Turn off RAG and Enable Fast Code by default

Author: Shashikant86

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -30,8 +30,11 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - **MCP Error Handling**: Auto-connect for `/mcp-tools`, detailed error messages with troubleshooting tips
 
 ### Changed
+- **Default Performance Settings**: Fast mode now enabled by default, RAG disabled by default for faster initial responses
 - `/mcp-tools` command now auto-connects to servers if not already connected
 - Improved MCP error messages and session management
+- Welcome screen displays performance settings (RAG/Fast Mode status) with contextual tips
+- Code generation completion messages now include tips to enable RAG for better quality when disabled
 
 ### Fixed
 - Fixed `/mcp-tools` command failing when server not connected

dspy_code/commands/interactive_command.py

@@ -537,8 +537,8 @@ def _show_welcome(self):
         # Show RAG and Fast Mode status with humor
         try:
             rag_config = self.config_manager.config.codebase_rag
-            rag_enabled = rag_config.enabled if rag_config else True
-            fast_mode = rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else False
+            rag_enabled = rag_config.enabled if rag_config else False  # Default to disabled
+            fast_mode = rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else True  # Default to enabled
 
             # RAG status
             if self.codebase_rag and self.codebase_rag.enabled:
@@ -564,26 +564,28 @@ def _show_welcome(self):
             console.print(f"  {rag_status}")
             console.print(f"  {fast_status}")
 
-            # Add humorous message about quality vs speed
+            # Add message about quality vs speed
             if rag_enabled and not fast_mode:
                 console.print()
-                console.print("[dim]💡 Awesomeness takes time (but you can toggle anytime!)[/dim]")
+                console.print("[dim]💡 RAG enabled - better code quality, slower responses[/dim]")
                 console.print(
                     "[dim]   Use [cyan]/fast-mode on[/cyan] for faster responses or check [cyan]/status[/cyan] for details[/dim]"
                 )
             elif not rag_enabled:
                 console.print()
-                console.print("[dim]💡 RAG disabled - faster startup, lower code quality[/dim]")
                 console.print(
-                    "[dim]   Use [cyan]/enable-rag[/cyan] to enable or check [cyan]/status[/cyan] for details[/dim]"
+                    "[dim]💡 Fast mode ON, RAG disabled - quick responses, lower code quality[/dim]"
+                )
+                console.print(
+                    "[dim]   Use [cyan]/enable-rag[/cyan] and [cyan]/fast-mode off[/cyan] for better quality (slower)[/dim]"
                 )
             elif fast_mode:
                 console.print()
                 console.print(
                     "[dim]💡 Fast mode enabled - quick responses, slightly lower quality[/dim]"
                 )
                 console.print(
-                    "[dim]   Use [cyan]/fast-mode off[/cyan] for better quality or check [cyan]/status[/cyan] for details[/dim]"
+                    "[dim]   Use [cyan]/enable-rag[/cyan] and [cyan]/fast-mode off[/cyan] for better quality (slower)[/dim]"
                 )
         except Exception as e:
             logger.debug(f"Error showing performance status: {e}")
@@ -1024,6 +1026,9 @@ def _handle_create_module(self, user_input: str):
         console.print("[dim]✓ Code ready - use [cyan]/save <filename>[/cyan] to save it[/dim]")
         console.print()
 
+        # Show RAG tip if disabled
+        self._show_rag_tip_if_needed()
+
         show_next_steps(
             [
                 "Type [cyan]/save <filename>[/cyan] to save this code",
@@ -1095,6 +1100,9 @@ def _handle_create_program(self, user_input: str):
         console.print("[dim]✓ Code ready - use [cyan]/save <filename>[/cyan] to save it[/dim]")
         console.print()
 
