diff --git a/src/cli/handlers/agent-hooks.test.ts b/src/cli/handlers/agent-hooks.test.ts
index 5ed957868..4ae4c962d 100644
--- a/src/cli/handlers/agent-hooks.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/handlers/agent-hooks.test.ts
@@ -92,32 +92,32 @@ describe('agent hooks CLI handler', () => {
     rmSync(userDataPath, { recursive: true, force: true })
   })
 
-  it('keeps the fresh-profile new card style default when creating offline settings', async () => {
+  it('keeps new card style off when creating offline settings for a fresh profile', async () => {
     await runAgentHooksOff(userDataPath)
 
     const persisted = readDataFile(userDataPath)
 
-    expect(persisted.settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(true)
+    expect(persisted.settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(false)
     expect(persisted.settings.agentStatusHooksEnabled).toBe(false)
   })
 
-  it('defaults missing new card style on while offline-updated onboarding is open', async () => {
+  it('keeps missing new card style off when updating offline settings', async () => {
     const existing = getDefaultPersistedState(userDataPath)
     delete existing.settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle
     writeDataFile(userDataPath, existing)
 
     await runAgentHooksOff(userDataPath)
 
-    expect(readDataFile(userDataPath).settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(true)
+    expect(readDataFile(userDataPath).settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(false)
   })
 
-  it('preserves an existing explicit new card style opt-out when updating offline settings', async () => {
+  it('preserves an existing explicit new card style opt-in when updating offline settings', async () => {
     const existing = getDefaultPersistedState(userDataPath)
-    existing.settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle = false
+    existing.settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle = true
     writeDataFile(userDataPath, existing)
 
     await runAgentHooksOff(userDataPath)
 
-    expect(readDataFile(userDataPath).settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(false)
+    expect(readDataFile(userDataPath).settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(true)
   })
 })
diff --git a/src/cli/handlers/agent-hooks.ts b/src/cli/handlers/agent-hooks.ts
index 2419be273..2b83f5c15 100644
--- a/src/cli/handlers/agent-hooks.ts
+++ b/src/cli/handlers/agent-hooks.ts
@@ -31,16 +31,7 @@ function isRecord(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
 
 function readPersistedState(dataPath: string): PersistedState {
   if (!existsSync(dataPath)) {
-    const defaults = getDefaultPersistedState(homedir())
-    return {
-      ...defaults,
-      settings: {
-        ...defaults.settings,
-        // Why: offline CLI can create the first profile before desktop load;
-        // match the Store fresh-install default instead of pinning old cards.
-        experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle: true
-      }
-    }
+    return getDefaultPersistedState(homedir())
   }
   try {
     const parsed = JSON.parse(readFileSync(dataPath, 'utf-8'))
@@ -83,14 +74,9 @@ function readEnabledFromDisk(): boolean {
 function updateEnabledOnDisk(enabled: boolean): string {
   const dataPath = getDataPath()
   const state = readPersistedState(dataPath)
-  const experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle =
-    state.settings?.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle ?? state.onboarding?.closedAt === null
   state.settings = {
     ...getDefaultPersistedState(homedir()).settings,
     ...state.settings,
-    // Why: offline CLI can run before Store.load(); mirror its open-onboarding
-    // default without overriding a saved user opt-out.
-    experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle,
     agentStatusHooksEnabled: enabled
   }
   writePersistedState(dataPath, state)
diff --git a/src/main/persistence.test.ts b/src/main/persistence.test.ts
index 22f20157d..366c9d425 100644
--- a/src/main/persistence.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/persistence.test.ts
@@ -527,7 +527,7 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     expect(settings.experimentalActivity).toBe(false)
     expect(settings.experimentalActivityDefaultedOffForAllUsers).toBe(true)
     expect(settings.experimentalTerminalAttention).toBe(false)
-    expect(settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(true)
+    expect(settings.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(false)
     expect(settings.floatingTerminalEnabled).toBe(true)
     expect(settings.floatingTerminalDefaultedForAllUsers).toBe(true)
     expect(settings.notifications.customSoundPath).toBeNull()
@@ -658,7 +658,7 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     expect(store.getUI().setupGuideSidebarDismissed).toBe(false)
   })
 
