diff --git a/api.go b/api.go
index e99b88a..f3bce95 100644
--- a/api.go
+++ b/api.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	_ "embed"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"time"
 
@@ -92,8 +93,41 @@ func (r *Router) handleConfigHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 			http.Error(w, "Config update in progress.", http.StatusConflict)
 			return
 		}
+		//TODO(jwetzell): again way too much marshaling
+		cfgBytes, err := io.ReadAll(req.Body)
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "Bad request", http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+		cfgMap := make(map[string]any)
+		err = json.Unmarshal(cfgBytes, &cfgMap)
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "Bad request", http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+
+		err = schema.ApplyDefaults(&cfgMap)
+
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+
+		err = schema.ValidateConfig(cfgMap)
+
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, err.Error(), http.StatusBadRequest)
+			return
+		}
+
+		validCfgBytes, err := json.Marshal(cfgMap)
+		if err != nil {
+			http.Error(w, "Internal server error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+			return
+		}
+
 		var newConfig config.Config
-		err := json.NewDecoder(req.Body).Decode(&newConfig)
+		err = json.Unmarshal(validCfgBytes, &newConfig)
 		if err != nil {
 			http.Error(w, "Bad request", http.StatusBadRequest)
 			return
diff --git a/cmd/showbridge/main.go b/cmd/showbridge/main.go
index 703c0ab..33def2c 100644
--- a/cmd/showbridge/main.go
+++ b/cmd/showbridge/main.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
@@ -15,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/jwetzell/showbridge-go/internal/config"
 	"github.com/jwetzell/showbridge-go/internal/module"
 	"github.com/jwetzell/showbridge-go/internal/route"
+	"github.com/jwetzell/showbridge-go/internal/schema"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v3"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracehttp"
@@ -103,7 +105,28 @@ func readConfig(configPath string) (config.Config, error) {
 		return config.Config{}, err
 	}
 
-	err = yaml.Unmarshal(configBytes, &cfg)
+	//TODO(jwetzell): this is an annoying amount of marshaling
+
+	yamlMap := make(map[string]any)
+
+	err = yaml.Unmarshal(configBytes, &yamlMap)
+	if err != nil {
+		return config.Config{}, err
+	}
+
+	err = schema.ApplyDefaults(&yamlMap)
+	if err != nil {
+		return config.Config{}, err
+	}
+
+	err = schema.ValidateConfig(yamlMap)
+	if err != nil {
+		return config.Config{}, err
+	}
+
+	validatedConfigBytes, err := json.Marshal(yamlMap)
+
+	err = json.Unmarshal(validatedConfigBytes, &cfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return config.Config{}, err
 	}
diff --git a/internal/schema/config.go b/internal/schema/config.go
index bcf5d28..90a8640 100644
--- a/internal/schema/config.go
+++ b/internal/schema/config.go
@@ -1,10 +1,7 @@
 package schema
 
 import (
-	"encoding/json"
-
 	"github.com/google/jsonschema-go/jsonschema"
-	"github.com/jwetzell/showbridge-go/internal/config"
 )
 
 var ConfigSchema = jsonschema.Schema{
@@ -24,22 +21,19 @@ var ConfigSchema = jsonschema.Schema{
 	},
 }
 
-func ValidateConfig(config config.Config) error {
+func ApplyDefaults(cfg *map[string]any) error {
 	resolvedSchema, err := GetResolvedConfigSchema()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	jsonBytes, err := json.Marshal(config)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	jsonMap := make(map[string]any)
-	err = json.Unmarshal(jsonBytes, &jsonMap)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return resolvedSchema.Validate(jsonMap)
+	return resolvedSchema.ApplyDefaults(cfg)
+}
+
+func ValidateConfig(cfg map[string]any) error {
+	resolvedSchema, err := GetResolvedConfigSchema()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return resolvedSchema.Validate(cfg)
 }
diff --git a/internal/schema/schema.go b/internal/schema/schema.go
index 1946b84..911f46a 100644
--- a/internal/schema/schema.go
+++ b/internal/schema/schema.go
@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 func GetResolvedConfigSchema() (*jsonschema.Resolved, error) {
-	configSchema := ConfigSchema
-
-	return configSchema.Resolve(&jsonschema.ResolveOptions{
+	return ConfigSchema.Resolve(&jsonschema.ResolveOptions{
 		Loader: func(uri *url.URL) (*jsonschema.Schema, error) {
 			switch uri.String() {
 			case "https://showbridge.io/modules.schema.json":
@@ -23,5 +21,6 @@ func GetResolvedConfigSchema() (*jsonschema.Resolved, error) {
 				return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown schema reference: %s", uri.String())
 			}
 		},
+		ValidateDefaults: true,
 	})
 }