diff --git a/Keybinding.Test/NoteJsonSerializationTests.cs b/Keybinding.Test/NoteJsonSerializationTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff7059f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Keybinding.Test/NoteJsonSerializationTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2023-2026 ktsu-dev contributors
+
+namespace ktsu.Keybinding.Test;
+
+using System.Text.Json;
+using ktsu.Keybinding.Core.Models;
+
+[TestClass]
+public class NoteJsonSerializationTests
+{
+	private static readonly JsonSerializerOptions CamelCaseOptions = new() { PropertyNamingPolicy = JsonNamingPolicy.CamelCase };
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Serialize_WritesKeyAsString()
+	{
+		Assert.AreEqual("{\"Key\":\"CTRL\"}", JsonSerializer.Serialize(new Note("Ctrl")));
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Serialize_HonorsPropertyNamingPolicy()
+	{
+		Assert.AreEqual("{\"key\":\"CTRL\"}", JsonSerializer.Serialize(new Note("Ctrl"), CamelCaseOptions));
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void RoundTrip_ReturnsEqualNote()
+	{
+		Note original = new("F5");
+		Note? roundTripped = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>(JsonSerializer.Serialize(original));
+		Assert.AreEqual(original, roundTripped);
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_LowercaseKey_ReturnsCanonicalNote()
+	{
+		Assert.AreEqual(new Note("Ctrl"), JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>("{\"Key\":\"ctrl\"}"));
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_AliasKey_ReturnsCanonicalNote()
+	{
+		Note? note = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>("{\"Key\":\"Control\"}");
+		Assert.AreEqual("CTRL", note?.ToString());
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_CamelCasePropertyName_ReturnsNote()
+	{
+		Assert.AreEqual(new Note("Alt"), JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>("{\"key\":\"alt\"}"));
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_IgnoresUnknownProperties()
+	{
+		Assert.AreEqual(new Note("S"), JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>("{\"Other\":[1,{\"a\":2}],\"Key\":\"s\"}"));
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_Null_ReturnsNull()
+	{
+		Assert.IsNull(JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>("null"));
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_InsideCollection_RoundTrips()
+	{
+		List<Note> notes = [new("Ctrl"), new("Shift"), new("S")];
+		List<Note>? roundTripped = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<List<Note>>(JsonSerializer.Serialize(notes));
+		Assert.AreSequenceEqual(notes, roundTripped);
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_MissingKey_ThrowsJsonException()
+	{
+		Assert.ThrowsExactly<JsonException>(() => JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>("{}"));
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_BlankKey_ThrowsJsonException()
+	{
+		Assert.ThrowsExactly<JsonException>(() => JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>("{\"Key\":\"  \"}"));
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Deserialize_NonObject_ThrowsJsonException()
+	{
+		Assert.ThrowsExactly<JsonException>(() => JsonSerializer.Deserialize<Note>("[\"CTRL\"]"));
+	}
+}
diff --git a/Keybinding/Models/MusicalTypes.cs b/Keybinding/Models/MusicalTypes.cs
index 83dbdce..a1abbb2 100644
--- a/Keybinding/Models/MusicalTypes.cs
+++ b/Keybinding/Models/MusicalTypes.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ namespace ktsu.Keybinding.Core.Models;
 /// <summary>
 /// Represents a musical note - a single key
 /// </summary>
+[JsonConverter(typeof(NoteJsonConverter))]
 public sealed class Note : IEquatable<Note>
 {
 	/// <summary>
diff --git a/Keybinding/Models/NoteJsonConverter.cs b/Keybinding/Models/NoteJsonConverter.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ef7771
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Keybinding/Models/NoteJsonConverter.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2023-2026 ktsu-dev contributors
+
+namespace ktsu.Keybinding.Core.Models;
+
+using System.Text.Json;
+using System.Text.Json.Serialization;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Serializes a <see cref="Note"/> as <c>{"Key":"CTRL"}</c>. Without it System.Text.Json treats the
+/// <see cref="NoteName"/> key as a collection of chars, writing an array it cannot read back. Reading goes
+/// through <see cref="Note(string)"/>, so lowercase and alias input comes back as the canonical note.
+/// </summary>
+internal sealed class NoteJsonConverter : JsonConverter<Note>
+{
+	private const string KeyPropertyName = nameof(Note.Key);
+
+	/// <inheritdoc/>
+	public override Note Read(ref Utf8JsonReader reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)
+	{
+		if (reader.TokenType != JsonTokenType.StartObject)
+		{
+			throw new JsonException($"Expected an object for {nameof(Note)} but found {reader.TokenType}.");
+		}
+
+		string? key = null;
+		bool foundKey = false;
+		while (reader.Read())
+		{
+			if (reader.TokenType == JsonTokenType.EndObject)
+			{
+				return foundKey
+					? CreateNote(key!)
+					: throw new JsonException($"{nameof(Note)} is missing its {KeyPropertyName} property.");
+			}
+
+			string propertyName = reader.GetString()!;
+			reader.Read();
+			if (string.Equals(propertyName, KeyPropertyName, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+			{
+				if (reader.TokenType != JsonTokenType.String)
+				{
+					throw new JsonException($"Expected a string for {nameof(Note)}.{KeyPropertyName} but found {reader.TokenType}.");
+				}
+
+				key = reader.GetString();
+				foundKey = true;
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				reader.Skip();
+			}
+		}
+
+		throw new JsonException($"Unexpected end of JSON while reading a {nameof(Note)}.");
+	}
+
+	private static Note CreateNote(string key)
+	{
+		try
+		{
+			return new Note(key);
+		}
+		catch (ArgumentException ex)
+		{
+			throw new JsonException($"'{key}' is not a valid {nameof(Note)} key.", ex);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/// <inheritdoc/>
+	public override void Write(Utf8JsonWriter writer, Note value, JsonSerializerOptions options)
+	{
+		Ensure.NotNull(writer);
+		Ensure.NotNull(value);
+		Ensure.NotNull(options);
+
+		writer.WriteStartObject();
+		writer.WriteString(options.PropertyNamingPolicy?.ConvertName(KeyPropertyName) ?? KeyPropertyName, value.Key.ToString());
+		writer.WriteEndObject();
+	}
+}