-  it('defaults new worktree card style on while onboarding is open', async () => {
+  it('keeps new worktree card style off while onboarding is open', async () => {
     writeDataFile({
       settings: {},
       onboarding: {
@@ -673,7 +673,7 @@ describe('Store', () => {
 
     const store = await createStore()
 
-    expect(store.getSettings().experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(true)
+    expect(store.getSettings().experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(false)
   })
 
   it('preserves explicit new worktree card style opt-out while onboarding is open', async () => {
@@ -696,6 +696,20 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     expect(store.getSettings().experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(false)
   })
 
+  it('preserves explicit new worktree card style opt-in on load', async () => {
+    writeDataFile({
+      schemaVersion: 1,
+      settings: {
+        experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle: true
+      },
+      ui: {}
+    })
+
+    const store = await createStore()
+
+    expect(store.getSettings().experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle).toBe(true)
+  })
+
   it('keeps new worktree card style off for existing users backfilled as completed', async () => {
     writeDataFile({
       schemaVersion: 1,
diff --git a/src/main/persistence.ts b/src/main/persistence.ts
index 67fdd0c82..0af7920b1 100644
--- a/src/main/persistence.ts
+++ b/src/main/persistence.ts
@@ -1350,10 +1350,6 @@ function resolveSetupGuideSidebarDismissedOnLoad(
   return onboarding.closedAt !== null || persistedDismissed === true
 }
 
-function shouldDefaultNewWorktreeCardStyleOn(onboarding: OnboardingState): boolean {
-  return onboarding.closedAt === null
-}
-
 // Why: read a settings field that was removed from GlobalSettings but can
 // still exist on disk. One-shot use for the inline-agents migration.
 function readDeprecatedExperimentFlag(parsed: PersistedState | undefined): boolean {
@@ -3067,16 +3063,6 @@ export class Store {
         if (!parsed.onboarding) {
           this.loadNeedsSave = true
         }
-        const defaultNewWorktreeCardStyle =
-          shouldDefaultNewWorktreeCardStyleOn(normalizedOnboarding)
-        const migratedExperimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle =
-          parsed.settings?.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle ?? defaultNewWorktreeCardStyle
-        if (
-          parsed.settings?.experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle === undefined &&
-          defaultNewWorktreeCardStyle
-        ) {
-          this.loadNeedsSave = true
-        }
         const normalizedProjectGroups = normalizeProjectGroups(parsed.projectGroups)
         const loadedCompactWorktreeCards =
           parsed.settings?.compactWorktreeCards ??
@@ -3130,9 +3116,6 @@ export class Store {
             ...migratedTerminalTuiScrollSensitivity.settings,
             experimentalActivity: migratedExperimentalActivity,
             experimentalActivityDefaultedOffForAllUsers: true,
-            // Why: open first-run onboarding is the local fresh-install signal;
-            // closed/backfilled onboarding identifies existing profiles.
-            experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle: migratedExperimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle,
             // Why: compact worktree cards graduated from Experimental; preserve
             // the old opt-in for profiles written during the rollout.
             compactWorktreeCards: loadedCompactWorktreeCards,
@@ -3417,18 +3400,7 @@ export class Store {
     }
 
     if (result === null) {
-      const defaults = getDefaultPersistedState(homedir())
-      const isFreshDefaultProfile =
-        !fileExistedOnLoad && shouldDefaultNewWorktreeCardStyleOn(defaults.onboarding)
-      result = {
-        ...defaults,
-        settings: {
-          ...defaults.settings,
-          // Why: a corrupt existing data file also falls back to defaults; only
-          // the absent-file path is a true fresh install.
-          experimentalNewWorktreeCardStyle: isFreshDefaultProfile
-        }
-      }
+      result = getDefaultPersistedState(homedir())
     }
 
     const workspaceSession = pruneWorkspaceSessionBrowserHistory(