diff --git a/app/core/chunk_payload.py b/app/core/chunk_payload.py
index 6020f2c..e935ddf 100644
--- a/app/core/chunk_payload.py
+++ b/app/core/chunk_payload.py
@@ -1,218 +1,162 @@
-# app/core/chunk_payload.py
-# Version: 1.2.0 (2025-11-08)
-# Purpose:
-#   Build robust Qdrant payloads for CHUNK points.
-#
-# Highlights:
-#   - Works with dict-like chunks and simple objects; supports (text, idx) tuples.
-#   - Accepts legacy/extra kwargs (e.g., vault_root) without failing.
-#   - Copies canonical note fields onto each chunk (note_id/title/type/tags/path).
-#   - Sets 'text' and 'chunk_index' per chunk.
-#   - Reliably propagates `retriever_weight` onto every chunk if provided in
-#     frontmatter or explicitly.
-#
-# Usage:
-#   payloads = make_chunk_payloads(note, chunks, retriever_weight=None, base_payload=None, vault_root="/path/to/vault")
-#
-# Changelog:
-#   1.2.0  (2025-11-08)  Accept legacy kwargs, robust getters, propagate retriever_weight.
-#   1.1.0  (2025-11-08)  Initial robust rewrite with attribute/dict support.
+"""
+chunk_payload.py — mindnet core payload builders
+Version: 1.3.1 (2025-11-08)
 
+Purpose
+-------
+Build robust chunk payloads for Qdrant upserts.
+This function is intentionally flexible about its signature to remain
+compatible with different callers.
+
+Contract
+--------
+make_chunk_payloads(note, chunks, *args, **kwargs) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]
+
+Each returned item contains at least:
+- note_id (str)
+- title (str)
+- type (str)
+- path (str or None)
+- tags (List[str])
+- chunk_index (int)
+- text (str)
+- retriever_weight (float or None)  # if available
+"""
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, Iterable, List, Optional, Tuple
+from typing import Any, Dict, Iterable, List, Mapping, Optional, Sequence, Union
 
 
 def _get(obj: Any, key: str, default: Any = None) -> Any:
     if obj is None:
         return default
-    if hasattr(obj, key):
-        try:
-            val = getattr(obj, key)
-            return default if val is None else val
-        except Exception:
-            pass
-    if isinstance(obj, dict):
-        if key in obj:
-            val = obj.get(key, default)
-            return default if val is None else val
-    return default
+    if isinstance(obj, Mapping):
+        return obj.get(key, default)
+    return getattr(obj, key, default)
 
 
-def _get_frontmatter(note: Any) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    fm = _get(note, "frontmatter", None)
-    if isinstance(fm, dict):
+def _get_frontmatter(note: Any) -> Mapping[str, Any]:
+    fm = _get(note, "frontmatter", {})
+    if isinstance(fm, Mapping):
         return fm
-    meta = _get(note, "meta", None)
-    if isinstance(meta, dict) and isinstance(meta.get("frontmatter"), dict):
-        return meta["frontmatter"]
     return {}
 
 
-def _get_from_frontmatter(fm: Dict[str, Any], key: str, default: Any = None) -> Any:
-    if not isinstance(fm, dict):
-        return default
-    if key in fm:
-        val = fm.get(key, default)
-        return default if val is None else val
-    return default
-
-
-def _coerce_tags(val: Any) -> List[str]:
-    if val is None:
-        return []
-    if isinstance(val, list):
-        return [str(x) for x in val]
-    if isinstance(val, str):
-        parts = [t.strip() for t in val.split(",")]
-        return [p for p in parts if p]
-    return []
-
-
-def _resolve_retriever_weight(fm: Dict[str, Any], explicit: Optional[float]) -> Optional[float]:
-    if explicit is not None:
+def _resolve_retriever_weight(explicit: Any, fm: Mapping[str, Any]) -> Optional[float]:
+    def to_float(v: Any) -> Optional[float]:
         try:
-            return float(explicit)
+            if v is None:
+                return None
+            return float(v)
         except Exception:
             return None
-    val = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "retriever_weight", None)
-    if isinstance(val, (int, float)):
-        return float(val)
+
+    if explicit is not None:
+        return to_float(explicit)
+
+    if "retriever_weight" in fm:
+        return to_float(fm.get("retriever_weight"))
+
     retr = fm.get("retriever")
-    if isinstance(retr, dict):
-        v = retr.get("weight")
-        if isinstance(v, (int, float)):
-            return float(v)
+    if isinstance(retr, Mapping) and "weight" in retr:
+        return to_float(retr.get("weight"))
+
     return None
 
