diff --git a/Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Sources/CmuxNextSettings/Schema/SettingsSchema+RetiredKeys.generated.swift b/Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Sources/CmuxNextSettings/Schema/SettingsSchema+RetiredKeys.generated.swift
index 94aff4a5a96f..c4dbd3824917 100644
--- a/Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Sources/CmuxNextSettings/Schema/SettingsSchema+RetiredKeys.generated.swift
+++ b/Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Sources/CmuxNextSettings/Schema/SettingsSchema+RetiredKeys.generated.swift
@@ -22,5 +22,7 @@ extension SettingsSchema {
         "tabs.tabBar.browser": "every pane shows its tab bar; hide one with Hide Tab Bar in the command palette",
         // The palette is the only way to hide a tab bar (Lawrence 2026-10-15, cx-5425v).
         "tabs.tabBar.agent": "every pane shows its tab bar; hide one with Hide Tab Bar in the command palette",
+        // New Tab picks the action itself and has no Search | Ask switch (Leo 2026-10-20, #22816).
+        "tabs.newTabWidgets.modeSwitch": "New Tab picks open, ask or search from what you type; there is no switch",
     ]
 }
diff --git a/Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Tests/CmuxNextSettingsTests/NewTabWidgetSettingsTests.swift b/Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Tests/CmuxNextSettingsTests/NewTabWidgetSettingsTests.swift
index 7d8c43665786..44bbbdd5257b 100644
--- a/Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Tests/CmuxNextSettingsTests/NewTabWidgetSettingsTests.swift
+++ b/Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Tests/CmuxNextSettingsTests/NewTabWidgetSettingsTests.swift
@@ -22,6 +22,17 @@ struct NewTabWidgetSettingsTests {
         #expect(Self.parse(["greeting": .bool(true), "chats": .bool(true)]).newTabWidgets.ids == ["greeting", "chats"])
     }
 
+    /// New Tab picks open, ask or search itself (#22816): an old config's switch key is retired,
+    /// so loading stays clean and Settings/agent writes cannot expose it again.
+    @Test func theRetiredModeSwitchKeyIsIgnored() {
+        let snapshot = Self.parse(["modeSwitch": .bool(true)])
+        #expect(snapshot.newTabWidgets.ids == [])
+        #expect(snapshot.diagnostics.isEmpty, "\(snapshot.diagnostics)")
+        #expect(snapshot.retiredKeys == ["tabs.newTabWidgets.modeSwitch"])
+        #expect(SettingsSchema.descriptor(for: ["tabs", "newTabWidgets", "modeSwitch"]) == nil)
+        #expect(!SettingsSchema.agentSettableKeys.contains("tabs.newTabWidgets.modeSwitch"))
+    }
+
     @Test func eachWidgetTurnsOnAndTheGreetingOff() {
         let snapshot = Self.parse([
             "greeting": .bool(false), "projects": .bool(true), "actions": .bool(true),
diff --git a/schemas/settings-export/settings-schema.sources.sha256 b/schemas/settings-export/settings-schema.sources.sha256
index c173b470b2b2..431cd62e52fd 100644
--- a/schemas/settings-export/settings-schema.sources.sha256
+++ b/schemas/settings-export/settings-schema.sources.sha256
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ f9322eec467fc4afb6e840e2ac4ac45ba3725ef7e8beda9e6025b90b5d3a8d10  Packages/macOS
 
 7afcc3f86f1ccaa8cea658981756cddd34a7633e02aa75a6cf1dfdc5ba724854  Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Sources/CmuxNextSettings/Schema/SettingsSchema+Retired.swift
 
-b1bbecb3bf92c6d816c4b5873244c97f3777fa524d2fa7aeb0904d1cf72b44cd  Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Sources/CmuxNextSettings/Schema/SettingsSchema+RetiredKeys.generated.swift
+47ad9831abff626d622d0029cd67f13e1ab95187147b967fe02358ad62044c7f  Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Sources/CmuxNextSettings/Schema/SettingsSchema+RetiredKeys.generated.swift
 
 d475ef9c2c02e07fc077689d915c72ed90060003b7b45abde9ce406bf70c94c4  Packages/macOS/CmuxNext/Sources/CmuxNextSettings/Schema/SettingsSchema+Screenshots.generated.swift
 
diff --git a/schemas/settings/retired-keys.json b/schemas/settings/retired-keys.json
index baf7734479d2..79620755c1fe 100644
--- a/schemas/settings/retired-keys.json
+++ b/schemas/settings/retired-keys.json
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@
       "key": "tabs.tabBar.agent",
       "reason": "every pane shows its tab bar; hide one with Hide Tab Bar in the command palette",
       "why": "The palette is the only way to hide a tab bar (Lawrence 2026-10-15, cx-5425v)."
+    },
+    {
+      "key": "tabs.newTabWidgets.modeSwitch",
+      "reason": "New Tab picks open, ask or search from what you type; there is no switch",
+      "why": "New Tab picks the action itself and has no Search | Ask switch (Leo 2026-10-20, #22816)."
     }
   ]
 }