diff --git a/lib/modules.nix b/lib/modules.nix
index c67ea2247ca7..ff286ad7c4b2 100644
--- a/lib/modules.nix
+++ b/lib/modules.nix
@@ -1246,6 +1246,8 @@ let
             allInvalid = filter (def: !type.check def.value) defsFinal;
           in
           throw "A definition for option `${showOption loc}' is not of type `${type.description}'. Definition values:${showDefs allInvalid}"
+      else if type.emptyValue ? value then
+        type.emptyValue.value
       else
         # (nixos-option detects this specific error message and gives it special
         # handling.  If changed here, please change it there too.)
diff --git a/lib/options.nix b/lib/options.nix
index c348491f0457..0cda30fc3544 100644
--- a/lib/options.nix
+++ b/lib/options.nix
@@ -589,11 +589,16 @@ rec {
             renderOptionValue opt.example
           );
         }
-        // optionalAttrs (opt ? defaultText || opt ? default) {
-          default = builtins.addErrorContext "while evaluating the ${
-            if opt ? defaultText then "defaultText" else "default value"
-          } of option `${name}`" (renderOptionValue (opt.defaultText or opt.default));
-        }
+        //
+          optionalAttrs (opt ? defaultText || opt ? default || ((opt.type or { }).emptyValue or { }) ? value)
+            {
+              default =
+                builtins.addErrorContext
+                  "while evaluating the ${
+                    if opt ? defaultText then "defaultText" else "default value"
+                  } of option `${name}`"
+                  (renderOptionValue (opt.defaultText or opt.default or opt.type.emptyValue.value));
+            }
         // optionalAttrs (opt ? relatedPackages && opt.relatedPackages != null) {
           inherit (opt) relatedPackages;
         };
diff --git a/lib/tests/misc.nix b/lib/tests/misc.nix
index 1a69d7dfb484..da0979756720 100644
--- a/lib/tests/misc.nix
+++ b/lib/tests/misc.nix
@@ -3393,6 +3393,44 @@ runTests {
     ];
   };
 
+  testEmptyValueOption = {
+    expr =
+      let
+        module =
+          { lib, ... }:
+          {
+            options = {
+              "empty-value" = lib.mkOption {
+                type = lib.mkOptionType {
+                  name = "propagate-empty-value-to-default";
+                  emptyValue.value = 2;
+                };
+              };
+            };
+          };
+        eval = evalModules {
+          modules = [ module ];
+        };
+      in
+      filter (o: o.name == "empty-value") (optionAttrSetToDocList eval.options);
+    expected = [
+      {
+        declarations = [ ];
+        default = {
+          _type = "literalExpression";
+          text = "2";
+        };
+        description = null;
+        internal = false;
+        loc = [ "empty-value" ];
+        name = "empty-value";
+        readOnly = false;
+        type = "propagate-empty-value-to-default";
+        visible = true;
+      }
+    ];
+  };
+
   testDocOptionVisiblity = {
     expr =
       let
diff --git a/lib/tests/modules.sh b/lib/tests/modules.sh
index aa9d3443fb6a..bc89d4c20851 100755
--- a/lib/tests/modules.sh
+++ b/lib/tests/modules.sh
@@ -674,6 +674,17 @@ checkConfigOutput "{}" config.submodule.a ./emptyValues.nix
 checkConfigError 'The option .int.a. was accessed but has no value defined. Try setting the option.' config.int.a ./emptyValues.nix
 checkConfigError 'The option .nonEmptyList.a. was accessed but has no value defined. Try setting the option.' config.nonEmptyList.a ./emptyValues.nix
 
+## defaults
+checkConfigOutput "\[\]" config.list ./defaults.nix
+checkConfigOutput "{}" config.attrs ./defaults.nix
+checkConfigOutput "{}" config.attrsOf ./defaults.nix
+checkConfigOutput "null" config.null ./defaults.nix
+checkConfigOutput "{}" config.submodule ./defaults.nix
+checkConfigOutput "\[\]" config.unique ./defaults.nix
+checkConfigOutput "\[\]" config.coercedTo ./defaults.nix
+# These types don't have empty values
+checkConfigError 'The option .int. was accessed but has no value defined. Try setting the option.' config.int ./defaults.nix
+
 # types.unique
 #   requires a single definition
 checkConfigError 'The option .examples\.merged. is defined multiple times while it.s expected to be unique' config.examples.merged.a ./types-unique.nix
diff --git a/lib/tests/modules/defaults.nix b/lib/tests/modules/defaults.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..56eee2c9c286
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/tests/modules/defaults.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+{ lib, ... }:
+let
+  inherit (lib) types;
+in
+{
+  options = {
+    list = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.listOf types.int;
+    };
+    attrs = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.attrs;
+    };
+    attrsOf = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.attrsOf types.int;
+    };
+    null = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.nullOr types.int;
+    };
+    submodule = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.submodule { };
+    };
+    unique = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.unique { message = "hi"; } (types.listOf types.int);
+    };
+    coercedTo = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.coercedTo (types.attrsOf types.int) builtins.attrNames (types.listOf types.str);
+    };
+    # no empty value
+    int = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.int;
+    };
+  };
+}