diff --git a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
--- a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
+++ b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
@@ -1025,6 +1025,7 @@
     'DrydockBlueprintTransaction' => 'applications/drydock/storage/DrydockBlueprintTransaction.php',
     'DrydockBlueprintTransactionQuery' => 'applications/drydock/query/DrydockBlueprintTransactionQuery.php',
     'DrydockBlueprintTransactionType' => 'applications/drydock/xaction/DrydockBlueprintTransactionType.php',
+    'DrydockBlueprintTypeTransaction' => 'applications/drydock/xaction/DrydockBlueprintTypeTransaction.php',
     'DrydockBlueprintViewController' => 'applications/drydock/controller/DrydockBlueprintViewController.php',
     'DrydockCommand' => 'applications/drydock/storage/DrydockCommand.php',
     'DrydockCommandError' => 'applications/drydock/exception/DrydockCommandError.php',
@@ -6122,6 +6123,7 @@
     'DrydockBlueprintTransaction' => 'PhabricatorModularTransaction',
     'DrydockBlueprintTransactionQuery' => 'PhabricatorApplicationTransactionQuery',
     'DrydockBlueprintTransactionType' => 'PhabricatorModularTransactionType',
+    'DrydockBlueprintTypeTransaction' => 'DrydockBlueprintTransactionType',
     'DrydockBlueprintViewController' => 'DrydockBlueprintController',
     'DrydockCommand' => array(
       'DrydockDAO',
diff --git a/src/applications/drydock/conduit/DrydockBlueprintEditConduitAPIMethod.php b/src/applications/drydock/conduit/DrydockBlueprintEditConduitAPIMethod.php
--- a/src/applications/drydock/conduit/DrydockBlueprintEditConduitAPIMethod.php
+++ b/src/applications/drydock/conduit/DrydockBlueprintEditConduitAPIMethod.php
@@ -13,8 +13,7 @@
 
   public function getMethodSummary() {
     return pht(
-      'WARNING: Apply transactions to edit an existing blueprint. This method '.
-      'can not create new blueprints.');
+      'Apply transactions to create or edit a blueprint.');
   }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/applications/drydock/editor/DrydockBlueprintEditEngine.php b/src/applications/drydock/editor/DrydockBlueprintEditEngine.php
--- a/src/applications/drydock/editor/DrydockBlueprintEditEngine.php
+++ b/src/applications/drydock/editor/DrydockBlueprintEditEngine.php
@@ -51,6 +51,38 @@
     return $blueprint;
   }
 
+  protected function newEditableObjectFromConduit(array $raw_xactions) {
+    $type = null;
+    foreach ($raw_xactions as $raw_xaction) {
+      if ($raw_xaction['type'] !== 'type') {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      $type = $raw_xaction['value'];
+    }
+
+    if ($type === null) {
+      throw new Exception(
+        pht(
+          'When creating a new Drydock blueprint via the Conduit API, you '.
+          'must provide a "type" transaction to select a type.'));
+    }
+
+    $map = DrydockBlueprintImplementation::getAllBlueprintImplementations();
+    if (!isset($map[$type])) {
+      throw new Exception(
+        pht(
+          'Blueprint type "%s" is unrecognized. Valid types are: %s.',
+          $type,
+          implode(', ', array_keys($map))));
+    }
+
+    $impl = clone $map[$type];
+    $this->setBlueprintImplementation($impl);
+
+    return $this->newEditableObject();
+  }
+
   protected function newEditableObjectForDocumentation() {
     // In order to generate the proper list of fields/transactions for a
     // blueprint, a blueprint's type needs to be known upfront, and there's
@@ -112,11 +144,22 @@
     $impl = $object->getImplementation();
 
     return array(
+      // This field appears in the web UI
       id(new PhabricatorStaticEditField())
-        ->setKey('type')
+        ->setKey('displayType')
         ->setLabel(pht('Blueprint Type'))
         ->setDescription(pht('Type of blueprint.'))
         ->setValue($impl->getBlueprintName()),
+      id(new PhabricatorTextEditField())
+        ->setKey('type')
+        ->setLabel(pht('Type'))
+        ->setIsConduitOnly(true)
+        ->setTransactionType(
+          DrydockBlueprintTypeTransaction::TRANSACTIONTYPE)
+        ->setDescription(pht('When creating a blueprint, set the type.'))
+        ->setConduitDescription(pht('Set the blueprint type.'))
+        ->setConduitTypeDescription(pht('Blueprint type.'))
+        ->setValue($object->getClassName()),
       id(new PhabricatorTextEditField())
         ->setKey('name')
         ->setLabel(pht('Name'))
diff --git a/src/applications/drydock/xaction/DrydockBlueprintTypeTransaction.php b/src/applications/drydock/xaction/DrydockBlueprintTypeTransaction.php
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/applications/drydock/xaction/DrydockBlueprintTypeTransaction.php
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+<?php
+
+final class DrydockBlueprintTypeTransaction
+  extends DrydockBlueprintTransactionType {
+
+  const TRANSACTIONTYPE = 'drydock.blueprint.type';
+
+  public function generateOldValue($object) {
+    return $object->getClassName();
+  }
+
+  public function applyInternalEffects($object, $value) {
+    $object->setClassName($value);
+  }
+
+  public function getTitle() {
+    // These transactions can only be applied during object creation and never
+    // generate a timeline event.
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  public function validateTransactions($object, array $xactions) {
+    $errors = array();
+
+    $name = $object->getClassName();
+    if ($this->isEmptyTextTransaction($name, $xactions)) {
+      $errors[] = $this->newRequiredError(
+        pht('You must select a blueprint type when creating a blueprint.'));
+    }
+
+    $map = DrydockBlueprintImplementation::getAllBlueprintImplementations();
+
+    foreach ($xactions as $xaction) {
+      if (!$this->isNewObject()) {
+        $errors[] = $this->newInvalidError(
+          pht(
+            'The type of a blueprint can not be changed once it has '.
+            'been created.'),
+          $xaction);
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      $new = $xaction->getNewValue();
+      if (!isset($map[$new])) {
+        $errors[] = $this->newInvalidError(
+          pht(
+            'Blueprint type "%s" is not valid. Valid types are: %s.',
+            $new,
+            implode(', ', array_keys($map))));
+        continue;
+      }
+    }
+
+    return $errors;
+  }
+
+}