diff --git a/app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/configuration/ConfigInitializer.java b/app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/configuration/ConfigInitializer.java
index 6d3f366b8e..3e5a8aab65 100644
--- a/app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/configuration/ConfigInitializer.java
+++ b/app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/configuration/ConfigInitializer.java
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ public class ConfigInitializer {
 
     private static final int MIN_SETTINGS_FILE_LINES = 31;
 
+    /** The shipped default before folder-watch had to cover converted legacy watched folders. */
+    private static final int OLD_WATCH_RECONCILE_SECONDS = 300;
+
+    private static final int WATCH_RECONCILE_SECONDS = 60;
+
     public void ensureConfigExists() throws IOException, URISyntaxException {
         // 1) If settings file doesn't exist, create from template
         Path destPath = Path.of(InstallationPathConfig.getSettingsPath());
@@ -80,6 +85,7 @@ public class ConfigInitializer {
 
             migrateEnterpriseEditionToPremium(settingsFile, settingsTemplateFile);
             migrateProFeaturesKeyCasing(settingsFile, settingsTemplateFile);
+            migrateWatchReconcileDefault(settingsFile);
 
             boolean changesMade =
                     settingsTemplateFile.updateValuesFromYaml(settingsFile, settingsTemplateFile);
@@ -102,6 +108,29 @@ public class ConfigInitializer {
         }
     }
 
+    // TODO: Remove post migration
+    // A legacy watched folder polled every 60s, and converting one into a folder-watch policy must
+    // not make it slower. The reconcile is the only retry for a file the readiness check deferred,
+    // so at 300s a file that landed mid-sweep waited five minutes. Existing installs carry the old
+    // default forward on upgrade, so lower it here - but only when it is still exactly the old
+    // default, since any other value is a deliberate choice.
+    void migrateWatchReconcileDefault(YamlHelper yaml) {
+        // getValueByExactKeyPath yields the scalar as written, i.e. a String, not a Number.
+        Object current = yaml.getValueByExactKeyPath("policies", "watchReconcileSeconds");
+        if (current == null
+                || !String.valueOf(current)
+                        .trim()
+                        .equals(String.valueOf(OLD_WATCH_RECONCILE_SECONDS))) {
+            return;
+        }
+        yaml.updateValue(List.of("policies", "watchReconcileSeconds"), WATCH_RECONCILE_SECONDS);
+        log.info(
+                "Lowered policies.watchReconcileSeconds from {} to {} so converted watched folders"
+                        + " keep their legacy poll interval",
+                OLD_WATCH_RECONCILE_SECONDS,
+                WATCH_RECONCILE_SECONDS);
+    }
+
     // TODO: Remove post migration
     private void migrateEnterpriseEditionToPremium(YamlHelper yaml, YamlHelper template) {
         if (yaml.getValueByExactKeyPath("enterpriseEdition", "enabled") != null) {
diff --git a/app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/model/ApplicationProperties.java b/app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/model/ApplicationProperties.java
index a8bc2812b7..1e0cb3d462 100644
--- a/app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/model/ApplicationProperties.java
+++ b/app/common/src/main/java/stirling/software/common/model/ApplicationProperties.java
@@ -221,9 +221,10 @@ public class ApplicationProperties {
         /**
          * How often (seconds) the folder-watch trigger reconciles its watch registrations and
          * re-runs every folder-watch policy as a safety net for filesystem events that were missed
-         * (NFS, bind mounts, inotify-queue overflow).
+         * (NFS, bind mounts, inotify-queue overflow). Matches the legacy watched-folder scanner's
+         * poll, so a converted automation picks a file up no slower than it used to.
          */
-        private long watchReconcileSeconds = 300;
+        private long watchReconcileSeconds = 60;
 
         /**
          * How long (milliseconds) the folder-watch trigger keeps draining filesystem events after
diff --git a/app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/configuration/ConfigInitializerTest.java b/app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/configuration/ConfigInitializerTest.java
index 4ce75d0c62..c46f6612d7 100644
--- a/app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/configuration/ConfigInitializerTest.java
+++ b/app/common/src/test/java/stirling/software/common/configuration/ConfigInitializerTest.java
@@ -30,6 +30,47 @@ class ConfigInitializerTest {
                   producer: Stirling-PDF
             """;
 
+    @Test
+    void migrateWatchReconcileDefault_lowersTheOldShippedDefault() {
+        YamlHelper existing =
+                new YamlHelper(
+                        LOAD_SETTINGS,
+                        """
+                        policies:
+                          scheduleSweepSeconds: 60
+                          watchReconcileSeconds: 300
+                        """);
+
+        new ConfigInitializer().migrateWatchReconcileDefault(existing);
+
+        assertEquals("60", existing.getValueByExactKeyPath("policies", "watchReconcileSeconds"));
+        // Untouched neighbours prove the rewrite is scoped to the one key.
+        assertEquals("60", existing.getValueByExactKeyPath("policies", "scheduleSweepSeconds"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void migrateWatchReconcileDefault_keepsADeliberateValue() {
+        YamlHelper existing =
+                new YamlHelper(
+                        LOAD_SETTINGS,
+                        """
+                        policies:
+                          watchReconcileSeconds: 900
+                        """);
+
+        new ConfigInitializer().migrateWatchReconcileDefault(existing);
+
+        assertEquals("900", existing.getValueByExactKeyPath("policies", "watchReconcileSeconds"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void migrateWatchReconcileDefault_toleratesAMissingKey() {
+        YamlHelper existing =
+                new YamlHelper(LOAD_SETTINGS, "policies:\n  scheduleSweepSeconds: 60\n");
+
+        assertDoesNotThrow(() -> new ConfigInitializer().migrateWatchReconcileDefault(existing));
+    }
+
     @Test
     void migrateProFeaturesKeyCasing_carriesForwardLegacyPascalCaseValues() {
         // An existing install whose settings.yml still uses the old PascalCase keys.
diff --git a/app/core/src/main/resources/settings.yml.template b/app/core/src/main/resources/settings.yml.template
index d0234a3594..e639dfdad2 100644
--- a/app/core/src/main/resources/settings.yml.template
+++ b/app/core/src/main/resources/settings.yml.template
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ policies:
   # disabled in SaaS mode.
   allowedFolderRoots: [] # e.g. ["/data/inbox", "/data/outbox"]
   scheduleSweepSeconds: 60 # How often (seconds) scheduled policies are checked for being due
-  watchReconcileSeconds: 300 # How often (seconds) folder-watch re-syncs watches and re-runs as a safety net for missed events
+  watchReconcileSeconds: 60 # How often (seconds) folder-watch re-syncs watches and re-runs as a safety net for missed events
   watchQuietPeriodMs: 500 # How long (ms) folder-watch coalesces a burst of file events into a single run
   streamTimeoutMs: 1800000 # SSE timeout (ms) for live run-progress streams
   runExpiryMinutes: 30 # How long (minutes) a finished run's in-memory state is kept before eviction