diff --git a/lib/options.nix b/lib/options.nix
index 0cda30fc3544..6191a876cdd4 100644
--- a/lib/options.nix
+++ b/lib/options.nix
@@ -590,7 +590,16 @@ rec {
           );
         }
         //
-          optionalAttrs (opt ? defaultText || opt ? default || ((opt.type or { }).emptyValue or { }) ? value)
+          optionalAttrs
+            (
+              opt ? defaultText
+              || opt ? default
+              # Render emptyValue-based defaults, but only for types without
+              # submodules (e.g. types.submodule). Submodules may evaluate to
+              # error without user defs, and their sub-options are documented
+              # individually, so best to skip those here.
+              || ((opt.type or { }).emptyValue or { }) ? value && (opt.type or { }).getSubModules or null == null
+            )
             {
               default =
                 builtins.addErrorContext
diff --git a/lib/tests/modules.sh b/lib/tests/modules.sh
index 765ca31a48e7..515ab169fe43 100755
--- a/lib/tests/modules.sh
+++ b/lib/tests/modules.sh
@@ -686,6 +686,8 @@ 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
+## submodule emptyValue must evaluate sub-option defaults
+checkConfigOutput "ok" config.result ./defaults.nix
 
 # types.unique
 #   requires a single definition
diff --git a/lib/tests/modules/defaults.nix b/lib/tests/modules/defaults.nix
index 56eee2c9c286..160245df27ad 100644
--- a/lib/tests/modules/defaults.nix
+++ b/lib/tests/modules/defaults.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{ lib, ... }:
+{ lib, config, ... }:
 let
   inherit (lib) types;
 in
@@ -19,6 +19,18 @@ in
     submodule = lib.mkOption {
       type = types.submodule { };
     };
+    submoduleWithDefaults = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.submodule {
+        options.enabled = lib.mkOption {
+          type = types.bool;
+          default = true;
+        };
+        options.count = lib.mkOption {
+          type = types.int;
+          default = 13;
+        };
+      };
+    };
     unique = lib.mkOption {
       type = types.unique { message = "hi"; } (types.listOf types.int);
     };
@@ -29,5 +41,16 @@ in
     int = lib.mkOption {
       type = types.int;
     };
+
+    result = lib.mkOption {
+      type = types.str;
+      default =
+        assert
+          config.submoduleWithDefaults == {
+            enabled = true;
+            count = 13;
+          };
+        "ok";
+    };
   };
 }
diff --git a/lib/types.nix b/lib/types.nix
index 9fb99b9cc66e..f2c5f7897cdc 100644
--- a/lib/types.nix
+++ b/lib/types.nix
@@ -1320,7 +1320,7 @@ rec {
           };
       };
       emptyValue = {
-        value = { };
+        value = base.config;
       };
       getSubOptions =
         prefix: