diff --git a/src/becca/entities/rows.ts b/src/becca/entities/rows.ts
index cf7dae4ac..097e9042e 100644
--- a/src/becca/entities/rows.ts
+++ b/src/becca/entities/rows.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export type AttributeType = "label" | "relation";
 
 export interface AttributeRow {
     attributeId?: string;
-    noteId: string;
+    noteId?: string;
     type: AttributeType;
     name: string;
     position?: number;
diff --git a/src/etapi/attributes.js b/src/etapi/attributes.js
index dca82b0ea..17ca00c07 100644
--- a/src/etapi/attributes.js
+++ b/src/etapi/attributes.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const becca = require('../becca/becca');
 const eu = require('./etapi_utils');
 const mappers = require('./mappers.js');
-const attributeService = require('../services/attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('../services/attributes');
 const v = require('./validators.js');
 
 function register(router) {
diff --git a/src/routes/api/attributes.js b/src/routes/api/attributes.js
index de906a225..2c151fccf 100644
--- a/src/routes/api/attributes.js
+++ b/src/routes/api/attributes.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 const sql = require('../../services/sql');
 const log = require('../../services/log');
-const attributeService = require('../../services/attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('../../services/attributes');
 const BAttribute = require('../../becca/entities/battribute');
 const becca = require('../../becca/becca');
 const ValidationError = require('../../errors/validation_error');
diff --git a/src/routes/api/clipper.js b/src/routes/api/clipper.js
index b5cda8c31..4e80ebbb0 100644
--- a/src/routes/api/clipper.js
+++ b/src/routes/api/clipper.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 "use strict";
 
-const attributeService = require('../../services/attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('../../services/attributes');
 const cloneService = require('../../services/cloning.js');
 const noteService = require('../../services/notes');
 const dateNoteService = require('../../services/date_notes.js');
diff --git a/src/routes/api/script.js b/src/routes/api/script.js
index 0dbb72f2c..2dac2ca64 100644
--- a/src/routes/api/script.js
+++ b/src/routes/api/script.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "use strict";
 
 const scriptService = require('../../services/script.js');
-const attributeService = require('../../services/attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('../../services/attributes');
 const becca = require('../../becca/becca');
 const syncService = require('../../services/sync.js');
 const sql = require('../../services/sql');
diff --git a/src/routes/index.js b/src/routes/index.js
index c9c0a33de..44c609834 100644
--- a/src/routes/index.js
+++ b/src/routes/index.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "use strict";
 
 const sql = require('../services/sql');
-const attributeService = require('../services/attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('../services/attributes');
 const config = require('../services/config');
 const optionService = require('../services/options');
 const log = require('../services/log');
diff --git a/src/routes/routes.js b/src/routes/routes.js
index 3291fe7e5..7c5ea7e0a 100644
--- a/src/routes/routes.js
+++ b/src/routes/routes.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ const setupApiRoute = require('./api/setup.js');
 const sqlRoute = require('./api/sql');
 const databaseRoute = require('./api/database.js');
 const imageRoute = require('./api/image.js');
-const attributesRoute = require('./api/attributes.js');
+const attributesRoute = require('./api/attributes');
 const scriptRoute = require('./api/script.js');
 const senderRoute = require('./api/sender.js');
 const filesRoute = require('./api/files.js');
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ const shareRoutes = require('../share/routes.js');
 const etapiAuthRoutes = require('../etapi/auth.js');
 const etapiAppInfoRoutes = require('../etapi/app_info');
 const etapiAttachmentRoutes = require('../etapi/attachments.js');
-const etapiAttributeRoutes = require('../etapi/attributes.js');
+const etapiAttributeRoutes = require('../etapi/attributes');
 const etapiBranchRoutes = require('../etapi/branches.js');
 const etapiNoteRoutes = require('../etapi/notes.js');
 const etapiSpecialNoteRoutes = require('../etapi/special_notes.js');
diff --git a/src/services/attribute_formatter.ts b/src/services/attribute_formatter.ts
index 846450f36..a7b4b7500 100644
--- a/src/services/attribute_formatter.ts
+++ b/src/services/attribute_formatter.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 "use strict";
 
-import BAttribute = require("../becca/entities/battribute");
+import { AttributeRow } from "../becca/entities/rows";
 
-function formatAttrForSearch(attr: BAttribute, searchWithValue: string) {
+function formatAttrForSearch(attr: AttributeRow, searchWithValue: boolean) {
     let searchStr = '';
 
     if (attr.type === 'label') {
diff --git a/src/services/attributes.js b/src/services/attributes.ts
similarity index 67%
rename from src/services/attributes.js
rename to src/services/attributes.ts
index a670ec731..0ae77dc36 100644
--- a/src/services/attributes.js
+++ b/src/services/attributes.ts
@@ -1,17 +1,18 @@
 "use strict";
 
-const searchService = require('./search/services/search');
-const sql = require('./sql');
-const becca = require('../becca/becca');
-const BAttribute = require('../becca/entities/battribute');
-const {formatAttrForSearch} = require('./attribute_formatter');
-const BUILTIN_ATTRIBUTES = require('./builtin_attributes');
+import searchService = require('./search/services/search');
+import sql = require('./sql');
+import becca = require('../becca/becca');
+import BAttribute = require('../becca/entities/battribute');
+import attributeFormatter = require('./attribute_formatter');
+import BUILTIN_ATTRIBUTES = require('./builtin_attributes');
+import BNote = require('../becca/entities/bnote');
+import { AttributeRow } from '../becca/entities/rows';
 
 const ATTRIBUTE_TYPES = ['label', 'relation'];
 