 
-def _resolve_path(note: Any, fm: Dict[str, Any], vault_root: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
-    path = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "path", None)
-    if path is None:
-        path = _get(note, "path", None) or _get(note, "source", None) or _get(note, "filepath", None)
-    if path is None:
+def _to_rel_path(abs_path: Optional[Union[str, Path]], vault_root: Optional[Union[str, Path]]) -> Optional[str]:
+    if abs_path is None:
         return None
     try:
+        p = Path(abs_path)
         if vault_root:
-            vr = Path(vault_root)
-            rel = Path(path)
             try:
-                return str(rel.relative_to(vr))
+                rp = p.relative_to(Path(vault_root))
+                return str(rp)
             except Exception:
-                return str(rel)
+                return str(p)
+        return str(p)
     except Exception:
-        pass
-    return str(path)
+        return str(abs_path)
 
 
-def _resolve_note_fields(note: Any, vault_root: Optional[str]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    fm = _get_frontmatter(note)
-    note_id = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "id", None) or _get(note, "note_id", None) or _get(note, "id", None)
-    title = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "title", None) or _get(note, "title", None)
-    ntype = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "type", None) or _get(note, "type", None)
-    tags  = _coerce_tags(_get_from_frontmatter(fm, "tags", None) or _get(note, "tags", None))
-    path  = _resolve_path(note, fm, vault_root)
-    return {"note_id": note_id, "title": title, "type": ntype, "tags": tags, "path": path, "frontmatter": fm}
+def _coerce_chunks(chunks_obj: Any) -> List[Any]:
+    """Accept lists of dicts/objects or generators; coerce to list safely."""
+    if chunks_obj is None:
+        return []
+    if isinstance(chunks_obj, list):
+        return chunks_obj
+    try:
+        return list(chunks_obj)
+    except Exception:
+        return []
 
 
-def _extract_chunk_text_and_index(chunk: Any, fallback_index: int) -> Tuple[str, int]:
-    # (text, idx) tuple
-    if isinstance(chunk, tuple) and len(chunk) == 2 and isinstance(chunk[0], str):
-        txt, idx = chunk
-        try:
-            idx_int = int(idx)
-        except Exception:
-            idx_int = fallback_index
-        return txt, idx_int
-    # string
-    if isinstance(chunk, str):
-        return chunk, fallback_index
-    # dict
-    if isinstance(chunk, dict):
-        txt = chunk.get("text") or chunk.get("window") or chunk.get("body") or chunk.get("content")
-        if isinstance(txt, str):
-            idx = chunk.get("index")
-            try:
-                idx_int = int(idx) if idx is not None else fallback_index
-            except Exception:
-                idx_int = fallback_index
-            return txt, idx_int
-    # object with attributes
-    for attr in ("text", "window", "body", "content"):
-        if hasattr(chunk, attr):
-            try:
-                txt = getattr(chunk, attr)
-            except Exception:
-                txt = None
-            if isinstance(txt, str):
-                idx = None
-                if hasattr(chunk, "index"):
-                    try:
-                        idx = getattr(chunk, "index")
-                    except Exception:
-                        idx = None
-                try:
-                    idx_int = int(idx) if idx is not None else fallback_index
-                except Exception:
-                    idx_int = fallback_index
-                return txt, idx_int
-    raise ValueError("Unsupported chunk format: cannot extract text/index")
+def _get_chunk_text(c: Any) -> str:
+    for key in ("text", "chunk", "body", "content"):
+        v = _get(c, key)
+        if isinstance(v, str) and v.strip():
+            return v
+    # last resort: string repr
+    return str(c) if c is not None else ""
 
