diff --git a/docs/config.md b/docs/config.md
index e9f7e5b..ac07d51 100644
--- a/docs/config.md
+++ b/docs/config.md
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ whisperx:
 
 Why this is sufficient:
 
-- `workspace.root` and `whisperx.transcribe_url` are the core required pipeline fields.
+- `whisperx.transcribe_url` is required.
+- `workspace.root` is optional and defaults to `/var/lib/narratio`.
 - Seriatim and Audita sections may be omitted; defaults are applied.
 - Archive, storage, spool, normalize, and other optional sections get defaults when omitted.
 
@@ -135,7 +136,7 @@ Defaults listed here are effective runtime defaults after load.
 
 | Path | Type | Required | Default |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| `pipeline.workspace.root` | string | Yes | none |
+| `pipeline.workspace.root` | string | No | `/var/lib/narratio` |
 | `pipeline.workspace.cleanup_after_archive` | bool | No | `false` |
 | `pipeline.secrets.env_dir` | string | Conditional | none |
 | `pipeline.storage.backend` | string | No | empty |
diff --git a/internal/config/defaults.go b/internal/config/defaults.go
index 42d0dc3..3993f6e 100644
--- a/internal/config/defaults.go
+++ b/internal/config/defaults.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const (
 	DefaultS3AccessKeyIDEnv           = "OBJECT_STORAGE_KEY_ID"
 	DefaultS3SecretAccessKeyEnv       = "OBJECT_STORAGE_KEY"
 	DefaultStorageS3RootPrefix        = "dnd"
+	DefaultWorkspaceRoot              = "/var/lib/narratio"
 	DefaultSpoolRoot                  = "/var/spool/narratio"
 
 	DefaultWhisperXLanguage    = "en"
diff --git a/internal/config/load.go b/internal/config/load.go
index 06c7ee7..b50a4ce 100644
--- a/internal/config/load.go
+++ b/internal/config/load.go
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ func applyPipelineDefaults(cfg *PipelineConfig) {
 	if cfg == nil {
 		return
 	}
+	applyWorkspaceDefaults(&cfg.Workspace)
 	applyStorageDefaults(&cfg.Storage)
 	applySpoolDefaults(&cfg.Spool)
 	applyArchiveDefaults(&cfg.Archive)
@@ -166,6 +167,15 @@ func applyPipelineDefaults(cfg *PipelineConfig) {
 	applyScriptoriumDefaults(cfg.Scriptorium)
 }
 
+func applyWorkspaceDefaults(cfg *WorkspaceConfig) {
+	if cfg == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	if cfg.Root == "" {
+		cfg.Root = DefaultWorkspaceRoot
+	}
+}
+
 func applyStorageDefaults(cfg *StorageConfig) {
 	if cfg == nil {
 		return
diff --git a/internal/config/load_validate_test.go b/internal/config/load_validate_test.go
index fd39437..2c2bc6a 100644
--- a/internal/config/load_validate_test.go
+++ b/internal/config/load_validate_test.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ func TestLoadAndValidate(t *testing.T) {
 		wantLoadErr  string
 		wantValidate string
 		checkDefault bool
+		wantRoot     string
 	}{
 		{
 			name: "valid minimal config",
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ inputs:
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
 `,
 			checkDefault: true,
+			wantRoot:     "/tmp/narratio",
 		},
 		{
 			name: "seriatim and audita sections can be omitted",
@@ -59,6 +61,26 @@ inputs:
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
 `,
 			checkDefault: true,
+			wantRoot:     "/tmp/narratio",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "workspace root defaults when omitted",
+			pipelineYAML: `whisperx:
+  transcribe_url: https://transcription.ai.rakestrawhome.com/transcribe
+analyzer:
+  timeout: 20m
+notification:
+  timeout: 15s
+`,
+			sessionYAML: `session_id: 2026-05-03
+inputs:
+  audio_dir: ./audio
+  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
+  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
+  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+`,
+			checkDefault: true,
+			wantRoot:     DefaultWorkspaceRoot,
 		},
 		{
 			name: "unknown pipeline field fails",
@@ -713,6 +735,9 @@ inputs:
 				t.Fatalf("SessionPath = %q, want %q", cfg.SessionPath, sessionPath)
 			}
 			if tt.checkDefault {
+				if tt.wantRoot != "" && cfg.Pipeline.Workspace.Root != tt.wantRoot {
+					t.Fatalf("workspace.root = %q, want %q", cfg.Pipeline.Workspace.Root, tt.wantRoot)
+				}
 				if cfg.Pipeline.WhisperX.Language != "en" {
 					t.Fatalf("whisperx.language = %q, want %q", cfg.Pipeline.WhisperX.Language, "en")
 				}