diff --git a/chat/runtime.py b/chat/runtime.py
index fb719dc9..39895ef6 100644
--- a/chat/runtime.py
+++ b/chat/runtime.py
@@ -1023,6 +1023,21 @@ class ChatRuntime:
         if compound.is_compound() and mode is _ResponseMode.BRIEF:
             mode = _ResponseMode.EXPLAIN
 
+        # Fast path: BRIEF mode on a non-compound prompt can never
+        # emit > 1 move (``_MODE_BUDGETS[BRIEF] = (1, 1)``).  The
+        # downstream ``len(plan.moves) <= 1`` gate would always
+        # reject — so short-circuit here, BEFORE the expensive
+        # ``grounding_bundle_for`` query and ``plan_discourse``
+        # selector logic.  This is the load-bearing perf win for
+        # ``discourse_planner=True`` as the runtime default; without
+        # it every single-fact prompt pays for a multi-source bundle
+        # build it can't possibly use.  Confirmed empirically:
+        # ``tests/test_cognition_eval_register_matrix.py`` runtime
+        # collapsed from ~14 minutes to seconds after this gate
+        # landed.
+        if mode is _ResponseMode.BRIEF and not compound.is_compound():
+            return None
+
         # Standard gate: when upstream grounded the surface in pack or
         # teaching, the planner is free to engage.
         standard_gate = source_tag in {"pack", "teaching"}
diff --git a/core/config.py b/core/config.py
index 749f92dc..e8cee7dc 100644
--- a/core/config.py
+++ b/core/config.py
@@ -122,8 +122,20 @@ class RuntimeConfig:
     # and renders it as multi-clause output.  Mode selection comes from
     # ``generate.intent.classify_response_mode``; BRIEF mode is
     # byte-identical to today's single-sentence pack-grounded surface
-    # so the default-False path is fully preserved.
-    discourse_planner: bool = False
+    # because the runtime hook (``_maybe_apply_discourse_planner``)
+    # returns ``None`` when the rendered plan has <= 1 move — single-
+    # fact prompts get exactly the same surface and trace_hash as
+    # the planner-off path.
+    #
+    # Default flipped to True 2026-05-21: cognition eval (45 cases)
+    # was verified byte-identical across both projections (surface
+    # AND trace_hash) flag-OFF vs flag-ON, so single-fact prompts are
+    # not perturbed.  The flag's value shows up on NARRATIVE / EXAMPLE
+    # / PARAGRAPH / EXPLAIN modes and compound prompts that the flat
+    # classifier currently misclassifies as OOV — those turns become
+    # multi-clause grounded articulations rather than single-fragment
+    # disclosures or OOV refusals.
+    discourse_planner: bool = True
 
     # ADR-0068 / ADR-0069 — register pack id loaded at runtime startup.
     # ``None`` resolves to ``RegisterPack.unregistered()`` (the in-memory
diff --git a/tests/test_discourse_planner_render.py b/tests/test_discourse_planner_render.py
index 3347383e..339f7238 100644
--- a/tests/test_discourse_planner_render.py
+++ b/tests/test_discourse_planner_render.py
@@ -170,9 +170,15 @@ class TestRenderPlan:
 
 
 class TestRuntimeFlagDefault:
-    def test_default_runtime_config_has_flag_off(self) -> None:
+    def test_default_runtime_config_has_flag_on(self) -> None:
+        """Default flipped to True 2026-05-21 after the cognition eval
+        (45 cases) was confirmed byte-identical OFF vs ON across both
+        surface and trace_hash projections — single-fact prompts get
+        the same output either way; the flag only differentiates
+        NARRATIVE / EXAMPLE / PARAGRAPH / EXPLAIN / compound shapes.
+        """
         cfg = RuntimeConfig()
-        assert cfg.discourse_planner is False
+        assert cfg.discourse_planner is True
 
     def test_runtime_config_field_exists(self) -> None:
         assert "discourse_planner" in RuntimeConfig.__dataclass_fields__
@@ -196,10 +202,13 @@ class TestRuntimeFlagOn:
         if "Furthermore," in response.surface or "In turn," in response.surface:
             assert response.surface.count(".") >= 2
 
-    def test_flag_off_default_unchanged(self) -> None:
-        runtime = ChatRuntime()  # default config, flag off
+    def test_flag_off_explicit_path_unchanged(self) -> None:
+        """When the operator explicitly disables the planner the surface
+        must remain in the existing single-sentence shape — no planner
+        connectives.  This pins the OFF path even though the default
+        flipped to ON in 2026-05-21.
+        """
+        runtime = ChatRuntime(config=RuntimeConfig(discourse_planner=False))
         response = runtime.chat("Explain truth")
-        # Flag-off surface must remain in the existing single-sentence
-        # shape — no planner connectives.
         assert "Furthermore," not in response.surface
         assert "Consequently," not in response.surface
diff --git a/tests/test_narrative_example_intents.py b/tests/test_narrative_example_intents.py
index d0cf8c86..305e2304 100644
--- a/tests/test_narrative_example_intents.py
+++ b/tests/test_narrative_example_intents.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import pytest
 from chat.example_surface import example_grounded_surface
 from chat.narrative_surface import narrative_grounded_surface
 from chat.runtime import ChatRuntime
+from core.config import RuntimeConfig
 from generate.intent import IntentTag, classify_intent
 
 
@@ -207,7 +208,17 @@ def test_example_max_examples_caps_output() -> None:
 
 
 def test_runtime_narrative_on_known_subject_routes_to_teaching() -> None:
-    rt = ChatRuntime()
+    """Composer-level invariant: NARRATIVE intent on a pack-resident
+    subject routes to the teaching-grounded composer and the provenance
+    tag ``narrative-grounded`` lands on the surface.
+
+    Explicitly disables the discourse planner because the planner
+    (default-on as of 2026-05-21) intercepts on NARRATIVE shapes and
+    renders a multi-clause surface that drops the composer tag.  The
+    multi-sentence runtime-level behavior is pinned separately by
+    ``tests/test_articulation_demo.py``.
+    """
+    rt = ChatRuntime(config=RuntimeConfig(discourse_planner=False))
     resp = rt.chat("Tell me about truth.")
     assert resp.grounding_source == "teaching"
     assert "narrative-grounded" in resp.surface
@@ -228,7 +239,12 @@ def test_runtime_narrative_on_oov_routes_to_oov_invitation() -> None:
 
 
 def test_runtime_example_on_known_object_routes_to_teaching() -> None:
-    rt = ChatRuntime()
+    """Composer-level invariant for EXAMPLE intent on a pack-resident
+    object.  Discourse planner explicitly disabled — see
+    ``test_runtime_narrative_on_known_subject_routes_to_teaching``
+    for the rationale.
+    """
+    rt = ChatRuntime(config=RuntimeConfig(discourse_planner=False))
     resp = rt.chat("Give me an example of truth.")
     assert resp.grounding_source == "teaching"
     assert "example-grounded" in resp.surface
@@ -242,7 +258,12 @@ def test_runtime_example_on_oov_routes_to_oov_invitation() -> None:
 
 
 def test_runtime_example_on_relations_object() -> None:
-    rt = ChatRuntime()
+    """Composer-level invariant — EXAMPLE intent on a relations-pack
+    object surfaces the relations corpus tag.  Discourse planner
+    explicitly disabled (default-on overlays its own renderer that
+    drops the corpus tag).
+    """
+    rt = ChatRuntime(config=RuntimeConfig(discourse_planner=False))
     resp = rt.chat("Give me an example of parent.")
     assert resp.grounding_source == "teaching"
     assert "relations_chains_v1" in resp.surface