diff --git a/agent/redact.py b/agent/redact.py
index 266454322..5de714a5f 100644
--- a/agent/redact.py
+++ b/agent/redact.py
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ def redact_sensitive_text(text: str, *, force: bool = False, code_file: bool = F
     """Apply all redaction patterns to a block of text.
 
     Safe to call on any string -- non-matching text passes through unchanged.
-    Disabled by default — enable via security.redact_secrets: true in config.yaml.
+    Enabled by default. Disable via security.redact_secrets: false in config.yaml.
     Set force=True for safety boundaries that must never return raw secrets
     regardless of the user's global logging redaction preference.
 
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md b/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
index ecdf6e66c..d19f48cb8 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
@@ -1584,7 +1584,7 @@ Pre-execution security scanning and secret redaction:
 
 ```yaml
 security:
-  redact_secrets: false          # Redact API key patterns in tool output and logs (off by default)
+  redact_secrets: true           # Redact API key patterns in tool output and logs (on by default)
   tirith_enabled: true           # Enable Tirith security scanning for terminal commands
   tirith_path: "tirith"          # Path to tirith binary (default: "tirith" in $PATH)
   tirith_timeout: 5              # Seconds to wait for tirith scan before timing out
@@ -1595,7 +1595,7 @@ security:
     shared_files: []
 ```
 
-- `redact_secrets` — when `true`, automatically detects and redacts patterns that look like API keys, tokens, and passwords in tool output before it enters the conversation context and logs. **Off by default** — enable if you commonly work with real credentials in tool output and want a safety net. Set to `true` explicitly to turn on.
+- `redact_secrets` — when `true`, automatically detects and redacts patterns that look like API keys, tokens, and passwords in tool output before it enters the conversation context and logs. **On by default**. Set to `false` explicitly only when you need raw credential-like strings for debugging or redactor development.
 - `tirith_enabled` — when `true`, terminal commands are scanned by [Tirith](https://github.com/sheeki03/tirith) before execution to detect potentially dangerous operations.
 - `tirith_path` — path to the tirith binary. Set this if tirith is installed in a non-standard location.
 - `tirith_timeout` — maximum seconds to wait for a tirith scan. Commands proceed if the scan times out.
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/autonomous-ai-agents/autonomous-ai-agents-hermes-agent.md b/website/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/autonomous-ai-agents/autonomous-ai-agents-hermes-agent.md
index f8b3a2bed..57579e0f1 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/autonomous-ai-agents/autonomous-ai-agents-hermes-agent.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/autonomous-ai-agents/autonomous-ai-agents-hermes-agent.md
@@ -463,15 +463,15 @@ Common "why is Hermes doing X to my output / tool calls / commands?" toggles —
 
 ### Secret redaction in tool output
 
-Secret redaction is **off by default** — tool output (terminal stdout, `read_file`, web content, subagent summaries, etc.) passes through unmodified. If the user wants Hermes to auto-mask strings that look like API keys, tokens, and secrets before they enter the conversation context and logs:
+Secret redaction is **on by default** — tool output (terminal stdout, `read_file`, web content, subagent summaries, etc.) is scanned for strings that look like API keys, tokens, and secrets before it enters the conversation context and logs. Leave it enabled for normal use:
 
 ```bash
-hermes config set security.redact_secrets true       # enable globally
+hermes config set security.redact_secrets true       # keep enabled globally
 ```
 
-**Restart required.** `security.redact_secrets` is snapshotted at import time — toggling it mid-session (e.g. via `export HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS=true` from a tool call) will NOT take effect for the running process. Tell the user to run `hermes config set security.redact_secrets true` in a terminal, then start a new session. This is deliberate — it prevents an LLM from flipping the toggle on itself mid-task.
+**Restart required.** `security.redact_secrets` is snapshotted at import time — toggling it mid-session (e.g. via `export HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS=false` from a tool call) will NOT take effect for the running process. Tell the user to change it in config from a terminal, then start a new session. This is deliberate — it prevents an LLM from flipping the toggle on itself mid-task.
 
-Disable again with:
+Disable only when you deliberately need raw credential-like strings for debugging or redactor development:
 ```bash
 hermes config set security.redact_secrets false
 ```