-/** @returns {BNote[]} */
-function getNotesWithLabel(name, value = undefined) {
-    const query = formatAttrForSearch({type: 'label', name, value}, value !== undefined);
+function getNotesWithLabel(name: string, value?: string): BNote[] {
+    const query = attributeFormatter.formatAttrForSearch({type: 'label', name, value}, value !== undefined);
     return searchService.searchNotes(query, {
         includeArchivedNotes: true,
         ignoreHoistedNote: true
@@ -19,8 +20,7 @@ function getNotesWithLabel(name, value = undefined) {
 }
 
 // TODO: should be in search service
-/** @returns {BNote|null} */
-function getNoteWithLabel(name, value = undefined) {
+function getNoteWithLabel(name: string, value?: string): BNote | null {
     // optimized version (~20 times faster) without using normal search, useful for e.g., finding date notes
     const attrs = becca.findAttributes('label', name);
 
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ function getNoteWithLabel(name, value = undefined) {
     return null;
 }
 
-function createLabel(noteId, name, value = "") {
+function createLabel(noteId: string, name: string, value: string = "") {
     return createAttribute({
         noteId: noteId,
         type: 'label',
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ function createLabel(noteId, name, value = "") {
     });
 }
 
-function createRelation(noteId, name, targetNoteId) {
+function createRelation(noteId: string, name: string, targetNoteId: string) {
     return createAttribute({
         noteId: noteId,
         type: 'relation',
@@ -57,14 +57,14 @@ function createRelation(noteId, name, targetNoteId) {
     });
 }
 
-function createAttribute(attribute) {
+function createAttribute(attribute: AttributeRow) {
     return new BAttribute(attribute).save();
 }
 
-function getAttributeNames(type, nameLike) {
+function getAttributeNames(type: string, nameLike: string) {
     nameLike = nameLike.toLowerCase();
 
-    let names = sql.getColumn(
+    let names = sql.getColumn<string>(
         `SELECT DISTINCT name 
              FROM attributes 
              WHERE isDeleted = 0
@@ -98,11 +98,11 @@ function getAttributeNames(type, nameLike) {
     return names;
 }
 
-function isAttributeType(type) {
+function isAttributeType(type: string): boolean {
     return ATTRIBUTE_TYPES.includes(type);
 }
 
-function isAttributeDangerous(type, name) {
+function isAttributeDangerous(type: string, name: string): boolean {
     return BUILTIN_ATTRIBUTES.some(attr =>
         attr.type === type &&
         attr.name.toLowerCase() === name.trim().toLowerCase() &&
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ function isAttributeDangerous(type, name) {
     );
 }
 
-module.exports = {
+export = {
     getNotesWithLabel,
     getNoteWithLabel,
     createLabel,
diff --git a/src/services/backend_script_api.js b/src/services/backend_script_api.js
index 592946ee1..470bfe7ba 100644
--- a/src/services/backend_script_api.js
+++ b/src/services/backend_script_api.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ const log = require('./log');
 const noteService = require('./notes');
 const sql = require('./sql');
 const utils = require('./utils');
-const attributeService = require('./attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('./attributes');
 const dateNoteService = require('./date_notes.js');
 const treeService = require('./tree.js');
 const config = require('./config');
diff --git a/src/services/date_notes.js b/src/services/date_notes.js
index afced2392..1c187ef5a 100644
--- a/src/services/date_notes.js
+++ b/src/services/date_notes.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 "use strict";
 
 const noteService = require('./notes');
-const attributeService = require('./attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('./attributes');
 const dateUtils = require('./date_utils');
 const sql = require('./sql');
 const protectedSessionService = require('./protected_session');
diff --git a/src/services/import/zip.js b/src/services/import/zip.js
index ee7a828d1..08c663786 100644
--- a/src/services/import/zip.js
+++ b/src/services/import/zip.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const BAttribute = require('../../becca/entities/battribute');
 const utils = require('../../services/utils');
 const log = require('../../services/log');
 const noteService = require('../../services/notes');
-const attributeService = require('../../services/attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('../../services/attributes');
 const BBranch = require('../../becca/entities/bbranch');
 const path = require('path');
 const protectedSessionService = require('../protected_session');
diff --git a/src/services/scheduler.js b/src/services/scheduler.js
index d4f40cfd7..aa0a3dfcd 100644
--- a/src/services/scheduler.js
+++ b/src/services/scheduler.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ const cls = require('./cls');
 const sqlInit = require('./sql_init');
 const config = require('./config');
 const log = require('./log');
-const attributeService = require('../services/attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('../services/attributes');
 const protectedSessionService = require('../services/protected_session');
 const hiddenSubtreeService = require('./hidden_subtree');
 
diff --git a/src/services/special_notes.js b/src/services/special_notes.js
index a600261c2..ceedc05f6 100644
--- a/src/services/special_notes.js
+++ b/src/services/special_notes.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-const attributeService = require('./attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('./attributes');
 const dateNoteService = require('./date_notes.js');
 const becca = require('../becca/becca');
 const noteService = require('./notes');
diff --git a/src/tools/generate_document.js b/src/tools/generate_document.js
index 503fdc6ee..e2eff9bd5 100644
--- a/src/tools/generate_document.js
+++ b/src/tools/generate_document.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 require('../becca/entity_constructor');
 const sqlInit = require('../services/sql_init');
 const noteService = require('../services/notes');
-const attributeService = require('../services/attributes.js');
+const attributeService = require('../services/attributes');
 const cls = require('../services/cls');
 const cloningService = require('../services/cloning.js');
 const loremIpsum = require('lorem-ipsum').loremIpsum;