diff --git a/src/common/SearchQueryUtils.ts b/src/common/SearchQueryUtils.ts
index 09d612ac..dfee3bcb 100644
--- a/src/common/SearchQueryUtils.ts
+++ b/src/common/SearchQueryUtils.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   SearchQueryTypes,
   SomeOfSearchQuery,
   TextSearch,
+  TextSearchQueryMatchTypes,
   TextSearchQueryTypes
 } from './entities/SearchQueryDTO';
 import {SearchQueryParser} from './SearchQueryParser';
@@ -109,20 +110,24 @@ export const SearchQueryUtils = {
       query.type === undefined ||
       (query.type === SearchQueryTypes.any_text && !(query as TextSearch).value);
   },
-  // Recursively strip negate:false so that optional false flags do not break validation
+  // Recursively strip negate:false and matchType:like so that optional/default flags do not break validation
   // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
-  stripFalseNegate: (val: any): any => {
+  stripDefault: (val: any): any => {
     if (Array.isArray(val)) {
-      return val.map((v) => SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(v));
+      return val.map((v) => SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(v));
     }
     if (val && typeof val === 'object') {
       const out: Record<string, unknown> = {};
       for (const k of Object.keys(val)) {
-        const v = SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(val[k]);
+        const v = SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(val[k]);
         if (k === 'negate' && v === false) {
           // drop negate:false
           continue;
         }
+        if (k === 'matchType' && v === TextSearchQueryMatchTypes.like) {
+          // drop matchType:like (this is the default)
+          continue;
+        }
         // keep everything else, including negate:true and undefined-handled by equalsFilter
         out[k] = v;
       }
@@ -139,9 +144,9 @@ export const SearchQueryUtils = {
     const sp = new SearchQueryParser();
     try {
       const parsed = sp.parse(sp.stringify(query));
-      const normParsed = SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(parsed) as SearchQueryDTO;
-      const normQuery = SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(query) as SearchQueryDTO;
-      if (!Utils.equalsFilter(normParsed, normQuery)) {
+      const normParsed = SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(parsed) as SearchQueryDTO;
+      const normQuery = SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(query) as SearchQueryDTO;
+      if (!Utils.equalsFilter(normParsed, normQuery) || !Utils.equalsFilter(normQuery, normParsed)) {
         throw new Error(
           `${what} is not valid. Expected: ${JSON.stringify(parsed)} to equal: ${JSON.stringify(query)}`
         );
@@ -179,7 +184,7 @@ export const SearchQueryUtils = {
     if (!query) {
       return '';
     }
-    query=SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(query);
+    query=SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(query);
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     const shorten = (obj: any): any => {
       if (Array.isArray(obj)) {
diff --git a/src/common/entities/SearchQueryDTO.ts b/src/common/entities/SearchQueryDTO.ts
index aef1954b..c01f8c40 100644
--- a/src/common/entities/SearchQueryDTO.ts
+++ b/src/common/entities/SearchQueryDTO.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ export const MetadataSearchQueryTypes = [
 
 export enum TextSearchQueryMatchTypes {
   exact_match = 1,
-  like = 2,
+  like = 2, // default value
 }
 
 export interface SearchQueryDTO {
diff --git a/src/frontend/app/ui/gallery/search/search-query-parser.service.ts b/src/frontend/app/ui/gallery/search/search-query-parser.service.ts
index 5f4ebfe8..61a3844b 100644
--- a/src/frontend/app/ui/gallery/search/search-query-parser.service.ts
+++ b/src/frontend/app/ui/gallery/search/search-query-parser.service.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,6 @@ export class SearchQueryParserService {
   }
 
   stringify(query: SearchQueryDTO): string {
-    return this.parser.stringify(SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(query));
+    return this.parser.stringify(SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(query));
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/frontend/app/ui/gallery/search/search.gallery.component.ts b/src/frontend/app/ui/gallery/search/search.gallery.component.ts
index 49c7a930..a4a59507 100644
--- a/src/frontend/app/ui/gallery/search/search.gallery.component.ts
+++ b/src/frontend/app/ui/gallery/search/search.gallery.component.ts
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ export class GallerySearchComponent implements OnDestroy {
   async saveSearch(): Promise<void> {
     await this.albumService.addSavedSearch(
       this.saveSearchName,
-      SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(this.searchQueryDTO)
+      SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(this.searchQueryDTO)
     );
     this.hideSaveSearchModal();
   }
diff --git a/test/common/unit/SearchQueryDTOUtils.spec.ts b/test/common/unit/SearchQueryDTOUtils.spec.ts
index 3d4a1859..cab4f1f4 100644
--- a/test/common/unit/SearchQueryDTOUtils.spec.ts
+++ b/test/common/unit/SearchQueryDTOUtils.spec.ts
@@ -151,11 +151,26 @@ describe('SearchQueryDTOUtils.sortQuery', () => {
 // Added tests to cover validateSearchQuery behavior with negate:false
 // The validation should not fail merely because a negate:false property exists, even deeply nested.
 
-describe('SearchQueryDTOUtils.validateSearchQuery with negate:false', () => {
+describe('SearchQueryDTOUtils.validateSearchQuery', () => {
   const assertValid = (q: SearchQueryDTO) => {
     expect(() => SearchQueryUtils.validateSearchQuery(q, 'SearchQuery')).to.not.throw();
   };
 
+  it('should validate a top-level leaf with mathtype exact_match', () => {
+    const q: TextSearch = {type: SearchQueryTypes.person, value: 'alice', matchType: TextSearchQueryMatchTypes.exact_match};
+    assertValid(q);
+  });
+
+  it('should validate a top-level leaf with mathtype like', () => {
+    const q: TextSearch = {type: SearchQueryTypes.person, value: 'alice', matchType: TextSearchQueryMatchTypes.like};
+    assertValid(q);
+  });
+
+  it('should validate a top-level leaf with mathtype like and spaces', () => {
+    const q: TextSearch = {type: SearchQueryTypes.person, value: 'alice doe', matchType: TextSearchQueryMatchTypes.like};
+    assertValid(q);
+  });
+
   it('should validate a top-level leaf with negate:false', () => {
     const q: TextSearch = {type: SearchQueryTypes.person, value: 'alice', negate: false};
     assertValid(q);
@@ -205,8 +220,8 @@ describe('SearchQueryDTOUtils.validateSearchQuery with negate:false', () => {
 
 describe('SearchQueryDTOUtils.urlify', () => {
   const assertValid = (q: SearchQueryDTO) => {
-    expect(SearchQueryUtils.urlify(q).length).to.be.lessThan(JSON.stringify(SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(q)).length);
-    expect(SearchQueryUtils.parseURLifiedQuery(SearchQueryUtils.urlify(q))).to.deep.equal(SearchQueryUtils.stripFalseNegate(q));
+    expect(SearchQueryUtils.urlify(q).length).to.be.lessThan(JSON.stringify(SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(q)).length);
+    expect(SearchQueryUtils.parseURLifiedQuery(SearchQueryUtils.urlify(q))).to.deep.equal(SearchQueryUtils.stripDefault(q));
   };
 
   it('should validate a top-level leaf with negate:false', () => {