diff --git a/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/DefaultQueryOptions.java b/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/DefaultQueryOptions.java
index d785749a1..09c2f5ccd 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/DefaultQueryOptions.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/DefaultQueryOptions.java
@@ -25,10 +25,6 @@
 
 package net.luckperms.api.query;
 
-import net.luckperms.api.context.ImmutableContextSet;
-
-import java.util.EnumSet;
-
 /**
  * Some default {@link QueryOptions} instances.
  */
@@ -38,7 +34,6 @@ final class DefaultQueryOptions {
     }
 
     private static boolean setup = false;
-    private static final EnumSet<Flag> DEFAULT_FLAGS = EnumSet.allOf(Flag.class);
     private static QueryOptions contextual;
     private static QueryOptions nonContextual;
 
@@ -47,8 +42,8 @@ final class DefaultQueryOptions {
             return;
         }
         setup = true;
-        contextual = QueryOptions.contextual(ImmutableContextSet.empty(), DEFAULT_FLAGS);
-        nonContextual = QueryOptions.nonContextual(DEFAULT_FLAGS);
+        contextual = QueryOptions.builder(QueryMode.CONTEXTUAL).build();
+        nonContextual = QueryOptions.builder(QueryMode.NON_CONTEXTUAL).build();
     }
 
     static QueryOptions contextual() {
diff --git a/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/Flag.java b/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/Flag.java
index 2e40fdf09..fb4c49d56 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/Flag.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/Flag.java
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ package net.luckperms.api.query;
 
 /**
  * The flags which can be set for a query.
+ *
+ * <p>By default (in places like new instances of {@link QueryOptions.Builder} and
+ * {@link QueryOptions#defaultContextualOptions()}), all {@link Flag}s are set to true.</p>
  */
 public enum Flag {
 
diff --git a/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/QueryOptions.java b/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/QueryOptions.java
index 4d072766a..60c9bb675 100644
--- a/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/QueryOptions.java
+++ b/api/src/main/java/net/luckperms/api/query/QueryOptions.java
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ public interface QueryOptions {
      * @return the query options
      */
     static @NonNull QueryOptions contextual(@NonNull ContextSet context) {
-        return defaultContextualOptions().toBuilder().context(context).build();
+        return builder(QueryMode.CONTEXTUAL).context(context).build();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -208,6 +208,8 @@ public interface QueryOptions {
         /**
          * Sets the value of the given flag.
          *
+         * <p>By default, all {@link Flag}s are set to true.</p>
+         *
          * @param flag the flag
          * @param value the value to set
          * @return this builder
@@ -220,6 +222,8 @@ public interface QueryOptions {
          * <p>Note that this is a set operation, not append. Existing flags will
          * be overridden.</p>
          *
+         * <p>By default, all {@link Flag}s are set to true.</p>
+         *
          * @param flags the flags
          * @return this builder
          */
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/FlagUtils.java b/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/FlagUtils.java
index 93abeec8b..653885f9e 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/FlagUtils.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/FlagUtils.java
@@ -33,13 +33,25 @@ import java.util.Set;
 final class FlagUtils {
     private FlagUtils() {}
 
+    private static final EnumSet<Flag> DEFAULT_FLAGS_SET = EnumSet.allOf(Flag.class);
+    private static final int DEFAULT_FLAGS_SIZE = DEFAULT_FLAGS_SET.size();
+    static final byte DEFAULT_FLAGS = encodeAsByte(DEFAULT_FLAGS_SET);
+
     /* bitwise utility methods */
 
     static boolean read(byte b, Flag setting) {
         return ((b >> setting.ordinal()) & 1) == 1;
     }
 
-    static byte createFlag(Set<Flag> settings) {
+    static byte toByte(Set<Flag> settings) {
+        // fast path for the default set of flags.
+        if (settings.size() == DEFAULT_FLAGS_SIZE) {
+            return DEFAULT_FLAGS;
+        }
+        return encodeAsByte(settings);
+    }
+
+    private static byte encodeAsByte(Set<Flag> settings) {
         byte b = 0;
         for (Flag setting : settings) {
             b |= (1 << setting.ordinal());
@@ -47,7 +59,7 @@ final class FlagUtils {
         return b;
     }
 
-    static Set<Flag> createSetFromFlag(byte b) {
+    static Set<Flag> toSet(byte b) {
         EnumSet<Flag> settings = EnumSet.noneOf(Flag.class);
         for (Flag setting : Flag.values()) {
             if (read(b, setting)) {
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/QueryOptionsBuilderImpl.java b/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/QueryOptionsBuilderImpl.java
index 21cd29eb6..64d80afc1 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/QueryOptionsBuilderImpl.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/QueryOptionsBuilderImpl.java
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ public class QueryOptionsBuilderImpl implements QueryOptions.Builder {
     public QueryOptionsBuilderImpl(QueryMode mode) {
         this.mode = mode;
         this.context = mode == QueryMode.CONTEXTUAL ? ImmutableContextSetImpl.EMPTY : null;
-        this.flags = 0;
+        this.flags = FlagUtils.DEFAULT_FLAGS;
         this.flagsSet = null;
         this.options = null;
         this.copyOptions = false;
@@ -94,13 +94,13 @@ public class QueryOptionsBuilderImpl implements QueryOptions.Builder {
     public QueryOptions.@NonNull Builder flag(@NonNull Flag flag, boolean value) {
         Objects.requireNonNull(flag, "flag");
 
-        // already set
+        // check if already set
         if (this.flagsSet == null && FlagUtils.read(this.flags, flag) == value) {
             return this;
         }
 
         if (this.flagsSet == null) {
-            this.flagsSet = FlagUtils.createSetFromFlag(this.flags);
+            this.flagsSet = FlagUtils.toSet(this.flags);
         }
         if (value) {
             this.flagsSet.add(flag);
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ public class QueryOptionsBuilderImpl implements QueryOptions.Builder {
 
     @Override
     public @NonNull QueryOptions build() {
-        byte flags = this.flagsSet != null ? FlagUtils.createFlag(this.flagsSet) : this.flags;
+        byte flags = this.flagsSet != null ? FlagUtils.toByte(this.flagsSet) : this.flags;
 
         if (this.options == null) {
             if (this.mode == QueryMode.NON_CONTEXTUAL) {
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/QueryOptionsImpl.java b/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/QueryOptionsImpl.java
index 0310d04a5..8dbc5cd6d 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/QueryOptionsImpl.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/me/lucko/luckperms/common/query/QueryOptionsImpl.java
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public class QueryOptionsImpl implements QueryOptions {
         if (this.flagsSet != null) {
             return this.flagsSet;
         }
-        Set<Flag> set = ImmutableSet.copyOf(FlagUtils.createSetFromFlag(this.flags));
+        Set<Flag> set = ImmutableSet.copyOf(FlagUtils.toSet(this.flags));
         this.flagsSet = set;
         return set;
     }