+        # Show RAG tip if disabled
+        self._show_rag_tip_if_needed()
+
         show_next_steps(
             [
                 "Type [cyan]/save <filename>[/cyan] to save this code",
@@ -1814,6 +1822,10 @@ def _handle_general_query(self, user_input: str):
                 self.current_context["type"] = "module"
                 show_code_panel(code, "Generated DSPy Code", "python")
                 show_success_message("Code generated!")
+
+                # Show RAG tip if disabled
+                self._show_rag_tip_if_needed()
+
                 show_next_steps(
                     [
                         "Type [cyan]/save <filename>[/cyan] to save this code",
@@ -2037,9 +2049,38 @@ def _is_fast_mode(self) -> bool:
         """Check if fast mode is enabled."""
         try:
             rag_config = self.config_manager.config.codebase_rag
-            return rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else False
+            return rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else True  # Default to enabled
         except:
-            return False
+            return True  # Default to enabled
+
+    def _show_rag_tip_if_needed(self):
+        """Show tip to enable RAG if it's disabled."""
+        # Only show once per session
+        if hasattr(self, "_rag_tip_shown"):
+            return
+
+        try:
+            rag_config = self.config_manager.config.codebase_rag
+            rag_enabled = rag_config.enabled if rag_config else False
+            fast_mode = rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else True
+
+            # Only show if RAG is disabled
+            if rag_enabled:
+                return
+
+            console.print()
+            console.print(
+                "[yellow]💡 Tip:[/yellow] Want better code quality? "
+                "[cyan]/enable-rag[/cyan] and [cyan]/fast-mode off[/cyan] "
+                "(slower but more accurate)"
+            )
+            console.print("[dim]   Current: Fast mode ON, RAG OFF - quick responses[/dim]")
+            console.print("[dim]   Better: RAG ON, Fast mode OFF - slower but higher quality[/dim]")
+            console.print()
+
+            self._rag_tip_shown = True
+        except Exception:
+            pass
 
     def _show_performance_tip_if_needed(self, generation_time: float):
         """Show performance tip after slow response."""
@@ -3507,6 +3548,43 @@ def _show_welcome_screen(console, context, config_manager):
     console.print(Align.center(model_info))
     console.print()
 
+    # Show RAG and Fast Mode status
+    try:
+        if config_manager:
+            rag_config = config_manager.config.codebase_rag
+            rag_enabled = rag_config.enabled if rag_config else False  # Default to disabled
+            fast_mode = rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else True  # Default to enabled
+
+            # Performance status using Rich Text properly
+            perf_text = Text()
+            perf_text.append("⚡ Performance: ", style="dim")
+            perf_text.append("RAG ", style="dim")
+            if rag_enabled:
+                perf_text.append("ON", style="bold green")
+            else:
+                perf_text.append("OFF", style="bold red")
+            perf_text.append(" | Fast Mode ", style="dim")
+            if fast_mode:
+                perf_text.append("ON", style="bold green")
+            else:
+                perf_text.append("OFF", style="bold yellow")
+            console.print(Align.center(perf_text))
+            console.print()
+
+            # Show tip based on current settings
+            if not rag_enabled:
+                tip_text = Text()
+                tip_text.append("💡 ", style="yellow")
+                tip_text.append("Quick responses | ", style="dim")
+                tip_text.append("Enable RAG for better quality: ", style="dim")
+                tip_text.append("/enable-rag", style="cyan")
+                tip_text.append(" + ", style="dim")
+                tip_text.append("/fast-mode off", style="cyan")
+                console.print(Align.center(tip_text))
+                console.print()
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
     # Minimal help
     console.print("[dim]Type /help for commands or describe what you want to build[/dim]")
     console.print()

dspy_code/commands/slash_commands.py

@@ -673,8 +673,8 @@ def cmd_status(self, args: list):
         # Performance Settings
         try:
             rag_config = self.config_manager.config.codebase_rag
-            rag_enabled = rag_config.enabled if rag_config else True
-            fast_mode = rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else False
+            rag_enabled = rag_config.enabled if rag_config else False  # Default to disabled
+            fast_mode = rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else True  # Default to enabled
 
             console.print("[bold]⚡ Performance Settings:[/bold]")
 
