diff --git a/default-task-profile-templates.js b/default-task-profile-templates.js
index 36329b9..47ae4e2 100644
--- a/default-task-profile-templates.js
+++ b/default-task-profile-templates.js
@@ -189,13 +189,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_TASK_PROFILE_TEMPLATES = {
         "character": true
       },
       "stages": {
-        "finalPrompt": true,
         "input.userMessage": false,
         "input.recentMessages": false,
         "input.candidateText": false,
         "input.finalPrompt": false,
-        "rawResponse": false,
-        "beforeParse": false,
         "output.rawResponse": false,
         "output.beforeParse": false,
         "input": true,
@@ -396,13 +393,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_TASK_PROFILE_TEMPLATES = {
         "character": true
       },
       "stages": {
-        "finalPrompt": true,
         "input.userMessage": false,
         "input.recentMessages": false,
         "input.candidateText": false,
         "input.finalPrompt": false,
-        "rawResponse": false,
-        "beforeParse": false,
         "output.rawResponse": false,
         "output.beforeParse": false,
         "input": true,
@@ -579,13 +573,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_TASK_PROFILE_TEMPLATES = {
         "character": true
       },
       "stages": {
-        "finalPrompt": true,
         "input.userMessage": false,
         "input.recentMessages": false,
         "input.candidateText": false,
         "input.finalPrompt": false,
-        "rawResponse": false,
-        "beforeParse": false,
         "output.rawResponse": false,
         "output.beforeParse": false,
         "input": true,
@@ -774,13 +765,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_TASK_PROFILE_TEMPLATES = {
         "character": true
       },
       "stages": {
-        "finalPrompt": true,
         "input.userMessage": false,
         "input.recentMessages": false,
         "input.candidateText": false,
         "input.finalPrompt": false,
-        "rawResponse": false,
-        "beforeParse": false,
         "output.rawResponse": false,
         "output.beforeParse": false,
         "input": true,
@@ -981,13 +969,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_TASK_PROFILE_TEMPLATES = {
         "character": true
       },
       "stages": {
-        "finalPrompt": true,
         "input.userMessage": false,
         "input.recentMessages": false,
         "input.candidateText": false,
         "input.finalPrompt": false,
-        "rawResponse": false,
-        "beforeParse": false,
         "output.rawResponse": false,
         "output.beforeParse": false,
         "input": true,
@@ -1200,13 +1185,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_TASK_PROFILE_TEMPLATES = {
         "character": true
       },
       "stages": {
-        "finalPrompt": true,
         "input.userMessage": false,
         "input.recentMessages": false,
         "input.candidateText": false,
         "input.finalPrompt": false,
-        "rawResponse": false,
-        "beforeParse": false,
         "output.rawResponse": false,
         "output.beforeParse": false,
         "input": true,
diff --git a/prompt-profiles.js b/prompt-profiles.js
index 695997e..aece4cc 100644
--- a/prompt-profiles.js
+++ b/prompt-profiles.js
@@ -637,15 +637,13 @@ export function normalizeTaskRegexStages(stages = {}) {
   for (const [legacyKey, canonicalKey] of Object.entries(
     TASK_REGEX_STAGE_ALIAS_MAP,
   )) {
-    if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(source, legacyKey)) {
-      // Older exports may carry both legacy and canonical keys at the same
-      // time. When that happens, keep the legacy intent instead of letting a
-      // newer placeholder default silently flip stage timing.
-      normalized[canonicalKey] = Boolean(source[legacyKey]);
+    if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(source, canonicalKey)) {
+      // Respect an explicitly stored canonical key when both forms are
+      // present. Legacy aliases should only backfill older exports.
       continue;
     }
-    if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(source, canonicalKey)) {
-      normalized[canonicalKey] = Boolean(source[canonicalKey]);
+    if (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(source, legacyKey)) {
+      normalized[canonicalKey] = Boolean(source[legacyKey]);
     }
   }
 
@@ -893,13 +891,10 @@ function createFallbackDefaultTaskProfile(taskType) {
         character: true,
       },
       stages: normalizeTaskRegexStages({
-        finalPrompt: true,
         "input.userMessage": false,
         "input.recentMessages": false,
         "input.candidateText": false,
         "input.finalPrompt": false,
-        rawResponse: false,
-        beforeParse: false,
         "output.rawResponse": false,
         "output.beforeParse": false,
       }),
@@ -954,10 +949,10 @@ export function createDefaultTaskProfile(taskType) {
         ...fallback.regex.sources,
         ...(template?.regex?.sources || {}),
       },
-      stages: normalizeTaskRegexStages({
-        ...fallback.regex.stages,
-        ...(template?.regex?.stages || {}),
-      }),
+      stages: {
+        ...normalizeTaskRegexStages(fallback.regex.stages || {}),
+        ...normalizeTaskRegexStages(template?.regex?.stages || {}),
+      },
       localRules: Array.isArray(template?.regex?.localRules)
         ? template.regex.localRules.map((rule, index) =>
             normalizeRegexLocalRule(rule, taskType, index),
@@ -1148,10 +1143,10 @@ export function normalizeTaskProfile(taskType, profile = {}, settings = {}) {
         ...base.regex.sources,
         ...(profile?.regex?.sources || {}),
       },
-      stages: normalizeTaskRegexStages({
-        ...base.regex.stages,
-        ...(profile?.regex?.stages || {}),
-      }),
+      stages: {
+        ...normalizeTaskRegexStages(base.regex.stages || {}),
+        ...normalizeTaskRegexStages(profile?.regex?.stages || {}),
+      },
       localRules: Array.isArray(profile?.regex?.localRules)
         ? profile.regex.localRules.map((rule, index) =>
             normalizeRegexLocalRule(rule, taskType, index),
diff --git a/tests/task-regex.mjs b/tests/task-regex.mjs
index eba3653..8bad23c 100644
--- a/tests/task-regex.mjs
+++ b/tests/task-regex.mjs
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ try {
   const {
     createDefaultTaskProfiles,
     isTaskRegexStageEnabled,
+    normalizeTaskProfile,
     normalizeTaskRegexStages,
   } = await import("../prompt-profiles.js");
 
@@ -170,7 +171,7 @@ try {
     "output.rawResponse": false,
     "output.beforeParse": false,
   });
-  assert.equal(normalizedLegacyStages["input.finalPrompt"], true);
+  assert.equal(normalizedLegacyStages["input.finalPrompt"], false);
   assert.equal(normalizedLegacyStages["input.userMessage"], false);
   assert.equal(normalizedLegacyStages["input.recentMessages"], false);
   assert.equal(normalizedLegacyStages["input.candidateText"], false);
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ try {
   assert.equal(normalizedLegacyStages["output.beforeParse"], false);
   assert.equal(
     isTaskRegexStageEnabled(normalizedLegacyStages, "input.finalPrompt"),
-    true,
+    false,
   );
   assert.equal(
     isTaskRegexStageEnabled(normalizedLegacyStages, "input.userMessage"),
@@ -198,7 +199,7 @@ try {
     defaultProfiles.extract?.profiles?.[0]?.regex?.stages || {};
   assert.equal(
     isTaskRegexStageEnabled(defaultExtractStages, "input.finalPrompt"),
-    true,
+    false,
   );
   assert.equal(
     isTaskRegexStageEnabled(defaultExtractStages, "input.userMessage"),
@@ -213,6 +214,27 @@ try {
     false,
   );
 
+  const normalizedLegacyOnlyProfile = normalizeTaskProfile(
+    "extract",
+    {
+      id: "legacy-only-profile",
+      name: "legacy only",
+      regex: {
+        stages: {
+          finalPrompt: true,
+        },
+      },
+    },
+    {},
+  );
+  assert.equal(
+    isTaskRegexStageEnabled(
+      normalizedLegacyOnlyProfile.regex?.stages || {},
+      "input.finalPrompt",
+    ),
+    true,
+  );
+
   globalThis.getTavernRegexes = () => {
     throw new Error("legacy global getter should not be used in regex tests");
   };