diff --git a/DOCS.md b/DOCS.md
index c1594de..6d0752b 100644
--- a/DOCS.md
+++ b/DOCS.md
@@ -1253,6 +1253,14 @@ are accepted inside an override; engine, model, prompts, permissions and
 fallbacks remain the validated base configuration. Any other field fails
 config validation instead of silently changing how or where a phase runs.
 
+The shipped roster pre-seeds the recipes above (they used to be
+documentation-only): builder `fix_*`/`fix` at low reasoning (repair rounds act
+on concrete failure output), reviewer `ui_check`/`ui_verify` at low (a fixed
+rubric is a checklist judgement — the functional `review` keeps full effort),
+and the documenter's base `thinking` is `low` (it narrates an existing diff).
+Models are never touched by these — which model each agent runs on is always
+the engineer's choice (`imp llm` / the Agents tab), on their own plan.
+
 Engines (`coding_agent`):
 
 | Engine | Binary | Model examples | Notes |
diff --git a/fia-templates/fia.config.yaml b/fia-templates/fia.config.yaml
index 229118b..ca97d6e 100644
--- a/fia-templates/fia.config.yaml
+++ b/fia-templates/fia.config.yaml
@@ -230,6 +230,12 @@ agents:
     thinking: medium
     color: "#22d3ee"
     purpose: Implement the plan exactly; report every changed file in the envelope.
+    # Repair rounds get concrete failure output to act on — deep reasoning adds
+    # cost, not quality, there. Only thinking/effort may vary by phase; the
+    # model never does (that would break the session and the cache).
+    phase_overrides:
+      "fix_*": { thinking: low, effort: low }
+      fix: { thinking: low, effort: low }
     fallbacks:
       - { coding_agent: claude_code, model: sonnet, effort: high }
     prompt_engineering:
@@ -271,6 +277,12 @@ agents:
     thinking: high
     color: "#fb7185"
     purpose: Confirm that what was built matches what was asked; change nothing.
+    # The UI-conformance passes audit a fixed rubric against named files — a
+    # checklist judgement, not deep reasoning; the functional review keeps the
+    # full effort. Both fields set so the override survives an engine relay.
+    phase_overrides:
+      ui_check: { effort: low, thinking: low }
+      ui_verify: { effort: low, thinking: low }
     fallbacks:
       - { coding_agent: pi, model: openai-codex/gpt-5.6-sol, thinking: high }
     prompt_engineering:
@@ -288,7 +300,9 @@ agents:
   - name: documenter
     coding_agent: pi
     model: openai-codex/gpt-5.6-sol
-    thinking: medium
+    # Documentation narrates a diff that already exists — low reasoning reads
+    # the same and costs a fraction.
+    thinking: low
     color: "#e879f9"
     purpose: Write up the change from the diff; documentation only.
     fallbacks:
diff --git a/pi-templates/.pi/skills/fia/cookbooks/update_roster.md b/pi-templates/.pi/skills/fia/cookbooks/update_roster.md
index b773ce2..f16cbb7 100644
--- a/pi-templates/.pi/skills/fia/cookbooks/update_roster.md
+++ b/pi-templates/.pi/skills/fia/cookbooks/update_roster.md
@@ -38,6 +38,16 @@ Pi API-key providers (any of them, per agent): `openrouter/…` (OPENROUTER_API_
 
 Rule of thumb: heavy reasoning (planner, reviewer) on a frontier model; volume work (builder, scout, documenter) on a fast/cheap one — different providers in the SAME run is the point.
 
+Cost reality check (measured on a real project ledger): the planner on a
+top-tier model averaged **US$3.55 per call** and 15% of ALL tokens; the same
+role on the mid-tier model of the same plan costs roughly a fifth for briefs
+that are already self-contained. The model is ALWAYS the engineer's choice —
+their plan, their subscription — so never switch it silently: show the ledger
+(`npm run fda:cost-report`, or the Agents tab) and offer the one-liner
+(`/llm set planner <model>` swaps it in seconds). The shipped roster already
+carries `phase_overrides` that drop reasoning (never the model) on repair and
+UI-verify phases — keep them when editing an agent by hand.
+
 WARNING: Claude INSIDE Pi bills as per-token "extra usage" — to spend plan limits, always use `coding_agent: claude_code`.
 
 ## Fallbacks — per-agent `fallbacks:` chain
diff --git a/src/steps/finish.js b/src/steps/finish.js
index 3749044..963582c 100644
--- a/src/steps/finish.js
+++ b/src/steps/finish.js
@@ -221,6 +221,8 @@ export async function finish(ctx) {
         ? 'but Pi also accepts other providers/models — type /login inside Pi to see them.'
         : 'but you can also work through Cursor or add engines later at any time.',
       'Re-check this roster (and the whole setup) anytime with `imp doctor`.',
+      'Every model is YOUR choice, on YOUR plan: `imp llm` swaps any agent in',
+      'seconds, and `npm run fda:cost-report` shows what each one actually spends.',
     ]
       .filter(Boolean)
       .join('\n'),
diff --git a/test/fia-agent-overrides.test.js b/test/fia-agent-overrides.test.js
index 18c2ccb..07daf3b 100644
--- a/test/fia-agent-overrides.test.js
+++ b/test/fia-agent-overrides.test.js
@@ -67,3 +67,43 @@ test('validate: thinking/effort overrides pass', () => {
     validate({ agents: [builder({ 'fix_*': { thinking: 'low' }, review: { effort: 'medium' } })] }, ['builder']),
   );
 });
+
+// ── the SHIPPED roster carries the recipes (they used to be docs-only) ───────
+
+test('the shipped fia.config.yaml pre-seeds low-reasoning overrides on repair and UI-verify phases', async () => {
+  const { readFileSync } = await import('node:fs');
+  const { parse } = await import('yaml');
+  const template = parse(readFileSync(new URL('../fia-templates/fia.config.yaml', import.meta.url), 'utf8'));
+  const byName = Object.fromEntries(template.agents.map((a) => [a.name, a]));
+
+  assert.deepEqual(byName.builder.phase_overrides['fix_*'], { thinking: 'low', effort: 'low' });
+  assert.deepEqual(byName.builder.phase_overrides.fix, { thinking: 'low', effort: 'low' });
+  assert.deepEqual(byName.reviewer.phase_overrides.ui_check, { effort: 'low', thinking: 'low' });
+  assert.deepEqual(byName.reviewer.phase_overrides.ui_verify, { effort: 'low', thinking: 'low' });
+  assert.equal(byName.documenter.thinking, 'low', 'the documenter narrates an existing diff');
+  // Models stay exactly the engineer-facing defaults — overrides tune
+  // reasoning only, never the model (that choice belongs to the user).
+  for (const agent of template.agents) {
+    for (const override of Object.values(agent.phase_overrides || {})) {
+      assert.deepEqual(
+        Object.keys(override).filter((k) => k !== 'thinking' && k !== 'effort'),
+        [],
+        `${agent.name}: an override may tune reasoning only`,
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
+  // The shipped shapes pass the real validator (prompt paths rewritten to the
+  // repo copies — the template's imp/ paths only exist in a stamped project).
+  const cfg = {
+    ...template,
+    agents: template.agents.map((a) => ({ ...a, prompt_engineering: { system: SYSTEM, user: USER } })),
+  };
+  assert.doesNotThrow(() => validate(cfg, ['builder', 'reviewer', 'documenter']));
+
+  // And resolveForPhase applies them where the runners will ask.
+  assert.equal(resolveForPhase(cfg, 'builder', 'fix_2').thinking, 'low');
+  assert.equal(resolveForPhase(cfg, 'builder', 'build').thinking, 'medium', 'build keeps the base reasoning');
+  assert.equal(resolveForPhase(cfg, 'reviewer', 'ui_verify').effort, 'low');
+  assert.equal(resolveForPhase(cfg, 'reviewer', 'review').effort, 'high', 'the functional review keeps full effort');
+});