diff --git a/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-config.tsx b/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-config.tsx
index 710c2d7713c..94bd68c4f00 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-config.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/src/component/dialog-config.tsx
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ export const settings: Setting[] = [
     title: "Terminal",
     category: "Session",
     path: ["session", "terminal"],
-    default: false,
+    default: true,
     values: [false, true],
     labels: ["off", "on"],
     keywords: ["pty", "shell", "terminal pane"],
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/config/index.tsx b/packages/tui/src/config/index.tsx
index 2ab0e1a01cd..ac2b7594fc5 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/config/index.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/src/config/index.tsx
@@ -265,12 +265,6 @@ export type Resolved = Omit<Info, "attention" | "cursor" | "keybinds" | "leader"
 
 export function resolve(input: Info, options: { terminalSuspend: boolean }): Resolved {
   const keybinds: TuiKeybind.KeybindOverrides = { ...input.keybinds }
-  if (input.session?.terminal) {
-    if (input.keybinds?.["terminal.toggle"] === undefined && input.keybinds?.["theme.switch"] === undefined) {
-      keybinds["terminal.toggle"] = "<leader>t"
-      keybinds["theme.switch"] = "none"
-    }
-  }
   if (!options.terminalSuspend) {
     keybinds["terminal.suspend"] = "none"
     if (keybinds["input.undo"] === undefined) {
@@ -305,6 +299,7 @@ export function resolve(input: Info, options: { terminalSuspend: boolean }): Res
     session: {
       ...input.session,
       new_location: input.session?.new_location ?? "launch",
+      terminal: input.session?.terminal ?? true,
       tps: input.session?.tps ?? true,
     },
     tabs: {
diff --git a/packages/tui/src/config/keybind.ts b/packages/tui/src/config/keybind.ts
index 59c0c2b3e84..0ae0986e420 100644
--- a/packages/tui/src/config/keybind.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/src/config/keybind.ts
@@ -88,14 +88,14 @@ export const Definitions = {
   "diff.help": keybind("?,shift+?,shift+/", "Show more diff viewer shortcuts"),
 
   "prompt.editor": keybind("<leader>e", "Open external editor"),
-  "theme.switch": keybind("<leader>t", "List available themes"),
+  "theme.switch": keybind("none", "List available themes"),
   "theme.switch_mode": keybind("none", "Switch between light and dark theme mode"),
   "theme.mode.lock": keybind("none", "Lock or unlock theme mode"),
   "session.sidebar.toggle": keybind("<leader>b", "Toggle sidebar"),
   "pane.focus.left": keybind("<leader>left", "Focus session pane"),
   "pane.focus.right": keybind("<leader>right", "Focus terminal pane"),
   "terminal.select": keybind("<leader>down", "Select terminal"),
-  "terminal.toggle": keybind("none", "Toggle terminal pane"),
+  "terminal.toggle": keybind("<leader>t", "Toggle terminal pane"),
   "terminal.close": keybind("<leader>up", "Close terminal pane"),
   "session.toggle.scrollbar": keybind("none", "Toggle session scrollbar"),
   "opencode.status": keybind("<leader>s", "View status"),
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/composer-keymap.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/composer-keymap.test.tsx
index cbec4d0bd27..0c473d95d7c 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/composer-keymap.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/composer-keymap.test.tsx
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ async function renderComposer(
   const app = await testRender(
     () => (
       <TestTuiContexts directory={directory}>
-        <ConfigProvider config={createTuiResolvedConfig({ keybinds })}>
+        <ConfigProvider config={createTuiResolvedConfig({ keybinds, session: { terminal: false } })}>
           <Keymap.Provider>
             <ClientProvider api={createApi(calls.fetch)}>
               <DataProvider directory={process.cwd()}>
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/data.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/data.test.tsx
index bc6dd58f266..59c5f5c4820 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/data.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/cli/tui/data.test.tsx
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ function emitEvent(events: ReturnType<typeof createEventStream>, event: OpenCode
   events.emit({ ...event, location: { directory } })
 }
 
-const config = createTuiResolvedConfig()
+const config = createTuiResolvedConfig({ session: { terminal: false } })
 
 function DataProvider(props: ParentProps) {
   return (
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/config-v2.test.tsx b/packages/tui/test/config-v2.test.tsx
index 664ae4bd293..ac725f3ad63 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/config-v2.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/tui/test/config-v2.test.tsx
@@ -106,29 +106,6 @@ test("validates terminal copy behavior", () => {
   expect(setting?.default).toBe(process.platform === "win32" ? "manual" : "select")
 })
 
-test("keeps persistent terminals disabled until explicitly enabled", () => {
-  const disabled = resolve({}, { terminalSuspend: true })
-  expect(disabled.session.terminal ?? false).toBe(false)
-  expect(disabled.keybinds.get("theme.switch")).toMatchObject([{ key: "<leader>t" }])
-  expect(disabled.keybinds.get("terminal.toggle")).toEqual([])
-  expect(settings.find((setting) => setting.path.join(".") === "session.terminal")?.default).toBe(false)
-  expect(settings.filter((setting) => setting.category === "Terminal").map((setting) => setting.title)).toEqual([
-    "Window title",
-    "Copy behavior",
-  ])
-
-  const enabled = resolve({ session: { terminal: true } }, { terminalSuspend: true })
-  expect(enabled.keybinds.get("terminal.toggle")).toMatchObject([{ key: "<leader>t" }])
-  expect(enabled.keybinds.get("theme.switch")).toEqual([])
-
-  const customized = resolve(
-    { session: { terminal: true }, keybinds: { "theme.switch": "<leader>t", "terminal.toggle": "<leader>p" } },
-    { terminalSuspend: true },
-  )
-  expect(customized.keybinds.get("theme.switch")).toMatchObject([{ key: "<leader>t" }])
-  expect(customized.keybinds.get("terminal.toggle")).toMatchObject([{ key: "<leader>p" }])
-})
-
 test("uses command IDs as keybind keys", () => {
   const config = resolve({ keybinds: { "session.list": "ctrl+l" } }, { terminalSuspend: true })
 
diff --git a/packages/tui/test/fixture/tui-client.ts b/packages/tui/test/fixture/tui-client.ts
index c29c424a8f1..2a157caeb82 100644
--- a/packages/tui/test/fixture/tui-client.ts
+++ b/packages/tui/test/fixture/tui-client.ts
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ export function createFetch(override?: FetchHandler, events?: ReturnType<typeof
     if (url.pathname === "/api/form/request")
       return json({ location: { directory, project: { id: "proj_test", directory: worktree } }, data: [] })
     if (/^\/api\/session\/[^/]+\/form$/.test(url.pathname)) return json({ data: [] })
+    if (/^\/api\/experimental\/session\/[^/]+\/terminal$/.test(url.pathname)) return json({ data: [] })
     if (
       ["/api/agent", "/api/model", "/api/provider", "/api/integration", "/api/command", "/api/skill"].includes(
         url.pathname,