 
 def make_chunk_payloads(
-    note: Any,
-    chunks,
-    *,
-    retriever_weight: Optional[float] = None,
-    base_payload: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
-    vault_root: Optional[str] = None,
-    **kwargs,
+    *args: Any,
+    **kwargs: Any,
 ) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
-    """Build Qdrant payloads for chunks from a parsed note and iterable of chunks.
-
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    note : Any
-        Parsed note (dict or object with attributes).
-    chunks : Iterable[Any]
-        Chunks; supports str, dicts with 'text'/'window'/'body'/'content', objects with same, or (text, idx) tuples.
-    retriever_weight : Optional[float]
-        Optional override; if None, value is read from frontmatter.
-    base_payload : Optional[Dict[str, Any]]
-        Extra fields to copy onto each chunk.
-    vault_root : Optional[str]
-        Optional base path to compute relative 'path' if possible.
-    **kwargs :
-        Ignored extra options to remain compatible with callers.
     """
-    note_fields = _resolve_note_fields(note, vault_root)
-    fm = note_fields["frontmatter"]
-    rw = _resolve_retriever_weight(fm, retriever_weight)
+    Flexible signature for backward/forward compatibility.
+    Expected positional args:
+        args[0] -> note (ParsedNote or Mapping)
+        args[1] -> chunks (Iterable)
+        args[2] -> (optional) config/ignored
+    Recognized kwargs:
+        - vault_root: base path for relative paths (optional)
+        - retriever_weight: explicit override (optional)
+    """
+    if not args:
+        raise TypeError("make_chunk_payloads(note, chunks, *_) requires at least (note, chunks).")
 
-    common: Dict[str, Any] = {}
-    if isinstance(base_payload, dict):
-        common.update({k: v for k, v in base_payload.items() if v is not None})
+    note = args[0]
+    chunks = args[1] if len(args) > 1 else kwargs.get("chunks")
+    chunks_list = _coerce_chunks(chunks)
 
-    if note_fields.get("note_id") is not None:
-        common["note_id"] = note_fields["note_id"]
-    if note_fields.get("title") is not None:
-        common["title"] = note_fields["title"]
-    if note_fields.get("type") is not None:
-        common["type"] = note_fields["type"]
-    if note_fields.get("tags"):
-        common["tags"] = note_fields["tags"]
-    if note_fields.get("path") is not None:
-        common["path"] = note_fields["path"]
-    if rw is not None:
-        common["retriever_weight"] = rw
+    vault_root = kwargs.get("vault_root")
+    explicit_weight = kwargs.get("retriever_weight")
 
-    out: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []
-    for i, ch in enumerate(chunks):
-        text, idx = _extract_chunk_text_and_index(ch, i)
-        payload = dict(common)
-        payload["chunk_index"] = idx
-        payload["text"] = text
-        out.append(payload)
+    fm = _get_frontmatter(note)
 
-    return out
+    note_id = _get(note, "note_id") or _get(note, "id") or fm.get("id")
+    title = _get(note, "title") or fm.get("title")
+    ntype = _get(note, "type") or fm.get("type")
+    tags = _get(note, "tags") or fm.get("tags") or []
+    if not isinstance(tags, list):
+        tags = list(tags) if tags else []
+
+    path_val = _get(note, "path") or _get(note, "abs_path") or fm.get("path")
+    rweight = _resolve_retriever_weight(explicit_weight, fm)
+
+    base = {
+        "note_id": note_id,
+        "title": title,
+        "type": ntype,
+        "tags": tags,
+        "path": _to_rel_path(path_val, vault_root),
+        "retriever_weight": rweight,
+    }
+
+    payloads: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []
+    for idx, ch in enumerate(chunks_list):
+        text = _get_chunk_text(ch)
+        item = dict(base)
+        item.update(
+            {
+                "chunk_index": idx,
+                "text": text,
+            }
+        )
+        payloads.append(item)
+
+    return payloads
diff --git a/app/core/note_payload.py b/app/core/note_payload.py
index be0a390..c2dff31 100644
--- a/app/core/note_payload.py
+++ b/app/core/note_payload.py
@@ -1,181 +1,139 @@
-# app/core/note_payload.py
-# Version: 1.2.0 (2025-11-08)
-# Purpose:
-#   Build robust Qdrant payloads for NOTE points.
-#
-# Highlights:
-#   - Works with both dict-like inputs and ParsedNote-like objects (attribute access).
-#   - Accepts legacy/extra kwargs (e.g., vault_root) without failing.
-#   - Copies canonical fields: id/note_id, title, type, tags, path, text (if present).
-#   - Reliably propagates `retriever_weight` into the payload if set in frontmatter
-#     (frontmatter.retriever_weight or frontmatter.retriever.weight) or provided explicitly.
-#
-# Backward compatibility:
-#   - Signature accepts **kwargs (e.g., vault_root) because some callers pass it.
-#   - Both 'id' and 'note_id' are written for compatibility with existing queries.
-#
-# Usage:
-#   payload = make_note_payload(parsed_note, retriever_weight=None, vault_root="/path/to/vault")
-#
-# Changelog:
-#   1.2.0  (2025-11-08)  Accept legacy kwargs, robust getters, propagate retriever_weight.
-#   1.1.0  (2025-11-08)  Initial robust rewrite with attribute/dict support.
+"""
+note_payload.py — mindnet core payload builders
+Version: 1.3.1 (2025-11-08)
 
+Purpose
+-------
+Build a robust, forward-compatible note payload for Qdrant upserts.
+This module is intentionally defensive:
+- Accepts both dict-like "parsed note" objects and dataclass/objects with attributes.
+- Tolerates extra kwargs from different callers (e.g., `vault_root`, `prefix`, etc.).
+- Ensures `retriever_weight` is resolved and present in the payload if available.
+
+Contract
+--------
+make_note_payload(note, **kwargs) -> Dict[str, Any]
+
+Expected minimal fields in returned payload:
+- note_id (str)
+- title (str)
+- type (str)
+- path (str or None)  # relative to vault_root when provided
+- tags (List[str])
+- retriever_weight (float or None)  # if available
+"""
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
+from typing import Any, Dict, Iterable, List, Mapping, Optional, Union
 
 
 def _get(obj: Any, key: str, default: Any = None) -> Any:
-    """Robust getter: attribute first, then dict."""
+    """Try to read `key` from mapping or attribute; else default."""
     if obj is None:
         return default
-    if hasattr(obj, key):
-        try:
-            val = getattr(obj, key)
-            return default if val is None else val
-        except Exception:
-            pass
-    if isinstance(obj, dict):
-        if key in obj:
-            val = obj.get(key, default)
-            return default if val is None else val
-    return default
+    if isinstance(obj, Mapping):
+        return obj.get(key, default)
+    # attribute access
+    return getattr(obj, key, default)
 
 
-def _get_frontmatter(note: Any) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    fm = _get(note, "frontmatter", None)
-    if isinstance(fm, dict):
+def _get_frontmatter(note: Any) -> Mapping[str, Any]:
+    fm = _get(note, "frontmatter", {})
+    if isinstance(fm, Mapping):
         return fm
-    meta = _get(note, "meta", None)
-    if isinstance(meta, dict) and isinstance(meta.get("frontmatter"), dict):
-        return meta["frontmatter"]
-    return {}
+    return {}  # be safe
 
 
-def _get_from_frontmatter(fm: Dict[str, Any], key: str, default: Any = None) -> Any:
-    if not isinstance(fm, dict):
-        return default
-    if key in fm:
-        val = fm.get(key, default)
-        return default if val is None else val
-    return default
-
-
-def _coerce_tags(val: Any) -> List[str]:
-    if val is None:
-        return []
-    if isinstance(val, list):
-        return [str(x) for x in val]
-    if isinstance(val, str):
-        parts = [t.strip() for t in val.split(",")]
-        return [p for p in parts if p]
-    return []
-
-
-def _resolve_retriever_weight(fm: Dict[str, Any], explicit: Optional[float]) -> Optional[float]:
-    # 1) explicit argument wins
-    if explicit is not None:
+def _resolve_retriever_weight(explicit: Any, fm: Mapping[str, Any]) -> Optional[float]:
+    """
+    Priority:
+    1) explicit kwarg retriever_weight
+    2) frontmatter['retriever_weight']
+    3) frontmatter['retriever']['weight']
+    """
+    def to_float(v: Any) -> Optional[float]:
         try:
-            return float(explicit)
+            if v is None:
+                return None
+            return float(v)
         except Exception:
             return None
-    # 2) frontmatter.retriever_weight
-    val = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "retriever_weight", None)
-    if isinstance(val, (int, float)):
-        return float(val)
-    # 3) frontmatter.retriever.weight
+
+    if explicit is not None:
+        return to_float(explicit)
+
+    if "retriever_weight" in fm:
+        return to_float(fm.get("retriever_weight"))
+
     retr = fm.get("retriever")
-    if isinstance(retr, dict):
-        v = retr.get("weight")
-        if isinstance(v, (int, float)):
-            return float(v)
+    if isinstance(retr, Mapping) and "weight" in retr:
+        return to_float(retr.get("weight"))
+
     return None
 
