diff --git a/.changeset/silver-fans-speak.md b/.changeset/silver-fans-speak.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7048386d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/silver-fans-speak.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'houdini': patch
+---
+
+Users can specify that a type is always embedded by setting keys to []
diff --git a/packages/houdini/src/runtime/cache/cache.ts b/packages/houdini/src/runtime/cache/cache.ts
index eb43b16fd..fff8f5e5a 100644
--- a/packages/houdini/src/runtime/cache/cache.ts
+++ b/packages/houdini/src/runtime/cache/cache.ts
@@ -560,17 +560,13 @@ class CacheInternal {
 					}
 				}
 
-				// figure out if this is an embedded object or a linked one by looking for all of the fields marked as
-				// required to compute the entity's id
-				const embedded =
-					this.idFields(linkedType)?.filter(
-						(field) => typeof value[field] === 'undefined'
-					).length > 0
-
 				// figure out the new target of the object link
 				let linkedID: string | null = null
 				if (value !== null) {
-					linkedID = !embedded ? this.id(linkedType, value) : `${parent}.${key}`
+					// if the value is embedded then the id needs to be keyed by the field
+					linkedID = !this.isEmbedded(linkedType, value)
+						? this.id(linkedType, value)
+						: `${parent}.${key}`
 				}
 				let linkChange = linkedID !== previousValue
 
@@ -1219,6 +1215,16 @@ class CacheInternal {
 		return computeID(this.config, type, data)
 	}
 
+	// figure out if this is an embedded object or a linked one by looking for all of the fields marked as
+	// required to compute the entity's id
+	isEmbedded(linkedType: string, value: GraphQLObject) {
+		const idFields = this.idFields(linkedType)
+		return (
+			idFields.length === 0 ||
+			idFields.filter((field) => typeof value[field] === 'undefined').length > 0
+		)
+	}
+
 	hydrateNestedList({
 		fields,
 		variables,
@@ -1375,14 +1381,6 @@ class CacheInternal {
 			// start off building up the embedded id
 			// @ts-ignore
 			let linkedID = `${recordID}.${key}[${this.storage.nextRank}]`
-
-			// figure out if this is an embedded list or a linked one by looking for all of the fields marked as
-			// required to compute the entity's id
-			const embedded =
-				this.idFields(linkedType)?.filter(
-					(field) => typeof (entry as GraphQLObject)[field] === 'undefined'
-				).length > 0
-
 			let innerType = linkedType
 
 			const typename = entryObj.__typename as string | undefined
@@ -1394,7 +1392,7 @@ class CacheInternal {
 			}
 
 			// if this isn't an embedded reference, use the entry's id in the link list
-			if (!embedded) {
+			if (!this.isEmbedded(linkedType, entry as GraphQLObject)) {
 				const id = this.id(innerType, entry as {})
 				if (id) {
 					linkedID = id
diff --git a/packages/houdini/src/runtime/cache/tests/readwrite.test.ts b/packages/houdini/src/runtime/cache/tests/readwrite.test.ts
index 67d3bd86d..ecc2f7ca1 100644
--- a/packages/houdini/src/runtime/cache/tests/readwrite.test.ts
+++ b/packages/houdini/src/runtime/cache/tests/readwrite.test.ts
@@ -2330,3 +2330,91 @@ test('can perform full query check while retrieving masked value', function () {
 		},
 	})
 })
+
+test('embedded types can be configured with an empty list', function () {
+	// instantiate the cache
+	const cache = new Cache({
+		...config,
+		types: {
+			Embedded: {
+				keys: [],
+			},
+		},
+	})
+
+	const selection = {
+		fields: {
+			viewer: {
+				type: 'User',
+				visible: true,
+				keyRaw: 'viewer',
+				selection: {
+					fields: {
+						embedded: {
+							type: 'Embedded',
+							keyRaw: 'embedded',
+							visible: true,
+							selection: {
+								fields: {
+									id: {
+										type: 'ID',
+										visible: true,
+										keyRaw: 'id',
+									},
+									firstName: {
+										type: 'String',
+										visible: true,
+										keyRaw: 'firstName',
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// write the user data without the nested value
+	cache.write({
+		selection,
+		data: {
+			viewer: {
+				embedded: [
+					{
+						id: '1',
+						firstName: 'John',
+					},
+					{
+						id: '1',
+						firstName: 'Jacob',
+					},
+				],
+			},
+		},
+	})
+
+	expect(
+		cache.read({
+			selection,
+			fullCheck: true,
+		})
+	).toEqual({
+		partial: false,
+		stale: false,
+		data: {
+			viewer: {
+				embedded: [
+					{
+						id: '1',
+						firstName: 'John',
+					},
+					{
+						id: '1',
+						firstName: 'Jacob',
+					},
+				],
+			},
+		},
+	})
+})