diff --git a/src/applications/project/controller/PhabricatorProjectBoardViewController.php b/src/applications/project/controller/PhabricatorProjectBoardViewController.php
--- a/src/applications/project/controller/PhabricatorProjectBoardViewController.php
+++ b/src/applications/project/controller/PhabricatorProjectBoardViewController.php
@@ -761,8 +761,15 @@
     $board_uri = $this->getApplicationURI("board/{$id}/");
     $import_uri = $this->getApplicationURI("board/{$id}/import/");
 
-    switch ($type) {
-      case 'backlog-only':
+    $set_default = $request->getBool('default');
+    if ($set_default) {
+      $this
+        ->getProfilePanelEngine()
+        ->adjustDefault(PhabricatorProject::PANEL_WORKBOARD);
+    }
+
+    if ($request->isFormPost()) {
+      if ($type == 'backlog-only') {
         $column = PhabricatorProjectColumn::initializeNewColumn($viewer)
           ->setSequence(0)
           ->setProperty('isDefault', true)
@@ -773,12 +780,14 @@
 
         return id(new AphrontRedirectResponse())
           ->setURI($board_uri);
-      case 'import':
+      } else {
         return id(new AphrontRedirectResponse())
           ->setURI($import_uri);
+      }
     }
 
     $new_selector = id(new AphrontFormRadioButtonControl())
+      ->setLabel(pht('Columns'))
       ->setName('initialize-type')
       ->setValue('backlog-only')
       ->addButton(
@@ -790,11 +799,20 @@
         pht('Import Columns'),
         pht('Import board columns from another project.'));
 
+    $default_checkbox = id(new AphrontFormCheckboxControl())
+      ->setLabel(pht('Make Default'))
+      ->addCheckbox(
+        'default',
+        1,
+        pht('Make the workboard the default view for this project.'),
+        true);
+
     $form = id(new AphrontFormView())
       ->setUser($viewer)
       ->appendRemarkupInstructions(
         pht('The workboard for this project has not been created yet.'))
       ->appendControl($new_selector)
+      ->appendControl($default_checkbox)
       ->appendControl(
         id(new AphrontFormSubmitControl())
           ->addCancelButton($profile_uri)
diff --git a/src/applications/project/controller/PhabricatorProjectController.php b/src/applications/project/controller/PhabricatorProjectController.php
--- a/src/applications/project/controller/PhabricatorProjectController.php
+++ b/src/applications/project/controller/PhabricatorProjectController.php
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@
       if ($project) {
         $engine = id(new PhabricatorProjectProfilePanelEngine())
           ->setViewer($viewer)
+          ->setController($this)
           ->setProfileObject($project);
         $this->profilePanelEngine = $engine;
       }
diff --git a/src/applications/search/engine/PhabricatorProfilePanelEngine.php b/src/applications/search/engine/PhabricatorProfilePanelEngine.php
--- a/src/applications/search/engine/PhabricatorProfilePanelEngine.php
+++ b/src/applications/search/engine/PhabricatorProfilePanelEngine.php
@@ -891,24 +891,84 @@
         ->addCancelButton($done_uri);
     }
 
+    if ($request->isFormPost()) {
+      $key = $configuration->getID();
+      if (!$key) {
+        $key = $configuration->getBuiltinKey();
+      }
+
+      $this->adjustDefault($key);
+
+      return id(new AphrontRedirectResponse())
+        ->setURI($done_uri);
+    }
+
+    return $controller->newDialog()
+      ->setTitle(pht('Make Default'))
+      ->appendParagraph(
+        pht(
+          'Set this item as the default for this menu? Users arriving on '.
+          'this page will be shown the content of this item by default.'))
+      ->addCancelButton($done_uri)
+      ->addSubmitButton(pht('Make Default'));
+  }
+
+  protected function newPanel() {
+    return PhabricatorProfilePanelConfiguration::initializeNewBuiltin();
+  }
+
+  public function adjustDefault($key) {
+    $controller = $this->getController();
+    $request = $controller->getRequest();
+    $viewer = $request->getViewer();
+
+    $panels = $this->loadPanels();
+
+    // To adjust the default panel, we first change any existing panels that
+    // are marked as defaults to "visible", then make the new default panel
+    // the default.
+
+    $default = array();
+    $visible = array();
+
+    foreach ($panels as $panel) {
+      $builtin_key = $panel->getBuiltinKey();
+      $id = $panel->getID();
+
+      $is_target =
+        (($builtin_key !== null) && ($builtin_key === $key)) ||
+        (($id !== null) && ($id === (int)$key));
+
+      if ($is_target) {
+        if (!$panel->isDefault()) {
+          $default[] = $panel;
+        }
+      } else {
+        if ($panel->isDefault()) {
+          $visible[] = $panel;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
     $type_visibility =
       PhabricatorProfilePanelConfigurationTransaction::TYPE_VISIBILITY;
 
     $v_visible = PhabricatorProfilePanelConfiguration::VISIBILITY_VISIBLE;
     $v_default = PhabricatorProfilePanelConfiguration::VISIBILITY_DEFAULT;
 
-    if ($request->isFormPost()) {
-      // First, mark any existing default panels as merely visible.
-      foreach ($panels as $panel) {
-        if (!$panel->isDefault()) {
-          continue;
-        }
+    $apply = array(
+      array($v_visible, $visible),
+      array($v_default, $default),
+    );
 
+    foreach ($apply as $group) {
+      list($value, $panels) = $group;
+      foreach ($panels as $panel) {
         $xactions = array();
 
         $xactions[] = id(new PhabricatorProfilePanelConfigurationTransaction())
           ->setTransactionType($type_visibility)
-          ->setNewValue($v_visible);
+          ->setNewValue($value);
 
         $editor = id(new PhabricatorProfilePanelEditor())
           ->setContentSourceFromRequest($request)
@@ -917,37 +977,9 @@
           ->setContinueOnNoEffect(true)
           ->applyTransactions($panel, $xactions);
       }
-
-      // Now, make this panel the default.
-      $xactions = array();
-
-      $xactions[] = id(new PhabricatorProfilePanelConfigurationTransaction())
-        ->setTransactionType($type_visibility)
-        ->setNewValue($v_default);
-
-      $editor = id(new PhabricatorProfilePanelEditor())
-        ->setContentSourceFromRequest($request)
-        ->setActor($viewer)
-        ->setContinueOnMissingFields(true)
-        ->setContinueOnNoEffect(true)
-        ->applyTransactions($configuration, $xactions);
-
-      return id(new AphrontRedirectResponse())
-        ->setURI($done_uri);
     }
 
-    return $controller->newDialog()
-      ->setTitle(pht('Make Default'))
-      ->appendParagraph(
-        pht(
-          'Set this item as the default for this menu? Users arriving on '.
-          'this page will be shown the content of this item by default.'))
-      ->addCancelButton($done_uri)
-      ->addSubmitButton(pht('Make Default'));
-  }
-
-  protected function newPanel() {
-    return PhabricatorProfilePanelConfiguration::initializeNewBuiltin();
+    return $this;
   }
 
 }