 
-def _resolve_path(note: Any, fm: Dict[str, Any], vault_root: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
-    """Try to determine a stable relative path for diagnostics/traceability."""
-    path = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "path", None)
-    if path is None:
-        path = _get(note, "path", None) or _get(note, "source", None) or _get(note, "filepath", None)
-    if path is None:
+def _to_rel_path(abs_path: Optional[Union[str, Path]], vault_root: Optional[Union[str, Path]]) -> Optional[str]:
+    if abs_path is None:
         return None
     try:
+        p = Path(abs_path)
         if vault_root:
-            vr = Path(vault_root)
-            # Avoid Windows drive quirks: use Pure/Path consistently
-            rel = Path(path)
             try:
-                path_rel = str(rel.relative_to(vr))
+                rp = p.relative_to(Path(vault_root))
+                return str(rp)
             except Exception:
-                # If 'path' is absolute not under vault_root, just return as-is
-                path_rel = str(rel)
-            return path_rel
+                return str(p)
+        return str(p)
     except Exception:
-        pass
-    return str(path)
+        return str(abs_path)
 
 
 def make_note_payload(
     note: Any,
-    *,
-    retriever_weight: Optional[float] = None,
-    vault_root: Optional[str] = None,
-    **kwargs,
+    *args,  # tolerate older/other callers
+    **kwargs: Any,
 ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """
-    Build a Qdrant payload dict for a NOTE.
+    Build a normalized note payload for Qdrant.
+    Unknown kwargs are ignored to keep the function forward-compatible.
 
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    note : Any
-        Parsed note (dict or object with attributes).
-    retriever_weight : Optional[float]
-        Optional override; if None, value is read from frontmatter.
-    vault_root : Optional[str]
-        Optional base path to compute relative 'path' if possible.
-    **kwargs :
-        Ignored extra options to remain compatible with callers.
-
-    Returns
-    -------
-    Dict[str, Any]
-        Payload ready for Qdrant upsert.
+    Recognized kwargs:
+    - vault_root: base path to make `path` relative (optional)
+    - retriever_weight: explicit override (optional)
     """
+    vault_root = kwargs.get("vault_root")
+    explicit_weight = kwargs.get("retriever_weight")
+
     fm = _get_frontmatter(note)
 
-    # id / note_id
-    note_id = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "id", None) or _get(note, "note_id", None) or _get(note, "id", None)
-    title = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "title", None) or _get(note, "title", None)
-    ntype = _get_from_frontmatter(fm, "type", None) or _get(note, "type", None)
-    tags  = _coerce_tags(_get_from_frontmatter(fm, "tags", None) or _get(note, "tags", None))
+    note_id = _get(note, "note_id") or _get(note, "id")
+    if not note_id:
+        # Try from frontmatter
+        note_id = fm.get("id")
 
-    # Optional text for notes collection (only if present; we don't force it)
-    text = _get(note, "text", None)
-    if text is None and isinstance(note, dict):
-        text = note.get("body") or note.get("content")
+    title = _get(note, "title") or fm.get("title")
+    ntype = _get(note, "type") or fm.get("type")
 
-    # Path resolution
-    path = _resolve_path(note, fm, vault_root)
+    tags = _get(note, "tags") or fm.get("tags") or []
+    if not isinstance(tags, list):
+        tags = list(tags) if tags else []
 
-    payload: Dict[str, Any] = {}
-    if note_id is not None:
-        payload["id"] = note_id       # keep for legacy queries
-        payload["note_id"] = note_id  # canonical
-    if title is not None:
-        payload["title"] = title
-    if ntype is not None:
-        payload["type"] = ntype
-    if tags:
-        payload["tags"] = tags
-    if path is not None:
-        payload["path"] = path
-    if text is not None:
-        payload["text"] = text
+    path_val = _get(note, "path") or _get(note, "abs_path") or fm.get("path")
 
-    rw = _resolve_retriever_weight(fm, retriever_weight)
-    if rw is not None:
-        payload["retriever_weight"] = rw
+    payload: Dict[str, Any] = {
+        "note_id": note_id,
+        "title": title,
+        "type": ntype,
+        "tags": tags,
+        "path": _to_rel_path(path_val, vault_root),
+        "retriever_weight": _resolve_retriever_weight(explicit_weight, fm),
+    }
+
+    # Also surface explicit frontmatter fields (non-conflicting) if present
+    for k in ("status", "created", "updated"):
+        v = fm.get(k)
+        if v is not None and k not in payload:
+            payload[k] = v
 
     return payload