This behaviour seem to have changed in Renoise 3.5, I am unsure, if it should be considered as a bug or is intended:
The tool tuned shortcuts provides a function “Insert Fake C4 Phrase”, so you actually can use scales on “normal” / not-phrased instruments.
Pre-3.5, if you used that function, the newly inserted phrase (also the only existing), was also selected (not actively in the script, but Renoise did that automatically).
In 3,5, the phrase is inserted, but not selected. So the phrase only becomes active after you actively selected it once. Then you also can’t unselect it again, as far as I understand it… So this behaviour doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense…
Also maybe it would make a lot of sense, if scales didn’t require a phrase at all to become active.