diff --git a/exporter/src/app/config.cljs b/exporter/src/app/config.cljs
index 48b73f3115..d9829b7ec9 100644
--- a/exporter/src/app/config.cljs
+++ b/exporter/src/app/config.cljs
@@ -33,9 +33,10 @@
    :exporter-max-jobs-per-profile 2
    :exporter-queue-max 64
    :exporter-job-ttl 3600
-   ;; the roles this instance serves: by default only the http service;
-   ;; `worker` turns the process into a consumer of the backend jobs
-   :exporter-roles "http"
+   ;; the roles this instance serves: by default the consumer of the
+   ;; backend jobs queue; `http` keeps the legacy surfaces alive until
+   ;; the deletion task takes them away
+   :exporter-roles "worker"
    :exporter-worker-concurrency 2
    :wasm-worker-pool-max 2
    :wasm-worker-pool-min 1
diff --git a/exporter/src/app/consumer/config.cljs b/exporter/src/app/consumer/config.cljs
index 02504c75f5..460f634106 100644
--- a/exporter/src/app/consumer/config.cljs
+++ b/exporter/src/app/consumer/config.cljs
@@ -5,14 +5,16 @@
 ;; Copyright (c) KALEIDOS SUBSIDIARY SL
 
 (ns app.consumer.config
-  "The worker role of the exporter configuration.
+  "The roles of the exporter process.
 
-  The exporter process may serve its http surfaces, consume the
-  backend `:exporter` queue, or both: `PENPOT_EXPORTER_ROLES` names the
-  roles (`http` by default, `http,worker` during the transition). The
-  worker pieces never read these values at import time: each accessor
-  reads the live configuration, so a long-lived process can be
-  restarted with another role without code changes."
+  `PENPOT_EXPORTER_ROLES` names the roles the process serves: `http`
+  serves the surfaces the exporter used to serve (gone once the
+  deletion task lands), `worker` consumes the backend `:exporter`
+  queue. The default is `worker`: the exporter is a consumer's process,
+  and no surface of it needs to be preserved. The worker pieces never
+  read these values at import time: each accessor reads the live
+  configuration, so a long-lived process can be restarted with another
+  role without code changes."
   (:require
    [app.config :as cf]
    [cljs.core :as c]
@@ -38,7 +40,7 @@
   ([] (roles (cf/get :exporter-roles)))
   ([spec]
    (if (nil? spec)
-     #{:http}
+     #{:worker}
      (scan-roles spec))))
 
 (defn worker-enabled?
diff --git a/exporter/test/exporter_tests/consumer_config_test.cljs b/exporter/test/exporter_tests/consumer_config_test.cljs
index e3f95b6476..a71ce17a01 100644
--- a/exporter/test/exporter_tests/consumer_config_test.cljs
+++ b/exporter/test/exporter_tests/consumer_config_test.cljs
@@ -13,8 +13,11 @@
    [cuerdas.core :as str]))
 
 (t/deftest roles-parse-the-env-list
-  (t/testing "the default keeps the http surfaces only"
-    (t/is (= #{:http} (ccfg/roles "http"))))
+  (t/testing "the default serves the worker role only: the exporter is
+             a consumer's process, no surface needs preserving"
+    (t/is (= #{:worker} (ccfg/roles nil)))
+    (t/is (= #{:worker} (ccfg/roles))))
+  (t/is (= #{:http} (ccfg/roles "http")))
   (t/is (= #{:http :worker} (ccfg/roles "http,worker")))
   (t/is (= #{:http :worker} (ccfg/roles "http, worker")))
   (t/testing "the parser does not invent roles from noise"