diff --git a/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format.md b/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format.md
index f4e1f86dd8..d3b14dd888 100644
--- a/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format.md
+++ b/docs/features/software-catalog/descriptor-format.md
@@ -639,22 +639,11 @@ A list of strings that can be associated with the template, e.g.
 This list will also be used in the frontend to display to the user so you can
 potentially search and group templates by these tags.
 
-### `spec.type` [optional]
+### `spec.type` [required]
 
-The type of component as a string, e.g. `website`. This field is optional but
-recommended.
-
-The software catalog accepts any type value, but an organization should take
-great care to establish a proper taxonomy for these. Tools including Backstage
-itself may read this field and behave differently depending on its value. For
-example, a website type component may present tooling in the Backstage interface
-that is specific to just websites.
-
-The current set of well-known and common values for this field is:
-
-- `service` - a backend service, typically exposing an API
-- `website` - a website
-- `library` - a software library, such as an npm module or a Java library
+The type of component created by the template, e.g. `website`. This is used for
+filtering templates, and should ideally match the Component
+[spec.type](#spectype-required) created by the template.
 
 ### `spec.parameters` [required]
 
diff --git a/packages/catalog-model/src/schema/kinds/Template.v1alpha1.schema.json b/packages/catalog-model/src/schema/kinds/Template.v1alpha1.schema.json
index 5bb83d116b..53109ac7ee 100644
--- a/packages/catalog-model/src/schema/kinds/Template.v1alpha1.schema.json
+++ b/packages/catalog-model/src/schema/kinds/Template.v1alpha1.schema.json
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
           "properties": {
             "type": {
               "type": "string",
-              "description": "The type of component. This field is optional but recommended. The software catalog accepts any type value, but an organization should take great care to establish a proper taxonomy for these. Tools including Backstage itself may read this field and behave differently depending on its value. For example, a website type component may present tooling in the Backstage interface that is specific to just websites.",
+              "description": "The type of component created by the template. The software catalog accepts any type value, but an organization should take great care to establish a proper taxonomy for these. Tools including Backstage itself may read this field and behave differently depending on its value. For example, a website type component may present tooling in the Backstage interface that is specific to just websites.",
               "examples": ["service", "website", "library"],
               "minLength": 1
             },
diff --git a/packages/catalog-model/src/schema/kinds/Template.v1beta2.schema.json b/packages/catalog-model/src/schema/kinds/Template.v1beta2.schema.json
index ba3ccb9d1d..1e0b7d0ded 100644
--- a/packages/catalog-model/src/schema/kinds/Template.v1beta2.schema.json
+++ b/packages/catalog-model/src/schema/kinds/Template.v1beta2.schema.json
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
           "properties": {
             "type": {
               "type": "string",
-              "description": "The type of component. This field is optional but recommended. The software catalog accepts any type value, but an organization should take great care to establish a proper taxonomy for these. Tools including Backstage itself may read this field and behave differently depending on its value. For example, a website type component may present tooling in the Backstage interface that is specific to just websites.",
+              "description": "The type of component created by the template. The software catalog accepts any type value, but an organization should take great care to establish a proper taxonomy for these. Tools including Backstage itself may read this field and behave differently depending on its value. For example, a website type component may present tooling in the Backstage interface that is specific to just websites.",
               "examples": ["service", "website", "library"],
               "minLength": 1
             },