@@ -699,20 +699,24 @@ def cmd_status(self, args: list):
             # Show tips based on current settings
             if rag_enabled and not fast_mode:
                 console.print()
-                console.print("[dim]💡 Awesomeness takes time (but you can toggle anytime!)[/dim]")
-                console.print(
-                    "[dim]   Use [cyan]/fast-mode on[/cyan] for faster responses (0.5-1s)[/dim]"
-                )
+                console.print("[dim]💡 RAG enabled - better code quality, slower responses[/dim]")
+                console.print("[dim]   Use [cyan]/fast-mode on[/cyan] for faster responses[/dim]")
             elif not rag_enabled:
                 console.print()
-                console.print("[dim]💡 RAG disabled - faster startup, lower code quality[/dim]")
-                console.print("[dim]   Use [cyan]/enable-rag[/cyan] for better code quality[/dim]")
+                console.print(
+                    "[dim]💡 Fast mode ON, RAG disabled - quick responses, lower code quality[/dim]"
+                )
+                console.print(
+                    "[dim]   Use [cyan]/enable-rag[/cyan] and [cyan]/fast-mode off[/cyan] for better quality (slower)[/dim]"
+                )
             elif fast_mode:
                 console.print()
                 console.print(
                     "[dim]💡 Fast mode enabled - quick responses, slightly lower quality[/dim]"
                 )
-                console.print("[dim]   Use [cyan]/fast-mode off[/cyan] for better quality[/dim]")
+                console.print(
+                    "[dim]   Use [cyan]/enable-rag[/cyan] and [cyan]/fast-mode off[/cyan] for better quality (slower)[/dim]"
+                )
 
         except Exception as e:
             logger.debug(f"Error showing performance settings: {e}")
@@ -3116,7 +3120,7 @@ def cmd_fast_mode(self, args: list):
             # Show status
             try:
                 rag_config = self.config_manager.config.codebase_rag
-                is_fast = rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else False
+                is_fast = rag_config.fast_mode if rag_config else True  # Default to enabled
                 status = "enabled" if is_fast else "disabled"
                 console.print()
                 console.print(f"[cyan]Fast mode:[/cyan] {status}")

dspy_code/core/config.py

@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ class GepaConfig:
 class CodebaseRAGConfig:
     """Configuration for codebase RAG system."""
 
-    enabled: bool = True
+    enabled: bool = False  # Disabled by default for faster responses
     # Performance options
-    fast_mode: bool = False  # Skip RAG context building for faster responses
+    fast_mode: bool = True  # Enabled by default for faster responses
     skip_pattern_searches: bool = False  # Skip additional pattern-specific searches
     codebases: list[str] = field(default_factory=lambda: ["dspy-code", "dspy", "gepa"])
     cache_dir: str | None = None  # Defaults to .dspy_code/cache/codebase_index in CWD

dspy_code/rag/codebase_rag.py

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ def __init__(self, config_manager: ConfigManager | None = None, cache_dir: Path
     def _is_enabled(self) -> bool:
         """Check if RAG is enabled in config."""
         if not self.config_manager:
-            return True  # Default to enabled
+            return False  # Default to disabled for faster responses
 
         try:
             if hasattr(self.config_manager.config, "codebase_rag"):
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def _is_enabled(self) -> bool:
         except:
             pass
 
-        return True  # Default to enabled
+        return False  # Default to disabled for faster responses
 
     def search(self, query: str, top_k: int = 5, strategy: str = "hybrid") -> list[SearchResult]:
         """Search for relevant code snippets.

dspy_code/templates/dspy_config_example.yaml

@@ -261,8 +261,12 @@ caching:
 # This indexes source code from installed packages to provide better code examples
 
 codebase_rag:
-  # Enable/disable codebase RAG
-  enabled: true
+  # Enable/disable codebase RAG (disabled by default for faster responses)
+  enabled: false
+
+  # Performance options
+  # Fast mode: Skip RAG context building for faster responses (enabled by default)
+  fast_mode: true
 
   # Codebases to index
   # Options: dspy-code, dspy, gepa, mcp