diff --git a/.github/workflows/minimal-build.yaml b/.github/workflows/minimal-build.yaml
index 9ba9565b44c25b..ade1bd56ea36ff 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/minimal-build.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/minimal-build.yaml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ name: Minimal Build (Linux / configure)
 on:
     push:
         branches-ignore:
-            - 'dependabot/**'
+            - "dependabot/**"
     pull_request:
     merge_group:
 
@@ -42,11 +42,11 @@ jobs:
             - name: Checkout submodules # but don't bootstrap!
               uses: ./.github/actions/checkout-submodules
               with:
-                platform: linux
+                  platform: linux
 
             - name: Configure and build All Clusters App
               run: |
-                  CC=gcc CXX=g++ scripts/configure --project=examples/all-clusters-app/linux && ./ninja-build
+                  CC=gcc CXX=g++ scripts/configure --project=examples/all-clusters-app/linux --enable-recommended=no && ./ninja-build
 
     minimal-network-manager:
         name: Linux / configure build of network-manager-app
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ jobs:
             - name: Checkout submodules # but don't bootstrap!
               uses: ./.github/actions/checkout-submodules
               with:
-                platform: linux
+                  platform: linux
 
             - name: Configure and build Network Manager App
               run: |
-                  CC=gcc CXX=g++ scripts/configure --project=examples/network-manager-app/linux && ./ninja-build
+                  CC=gcc CXX=g++ scripts/configure --project=examples/network-manager-app/linux --enable-recommended=no && ./ninja-build
diff --git a/config/recommended.gni b/config/recommended.gni
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..a30045ced7814e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/recommended.gni
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2024 Project CHIP Authors
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+declare_args() {
+  # Note for SDK developers:  As additional features with their own settings
+  # are added to the SDK, consider using the `matter_enable_recommended`
+  # meta-setting instead of a default value of 'true', especially where a
+  # different default is used based on platform (current_os): Often various
+  # debugging features have previously been defaulted to on for Linux and/or
+  # Mac but off for embedded platforms (on the assumption that Linux / Mac
+  # don't have resource constraints?); build settings of that nature should
+  # instead reference this meta-setting. E.g.
+  #   enable_flux_capacitor =  matter_enable_recommended && current_os == "linux"
+
+  # Enable recommended settings by default. This is a meta-setting
+  # that is enabled by default, and acts as a default for various
+  # other settings. Setting it to false produces a more conservative /
+  # minimal set of defaults.
+  matter_enable_recommended = true
+}
diff --git a/examples/shell/shell_common/BUILD.gn b/examples/shell/shell_common/BUILD.gn
index e4aa2973f8cc04..645c8ddb510220 100644
--- a/examples/shell/shell_common/BUILD.gn
+++ b/examples/shell/shell_common/BUILD.gn
@@ -13,13 +13,12 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 import("//build_overrides/chip.gni")
-import("//build_overrides/openthread.gni")
-
+import("${chip_root}/config/recommended.gni")
 import("${chip_root}/src/platform/device.gni")
 
 declare_args() {
-  # Enable server command only on linux for now.
-  chip_shell_cmd_server = current_os == "linux" || current_os == "mac"
+  chip_shell_cmd_server = matter_enable_recommended &&
+                          (current_os == "linux" || current_os == "mac")
 }
 
 config("shell_common_config") {
diff --git a/src/app/common_flags.gni b/src/app/common_flags.gni
index 953afc23a20650..d3e7ce34bf0338 100644
--- a/src/app/common_flags.gni
+++ b/src/app/common_flags.gni
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+import("//build_overrides/chip.gni")
+import("${chip_root}/config/recommended.gni")
+
 declare_args() {
   # Temporary flag for interaction model and echo protocols, set it to true to enable
   chip_app_use_echo = false
@@ -26,7 +29,7 @@ declare_args() {
   #   - disabled: does not use data model interface at all
   #   - check:    runs BOTH datamodel and non-data-model (if possible) functionality and compares results
   #   - enabled:  runs only the data model interface (does not use the legacy code)
-  if (current_os == "linux") {
+  if (matter_enable_recommended && current_os == "linux") {
     chip_use_data_model_interface = "check"
   } else {
     chip_use_data_model_interface = "disabled"
diff --git a/src/lib/core/core.gni b/src/lib/core/core.gni
index f2189198e36131..eea73a5c56f7b3 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/core.gni
+++ b/src/lib/core/core.gni
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+import("//build_overrides/chip.gni")
+import("${chip_root}/config/recommended.gni")
+
 declare_args() {
   # Enable logging. Shorthand for chip_error_logging, etc.
   chip_logging = true
@@ -28,13 +31,16 @@ declare_args() {
   chip_progress_logging = chip_logging
 
   # Enable detail logging.
-  chip_detail_logging = chip_logging
+  chip_detail_logging = matter_enable_recommended && chip_logging
 
   # Enable automation logging.
-  chip_automation_logging = chip_logging
+  chip_automation_logging = matter_enable_recommended && chip_logging
+}
 
+declare_args() {
   # Configure the maximum size for logged messages
-  if (current_os == "linux" || current_os == "mac" || current_os == "ios") {
+  if ((matter_enable_recommended || chip_detail_logging) &&
+      (current_os == "linux" || current_os == "mac" || current_os == "ios")) {
     # Allow base64 encoding of 1 MTU (4 * (1280 / 3) + padding
     chip_log_message_max_size = 1708
   } else {
@@ -88,7 +94,8 @@ declare_args() {
   chip_config_memory_debug_dmalloc = false
 
   # When enabled trace messages using tansport trace hook.
-  chip_enable_transport_trace = current_os == "linux" || current_os == "mac"
+  chip_enable_transport_trace = matter_enable_recommended &&
+                                (current_os == "linux" || current_os == "mac")
 
   # When this is enabled trace messages will be sent to pw_trace.
   chip_enable_transport_pw_trace = false
diff --git a/src/tracing/tracing_args.gni b/src/tracing/tracing_args.gni
index d6ddb1fd2e99b8..085844e4a53605 100644
--- a/src/tracing/tracing_args.gni
+++ b/src/tracing/tracing_args.gni
@@ -11,9 +11,8 @@
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
-import("//build_overrides/build.gni")
 import("//build_overrides/chip.gni")
-import("${build_root}/config/compiler/compiler.gni")
+import("${chip_root}/config/recommended.gni")
 import("${chip_root}/src/platform/device.gni")
 
 declare_args() {
@@ -24,7 +23,8 @@ declare_args() {
   # Additionally, if tracing is enabled, the main() function has to add
   # backends explicitly
   matter_enable_tracing_support =
-      current_os == "android" || chip_device_platform == "darwin"
+      matter_enable_recommended &&
+      (current_os == "android" || chip_device_platform == "darwin")
 
   # Defines the trace backend. Current matter tracing splits the logic
   # into two parts: