diff --git a/client/src/app/TabsProvider.js b/client/src/app/TabsProvider.js
index e1d509e48a..c494bc8119 100644
--- a/client/src/app/TabsProvider.js
+++ b/client/src/app/TabsProvider.js
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ import Flags, {
   DISABLE_ZEEBE,
   DISABLE_PLATFORM,
   DISABLE_CMMN,
-  DISABLE_HTTL_HINT
+  DISABLE_HTTL_HINT,
+  DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL
 } from '../util/Flags';
 
 import BPMNIcon from '../../resources/icons/file-types/BPMN-16x16.svg';
@@ -627,7 +628,7 @@ export default class TabsProvider {
   _getInitialFileContents(type) {
     const rawContents = this.getProvider(type).getInitialContents();
 
-    return rawContents && replaceExporter(replaceVersions(replaceIds(rawContents, generateId)));
+    return rawContents && replaceHistoryTimeToLive(replaceExporter(replaceVersions(replaceIds(rawContents, generateId))));
   }
 
   _getTabType(file) {
@@ -750,3 +751,13 @@ function DisableHTTLHintPlugin() {
     }
   };
 }
+
+function replaceHistoryTimeToLive(contents) {
+  if (!Flags.get(DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL)) {
+    return contents.replace('camunda:historyTimeToLive="{{ DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL }}"', '');
+  }
+  return (
+    contents
+      .replace('{{ DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL }}', Flags.get(DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL))
+  );
+}
diff --git a/client/src/app/__tests__/TabsProviderSpec.js b/client/src/app/__tests__/TabsProviderSpec.js
index 82b64d4c79..348b4d78ad 100644
--- a/client/src/app/__tests__/TabsProviderSpec.js
+++ b/client/src/app/__tests__/TabsProviderSpec.js
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ import Flags, {
   DISABLE_CMMN,
   CLOUD_ENGINE_VERSION,
   PLATFORM_ENGINE_VERSION,
-  DISABLE_HTTL_HINT
+  DISABLE_HTTL_HINT,
+  DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL
 } from '../../util/Flags';
 
 import {
@@ -1134,7 +1135,6 @@ describe('TabsProvider', function() {
       expect(tabsProvider.hasProvider('cmmn')).to.be.true;
     });
 
-
     it('should disable HTTL hint', async function() {
 
       // given
@@ -1160,6 +1160,36 @@ describe('TabsProvider', function() {
       expect(customLinter.getPlugins()).to.have.length(1);
     });
 
+    it('should return default history ttl', function() {
+
+      // given
+      Flags.init({});
+      const tabsProvider = new TabsProvider();
+
+      // when
+      const { file: { contents } } = tabsProvider.createTab('bpmn');
+
+      // then
+      expect(contents).to.not.include('historyTimeToLive');
+
+    });
+
+    it('should replace history ttl placeholder with version from flag (BPMN)', function() {
+
+      // given
+      Flags.init({
+        [DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL]: '30'
+      });
+      const tabsProvider = new TabsProvider();
+
+      // when
+      const { file: { contents } } = tabsProvider.createTab('bpmn');
+
+      // then
+      expect(contents).to.include('historyTimeToLive="30"');
+    });
+
+
   });
 
 
diff --git a/client/src/app/tabs/bpmn/__tests__/DiagramSpec.js b/client/src/app/tabs/bpmn/__tests__/DiagramSpec.js
index 452f0a3ab5..5700b46789 100644
--- a/client/src/app/tabs/bpmn/__tests__/DiagramSpec.js
+++ b/client/src/app/tabs/bpmn/__tests__/DiagramSpec.js
@@ -20,16 +20,7 @@ describe('tabs/bpmn', function() {
       // then
       expect(contents).to.contain('id="Definitions_{{ ID }}"');
       expect(contents).to.contain('id="Process_{{ ID:process }}"');
-    });
-
-
-    it('should contain defaults', function() {
-
-      // when
-      const contents = require('../diagram.bpmn');
-
-      // then
-      expect(contents).not.to.contain('camunda:historyTimeToLive="180"');
+      expect(contents).to.contain('historyTimeToLive="{{ DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL }}');
     });
 
   });
diff --git a/client/src/app/tabs/bpmn/diagram.bpmn b/client/src/app/tabs/bpmn/diagram.bpmn
index cfee010d09..ee949232a8 100644
--- a/client/src/app/tabs/bpmn/diagram.bpmn
+++ b/client/src/app/tabs/bpmn/diagram.bpmn
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <bpmn:definitions xmlns:bpmn="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/MODEL" xmlns:bpmndi="http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/20100524/DI" xmlns:dc="http://www.omg.org/spec/DD/20100524/DC" xmlns:camunda="http://camunda.org/schema/1.0/bpmn" id="Definitions_{{ ID }}" targetNamespace="http://bpmn.io/schema/bpmn" xmlns:modeler="http://camunda.org/schema/modeler/1.0" exporter="{{ EXPORTER_NAME }}" exporterVersion="{{ EXPORTER_VERSION }}" modeler:executionPlatform="Camunda Platform" modeler:executionPlatformVersion="{{ CAMUNDA_PLATFORM_VERSION }}">
-  <bpmn:process id="Process_{{ ID:process }}" isExecutable="true">
+  <bpmn:process id="Process_{{ ID:process }}" isExecutable="true" camunda:historyTimeToLive="{{ DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL }}">
     <bpmn:startEvent id="StartEvent_1" />
   </bpmn:process>
   <bpmndi:BPMNDiagram id="BPMNDiagram_1">
diff --git a/client/src/util/Flags.js b/client/src/util/Flags.js
index a6626e3a83..8760905e2a 100644
--- a/client/src/util/Flags.js
+++ b/client/src/util/Flags.js
@@ -49,3 +49,5 @@ export const DISPLAY_VERSION = 'display-version';
 export const CLOUD_ENGINE_VERSION = 'c8-engine-version';
 export const PLATFORM_ENGINE_VERSION = 'c7-engine-version';
 export const DISABLE_HTTL_HINT = 'disable-httl-hint';
+export const DEFAULT_HISTORY_TTL = 'default-history-ttl';
+