diff --git a/apps/solidcraft-cli/Cargo.toml b/apps/solidcraft-cli/Cargo.toml
index d2d2c4f927..3628d387bb 100644
--- a/apps/solidcraft-cli/Cargo.toml
+++ b/apps/solidcraft-cli/Cargo.toml
@@ -20,10 +20,11 @@ name = "solvecraft-cli"
 path = "src/alias.rs"
 
 [features]
-default = ["raytrace-cpu"]
+default = ["raytrace-cpu", "smlib"]
 bundled-render-library = ["solidcraft-engine/bundled-render-library"]
 raytrace-cpu = ["solidcraft-engine/raytrace-cpu"]
-# Link SMLib into the kernel, for the regression rig's smlib runs (tests/kernel-cases).
+# Link SMLib into the kernel (solidcraft-engine/smlib; needs scripts/fetch-smlib.sh). SMLib is the
+# only kernel, so without it the command line models nothing.
 smlib = ["solidcraft-engine/smlib"]
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/apps/solidcraft-web/Cargo.toml b/apps/solidcraft-web/Cargo.toml
index cb189f7dcc..26782cb0e4 100644
--- a/apps/solidcraft-web/Cargo.toml
+++ b/apps/solidcraft-web/Cargo.toml
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ name = "solidcraft-web"
 path = "src/main.rs"
 
 [features]
-default = []
+default = ["smlib"]
 bundled-render-library = ["solidcraft-engine/bundled-render-library"]
-# Link SMLib into the kernel (solidcraft-engine/smlib): needs scripts/fetch-smlib.sh and wasi-sdk in
-# WASI_SDK_PATH (crates/smlib/build.rs). Off by default until CI has wasi-sdk.
+# Link SMLib into the kernel (solidcraft-engine/smlib; needs scripts/fetch-smlib.sh
+# wasm32-unknown-unknown, or the sources and wasi-sdk in WASI_SDK_PATH, crates/smlib/build.rs). SMLib
+# is the only kernel, so without it the web app models nothing.
 smlib = ["solidcraft-engine/smlib"]
 
 [dependencies]
diff --git a/tests/kernel-cases/README.md b/tests/kernel-cases/README.md
index dc01853369..04b6cee873 100644
--- a/tests/kernel-cases/README.md
+++ b/tests/kernel-cases/README.md
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ cargo xtask kernel-cases --cli target/release/solidcraft-cli --out /tmp/run   #
 cargo run -p solidcraft-cli --features smlib -- kernel-cases tests/kernel-cases/booleans/<id>   # one case
 ```
 
-The CLI needs `--features smlib` (after `scripts/fetch-smlib.sh`); without it every operation
-answers that SMLib is not built. The run's output folder (`--out`, default `target/kernel-cases`)
+The CLI links SMLib by default (`scripts/fetch-smlib.sh` fetches the prebuilt library first);
+built with `--no-default-features`, every operation answers that SMLib is not built. The run's output folder (`--out`, default `target/kernel-cases`)
 gets `results.json`, every case's full result, and `dumps/<area>-<case>/`: the inputs of each
 SMLib call a case failed in, for replay (the CLI's `--dumps=DIR`, which the rig always passes).