Make balanced smart context option the default (#1186)

 ## Summary by cubic Set “balanced” as the default smart context mode. Users now get balanced when Smart Files Context is enabled and no mode is set; “conservative” must be explicitly selected. - **Refactors** - Default fallback to balanced in UI and engine (proSmartContextOption undefined -> "balanced"). - ProModeSelector saves "conservative" explicitly; selector reads undefined as balanced. - Updated schema and types to allow "balanced" | "conservative". - Engine payload now includes smart_context_mode with "balanced" by default; e2e tests and snapshots updated. - **Migration** - No action needed. Existing users without an explicit mode will use balanced by default; selecting conservative persists.

Make balanced smart context option the default (#1186)
56d0e767 · Will Chen · GitHub · 2842c61f · 56d0e767 · 56d0e767
--- a/e2e-tests/engine.spec.ts
+++ b/e2e-tests/engine.spec.ts
@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ testSkipIfWindows("send message to engine", async ({ po }) => {
 });

 testSkipIfWindows(
-  "send message to engine - smart context balanced",
+  "send message to engine - smart context conservative",
  async ({ po }) => {
    await po.setUpDyadPro();
    const proModesDialog = await po.openProModesDialog({
      location: "home-chat-input-container",
    });
-    await proModesDialog.setSmartContextMode("balanced");
+    await proModesDialog.setSmartContextMode("conservative");
    await proModesDialog.close();
    await po.selectModel({ provider: "Google", model: "Gemini 2.5 Pro" });
    await po.sendPrompt("[dump] tc=turbo-edits");

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/context_manage.spec.ts_manage-context---smart-context---auto-includes-only-1.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/context_manage.spec.ts_manage-context---smart-context---auto-includes-only-1.txt
@@ -98,7 +98,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/context_manage.spec.ts_manage-context---smart-context-1.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/context_manage.spec.ts_manage-context---smart-context-1.txt
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/context_manage.spec.ts_manage-context---smart-context-3.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/context_manage.spec.ts_manage-context---smart-context-3.txt
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": false
+      "enable_smart_files_context": false,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/context_manage.spec.ts_manage-context---smart-context-4.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/context_manage.spec.ts_manage-context---smart-context-4.txt
@@ -114,7 +114,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": false
+      "enable_smart_files_context": false,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_regular-auto-should-send-message-to-engine-1.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_regular-auto-should-send-message-to-engine-1.txt
@@ -413,7 +413,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": false
+      "enable_smart_files_context": false,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine---anthropic-claude-sonnet-4-1.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine---anthropic-claude-sonnet-4-1.txt
@@ -408,7 +408,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine---openai-gpt-5-1.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine---openai-gpt-5-1.txt
@@ -408,7 +408,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine---smart-context-balanced-1.aria.yml
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine---smart-context-balanced-1.aria.yml
--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine---smart-context-balanced-1.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine---smart-context-balanced-1.txt
@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
-      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
+      "smart_context_mode": "conservative"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine-1.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_send-message-to-engine-1.txt
@@ -413,7 +413,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_smart-auto-should-send-message-to-engine-1.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/engine.spec.ts_smart-auto-should-send-message-to-engine-1.txt
@@ -413,7 +413,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/smart_context_options.spec.ts_switching-smart-context-mode-saves-the-right-setting-4.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/smart_context_options.spec.ts_switching-smart-context-mode-saves-the-right-setting-4.txt
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
  "lastShownReleaseNotesVersion": "[scrubbed]",
  "enableProLazyEditsMode": true,
  "enableProSmartFilesContextMode": true,
+  "proSmartContextOption": "conservative",
  "selectedTemplateId": "react",
  "selectedChatMode": "build",
  "enableAutoFixProblems": false,

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/thinking_budget.spec.ts_thinking-budget-2.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/thinking_budget.spec.ts_thinking-budget-2.txt
@@ -421,7 +421,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/thinking_budget.spec.ts_thinking-budget-4.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/thinking_budget.spec.ts_thinking-budget-4.txt
@@ -429,7 +429,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/e2e-tests/snapshots/thinking_budget.spec.ts_thinking-budget-6.txt
+++ b/e2e-tests/snapshots/thinking_budget.spec.ts_thinking-budget-6.txt
@@ -437,7 +437,8 @@
        }
      ],
      "enable_lazy_edits": true,
-      "enable_smart_files_context": true
+      "enable_smart_files_context": true,
+      "smart_context_mode": "balanced"
    }
  },
  "headers": {

--- a/src/components/ProModeSelector.tsx
+++ b/src/components/ProModeSelector.tsx
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export function ProModeSelector() {
    } else if (newValue === "conservative") {
      updateSettings({
        enableProSmartFilesContextMode: true,
-        proSmartContextOption: undefined, // Conservative is the default when enabled but no option set
+        proSmartContextOption: "conservative",
      });
    } else if (newValue === "balanced") {
      updateSettings({
@@ -197,8 +197,12 @@ function SmartContextSelector({
    if (settings?.proSmartContextOption === "balanced") {
      return "balanced";
    }
-    // If enabled but no option set (undefined/falsey), it's conservative
-    return "conservative";
+    if (settings?.proSmartContextOption === "conservative") {
+      return "conservative";
+    }
+    // Keep in sync with getModelClient in get_model_client.ts
+    // If enabled but no option set (undefined/falsey), it's balanced
+    return "balanced";
  };

  const currentValue = getCurrentValue();

--- a/src/ipc/utils/get_model_client.ts
+++ b/src/ipc/utils/get_model_client.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,8 @@ export async function getModelClient(
                  ? false
                  : settings.enableProLazyEditsMode,
              enableSmartFilesContext: settings.enableProSmartFilesContextMode,
-              smartContextMode: settings.proSmartContextOption,
+              // Keep in sync with getCurrentValue in ProModeSelector.tsx
+              smartContextMode: settings.proSmartContextOption ?? "balanced",
            },
            settings,
          })

--- a/src/ipc/utils/llm_engine_provider.ts
+++ b/src/ipc/utils/llm_engine_provider.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ or to provide a custom fetch implementation for e.g. testing.
  dyadOptions: {
    enableLazyEdits?: boolean;
    enableSmartFilesContext?: boolean;
-    smartContextMode?: "balanced";
+    smartContextMode?: "balanced" | "conservative";
  };
  settings: UserSettings;
 }

--- a/src/lib/schemas.ts
+++ b/src/lib/schemas.ts
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ export const UserSettingsSchema = z.object({
  thinkingBudget: z.enum(["low", "medium", "high"]).optional(),
  enableProLazyEditsMode: z.boolean().optional(),
  enableProSmartFilesContextMode: z.boolean().optional(),
-  proSmartContextOption: z.enum(["balanced"]).optional(),
+  proSmartContextOption: z.enum(["balanced", "conservative"]).optional(),
  selectedTemplateId: z.string(),
  enableSupabaseWriteSqlMigration: z.boolean().optional(),
  selectedChatMode: ChatModeSchema.optional(),