 0e741c00..021dad70 100644
--- a/packages/svelte/src/lib/types/nodes.ts
+++ b/packages/svelte/src/lib/types/nodes.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ export type InternalNode<NodeType extends Node = Node> = InternalNodeBase<NodeTy
  */
 export type Node<
   NodeData extends Record<string, unknown> = Record<string, unknown>,
-  NodeType extends string = string
+  NodeType extends string | undefined = undefined
 > = NodeBase<NodeData, NodeType> & {
   class?: string;
   style?: string;
diff --git a/packages/system/src/types/nodes.ts b/packages/system/src/types/nodes.ts
index ae4bbc27..b1d93369 100644
--- a/packages/system/src/types/nodes.ts
+++ b/packages/system/src/types/nodes.ts
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@ export type NodeBase<
   position: XYPosition;
   /** Arbitrary data passed to a node */
   data: NodeData;
-  /** Type of node defined in nodeTypes */
-  type: NodeType;
   /** Only relevant for default, source, target nodeType. controls source position
    * @example 'right', 'left', 'top', 'bottom'
    */
@@ -63,7 +61,15 @@ export type NodeBase<
     width?: number;
     height?: number;
   };
-};
+} & (undefined extends NodeType
+  ? {
+      /** Type of node defined in nodeTypes */
+      type?: string | undefined;
+    }
+  : {
+      /** Type of node defined in nodeTypes */
+      type: NodeType;
+    });
 
 export type InternalNodeBase<NodeType extends NodeBase = NodeBase> = NodeType & {
   measured: {