diff --git a/src/main/java/com/thoughtworks/go/dbsync/cli/Args.java b/src/main/java/com/thoughtworks/go/dbsync/cli/Args.java
index c875cda..687f114 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/thoughtworks/go/dbsync/cli/Args.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/thoughtworks/go/dbsync/cli/Args.java
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ public class Args {
     public String outputFile;
 
     @Parameter(names = {"--insert", "-i"}, description = "Perform INSERT into target database.", order = 1200)
-    public boolean insert = true;
+    public boolean insert = false;
 
     @Parameter(names = {"--progress", "-p"}, description = "Show progress of the export operation", order = 1300)
     public boolean progress = false;