diff --git a/backend/app/routes.py b/backend/app/routes.py
index 05f3c1e..0f1bd5a 100644
--- a/backend/app/routes.py
+++ b/backend/app/routes.py
@@ -7032,8 +7032,8 @@ async def resolve_artifact_dependencies(
     ref: str,
     request: Request,
     auto_fetch: bool = Query(
-        False,
-        description="Fetch missing dependencies from upstream registries (e.g., PyPI)"
+        True,
+        description="Fetch missing dependencies from upstream registries (e.g., PyPI). Set to false for fast, network-free resolution."
     ),
     db: Session = Depends(get_db),
     storage: S3Storage = Depends(get_storage),
@@ -7046,9 +7046,9 @@ async def resolve_artifact_dependencies(
     (dependencies before dependents). Includes download URLs for each artifact.
 
     **Parameters:**
-    - **auto_fetch**: When true, attempts to fetch missing dependencies from
-      upstream registries (PyPI for _pypi project packages). Default is false
-      for fast, network-free resolution.
+    - **auto_fetch**: When true (default), attempts to fetch missing dependencies from
+      upstream registries (PyPI for _pypi project packages). Set to false for
+      fast, network-free resolution when all dependencies are already cached.
 
     **Response Fields:**
     - **resolved**: All artifacts in dependency order with download URLs
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_dependencies.py b/backend/tests/test_dependencies.py
index 2d4c8f0..71f3003 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_dependencies.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_dependencies.py
@@ -1073,17 +1073,17 @@ class TestAutoFetchDependencies:
     """Tests for auto-fetch functionality in dependency resolution.
 
     These tests verify:
-    - Resolution with auto_fetch=false (default) behavior is unchanged
-    - Resolution with auto_fetch=true attempts to fetch missing dependencies
+    - Resolution with auto_fetch=true (default) fetches missing dependencies from upstream
+    - Resolution with auto_fetch=false skips network calls for fast resolution
     - Proper handling of missing/non-existent packages
     - Response schema includes fetched artifacts list
     """
 
     @pytest.mark.integration
-    def test_resolve_auto_fetch_false_is_default(
+    def test_resolve_auto_fetch_true_is_default(
         self, integration_client, test_package, unique_test_id
     ):
-        """Test that auto_fetch=false is the default and behaves as before."""
+        """Test that auto_fetch=true is the default (no fetch needed when all deps cached)."""
         project_name, package_name = test_package
 
         # Upload a simple artifact without dependencies