diff --git a/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-config.tsx b/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-config.tsx
index a78f77cfcef..7f65a07856c 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-config.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-config.tsx
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ export const settings: Setting[] = [
     category: "Session",
     path: ["session", "verbosity"],
     description: "How much tool activity is shown in the chat",
-    default: "medium",
+    default: "low",
     values: ["low", "medium", "high"],
     keywords: ["detail", "activity", "summary", "transcript"],
   },
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/routes/session/grouping/session.ts b/packages/tui/src/routes/session/grouping/session.ts
index a5ca9053760..d3d9b187e7a 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/routes/session/grouping/session.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/src/routes/session/grouping/session.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export type SessionGroup = {
 
 /** Experimental transcript detail; undefined selects the default production rules. */
 export type Verbosity = "low" | "medium" | "high"
-export const defaultVerbosity: Verbosity = "medium"
+export const defaultVerbosity: Verbosity = "low"
 
 export type SessionRow = SessionEntry | SessionGroup
 
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/data.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/data.test.tsx
index 133ab498ab8..b0ae5a397ec 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/data.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/data.test.tsx
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ function emitEvent(events: ReturnType<typeof createEventStream>, event: OpenCode
   events.emit({ ...event, location: { directory } })
 }
 
-const config = createTuiResolvedConfig()
+const config = createTuiResolvedConfig({ session: { verbosity: "medium" } })
 
 function DataProvider(props: ParentProps) {
   return (
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/session-grouping.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/session-grouping.test.ts
index da3ee07032c..50789739ed0 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/session-grouping.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/session-grouping.test.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ test("a pending tool does not hide a later tool reusing its call ID in another m
   const rows: SessionRow[] = []
   const blocked = { messageID: "assistant-a", partID: "call-reused" }
   const later = { messageID: "assistant-b", partID: "call-reused" }
-  append(rows, blocked, { type: "tool", name: "read" })
+  append(rows, blocked, { type: "tool", name: "read" }, rows.length, "medium")
   partitionPending(rows, new Set([blocked.partID]))
-  append(rows, later, { type: "tool", name: "read" })
+  append(rows, later, { type: "tool", name: "read" }, rows.length, "medium")
 
   const group = rows[0]
   if (group.type !== "group" || group.kind !== "exploration") throw new Error("Expected exploration group")
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/session-rows.test.ts b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/session-rows.test.ts
index 74d02136c32..e4a0313f8ff 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/session-rows.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/session-rows.test.ts
@@ -6,11 +6,14 @@ import { SessionTurn } from "@opencode/util/session-turn"
 import {
   cacheReuseDrop,
   messageBoundaryIDs,
-  reduceSessionRows,
+  reduceSessionRows as reduceRows,
   sessionRowID,
   type SessionRow,
 } from "../../../src/routes/session/rows"
 
+const reduceSessionRows = (messages: SessionMessageInfo[], inputs = new Set<string>(), turnTokens = false) =>
+  reduceRows(messages, inputs, turnTokens, "medium")
+
 test("indexed tail footer calculations do not subscribe to an unrelated history prefix", () => {
   createRoot((dispose) => {
     try {
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/config-v2.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/config-v2.test.tsx
index cd8c2096c8d..f97bf049a18 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/config-v2.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/config-v2.test.tsx
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ test("shows the TPS default in session settings", () => {
 test("shows transcript verbosity in session settings", () => {
   expect(settings.find((setting) => setting.path.join(".") === "session.verbosity")).toMatchObject({
     category: "Session",
-    default: "medium",
+    default: "low",
     values: ["low", "medium", "high"],
   })
 })
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/session-backfill-disclosure.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/session-backfill-disclosure.test.tsx
index 74da56651b9..4df911261e8 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/session-backfill-disclosure.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/session-backfill-disclosure.test.tsx
@@ -60,7 +60,10 @@ test("clicking a backfilled thought group toggles it", async () => {
     run({
       app: { name: "test", version: "test", channel: "test" },
       server: { endpoint: { url: server.url.toString() } },
-      config: { get: async () => ({ animations: false, tabs: { enabled: false } }), update: async () => ({}) },
+      config: {
+        get: async () => ({ animations: false, session: { verbosity: "medium" }, tabs: { enabled: false } }),
+        update: async () => ({}),
+      },
       packages: { prepare: async () => ({ directory: "" }) },
       args: { sessionID: session.id },
       terminalHandoff: async () => ({ renderer: setup.renderer, mode: "dark", complete: () => {} }),
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/session-dialog-resync.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/session-dialog-resync.test.tsx
index 4acbdf8f328..779102ff9b7 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/session-dialog-resync.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/session-dialog-resync.test.tsx
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ async function openDialogThenResync(target: string, dialog: string) {
   await using setup = await createAppFixture({
     width: 112,
     height: 34,
-    config: { animations: false, tabs: { enabled: false } },
+    config: { animations: false, session: { verbosity: "medium" }, tabs: { enabled: false } },
     args: { sessionID: session.id },
     fetch: (url) => {
       if (url.pathname === "/api/session") return json({ data: [session], cursor: {} })
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/session-group-navigation.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/session-group-navigation.test.tsx
index 868ed2b3447..94d3a73f185 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/session-group-navigation.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/session-group-navigation.test.tsx
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ test.each([
         config: {
           get: async () => ({
             animations: false,
+            session: { verbosity: "medium" },
             tabs: { enabled: true, scope: "global" },
             keybinds: { "session.messages_last_user": "ctrl+shift+u", "session.message.next": "ctrl+shift+n" },
           }),
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/session-history-interactions.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/session-history-interactions.test.tsx
index 71036ec3a44..217a4e8a29a 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/session-history-interactions.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/session-history-interactions.test.tsx
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ test.each(modes.flatMap((mode) => [100, 48].map((width) => ({ mode, width }))))(
       height: 30,
       state: state.path,
       args: { sessionID: session.id },
-      config: { animations: false, tabs: { enabled: true, scope: "global" } },
+      config: { animations: false, session: { verbosity: "medium" }, tabs: { enabled: true, scope: "global" } },
       fetch: async (url) => {
         if (url.pathname === "/api/session") return json({ data: [session, other], cursor: {} })
         if (url.pathname === `/api/session/${session.id}`) return json({ data: session })
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/session-mount-budget.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/session-mount-budget.test.tsx
index 89bb8d682e1..659b70d68c8 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/session-mount-budget.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/session-mount-budget.test.tsx
@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ test("an expanded group spends the mounting budget that older rows used", async
       config: {
         get: async () => ({
           animations: false,
+          session: { verbosity: "medium" },
           tabs: { enabled: false },
           keybinds: { "session.messages_last_user": "ctrl+shift+u", "session.last": "ctrl+shift+l" },
         }),