diff --git a/app/api/nodes/route.ts b/app/api/nodes/route.ts
index 7ba26ec..ddbd857 100644
--- a/app/api/nodes/route.ts
+++ b/app/api/nodes/route.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
 import { cookies } from 'next/headers';
 import { RichText, Agent } from '@atproto/api';
+import { RecordId } from 'surrealdb';
 import { connectToDB } from '@/lib/db';
 import { generateEmbedding } from '@/lib/ai';
 import { verifySurrealJwt } from '@/lib/auth/jwt';
@@ -43,7 +44,8 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
   const createdAt = new Date().toISOString();
 
   // Generate a unique node ID upfront (we'll use this for the detail page link)
-  const nodeId = `node:${crypto.randomUUID()}`;
+  const nodeUuid = crypto.randomUUID();
+  const nodeId = `node:${nodeUuid}`;
   const detailUrl = `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL || 'https://ponderants.app'}/galaxy/${encodeURIComponent(nodeId)}`;
 
   // --- Step 1: Write to Source of Truth (ATproto) ---
@@ -235,7 +237,9 @@ export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
       nodeData.embedding = embedding;
     }
 
-    const newNode = await db.create(nodeId, nodeData);
+    // Use RecordId object to specify table and ID separately
+    // SurrealDB client expects RecordId object, not 'table:id' string
+    const newNode = await db.create(new RecordId('node', nodeUuid), nodeData);
 
     // Handle linking
     if (links && links.length > 0) {