diff --git a/declarative-config-bridge/README.md b/declarative-config-bridge/README.md
index 0e6b7154bb15..f7362a24191c 100644
--- a/declarative-config-bridge/README.md
+++ b/declarative-config-bridge/README.md
@@ -82,3 +82,106 @@ public class InferredSpansComponentProvider implements ComponentProvider {
   }
 }
 ```
+
+## DefaultInstrumentationConfig
+
+`DefaultInstrumentationConfig` lets distribution authors define instrumentation property defaults
+once and have them work in both configuration modes.
+First, there is a single defaults object that is unaware of the source of the configuration:
+
+```java
+DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+defaults.get("micrometer").setDefault("base_time_unit", "s");
+defaults.get("log4j_appender").setDefault("experimental_log_attributes/development", "true");
+defaults.addMapping("acme", "acme.full_name");
+defaults.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "true");
+```
+
+Navigation mirrors `DeclarativeConfigProperties` — reading uses
+`config.get("micrometer").getString("base_time_unit")`; writing defaults uses
+`defaults.get("micrometer").setDefault("base_time_unit", "s")`, and deeper nested paths can chain
+`get(...)` the same way.
+
+Keys use the same declarative config shape as `DeclarativeConfigProperties`. When producing system
+property keys, underscores are translated to hyphens, and keys ending in `/development` are
+translated using the bridge's `experimental.` convention. Custom property prefixes can be aligned
+with `DeclarativeConfigPropertiesBridgeBuilder` mappings via `defaults.addMapping(...)`.
+
+The auto configuration **without declarative config** registers the defaults as a properties
+supplier, translating them to `otel.instrumentation.*` keys:
+
+```java
+@AutoService(AutoConfigurationCustomizerProvider.class)
+public class MyDistroAutoConfig implements AutoConfigurationCustomizerProvider {
+  private static final DefaultInstrumentationConfig DEFAULTS = createDefaults();
+
+  @Override
+  public void customize(AutoConfigurationCustomizer autoConfiguration) {
+    autoConfiguration.addPropertiesSupplier(DEFAULTS::toConfigProperties);
+  }
+
+  private static DefaultInstrumentationConfig createDefaults() {
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.get("micrometer").setDefault("base_time_unit", "s");
+    defaults.get("log4j_appender").setDefault("experimental_log_attributes/development", "true");
+    defaults.addMapping("acme", "acme.full_name");
+    defaults.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "true");
+    return defaults;
+  }
+}
+```
+
+With the `acme` mapping above, the generated properties include:
+
+```properties
+otel.instrumentation.micrometer.base-time-unit=s
+otel.instrumentation.log4j-appender.experimental-log-attributes=true
+acme.preserved=true
+```
+
+The auto configuration **with declarative config** registers the defaults as a model customizer,
+injecting them under `instrumentation/development.java`. This optional path uses
+`DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier`, so only declarative-config users need the incubator
+file-config dependency on their classpath.
+
+Let's first look at the yaml file that the defaults effectively merge into:
+
+```yaml
+file_format: 1.0
+instrumentation/development:
+  java:
+    micrometer:
+      base_time_unit: s
+    log4j_appender:
+      experimental_log_attributes/development: "true"
+    acme:
+      full_name:
+        preserved: "true"
+```
+
+And now the customizer that applies the defaults to the model:
+
+```java
+@AutoService(DeclarativeConfigurationCustomizerProvider.class)
+public class MyDistroDeclarativeConfig implements DeclarativeConfigurationCustomizerProvider {
+  private static final DefaultInstrumentationConfig DEFAULTS = createDefaults();
+
+  @Override
+  public void customize(DeclarativeConfigurationCustomizer customizer) {
+    customizer.addModelCustomizer(
+        model -> DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.applyToModel(DEFAULTS, model));
+  }
+
+  private static DefaultInstrumentationConfig createDefaults() {
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.get("micrometer").setDefault("base_time_unit", "s");
+    defaults.get("log4j_appender").setDefault("experimental_log_attributes/development", "true");
+    defaults.addMapping("acme", "acme.full_name");
+    defaults.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "true");
+    return defaults;
+  }
+}
+```
+
+Explicit user configuration always takes precedence — defaults are only applied for properties not
+already present (`putIfAbsent`).
diff --git a/declarative-config-bridge/build.gradle.kts b/declarative-config-bridge/build.gradle.kts
index e963ddc91539..3138c2997ff4 100644
--- a/declarative-config-bridge/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/declarative-config-bridge/build.gradle.kts
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ group = "io.opentelemetry.instrumentation"
 
 dependencies {
   compileOnly("io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-extension-autoconfigure")
+  // DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier exposes declarative config model types in the public API.
+  api("io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-extension-declarative-config")
   implementation("io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-sdk-extension-autoconfigure-spi")
   implementation("io.opentelemetry:opentelemetry-api-incubator")
 
diff --git a/declarative-config-bridge/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfig.java b/declarative-config-bridge/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfig.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..684a60e402fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/declarative-config-bridge/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfig.java
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package io.opentelemetry.instrumentation.config.bridge;
+
+import static java.util.Collections.emptyList;
+
+import com.google.errorprone.annotations.CanIgnoreReturnValue;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/**
+ * Defines instrumentation defaults that work with both traditional property-based configuration and
+ * declarative configuration.
+ *
+ * <p>Navigation mirrors {@link io.opentelemetry.api.incubator.config.DeclarativeConfigProperties}:
+ * read-side uses {@code config.get(name).getString(key)}; write-side uses {@code
+ * defaults.get(name).setDefault(key, value)}.
+ *
+ * <p>Usage:
+ *
+ * <pre>{@code
+ * DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+ * defaults.get("micrometer").setDefault("base_time_unit", "s");
+ * defaults.get("log4j_appender").setDefault("experimental_log_attributes/development", "true");
+ * defaults.addMapping("acme", "acme.full_name");
+ * defaults.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "true");
+ *
+ * autoConfiguration.addPropertiesSupplier(defaults::toConfigProperties);
+ * }</pre>
+ *
+ * <p>For declarative-config model integration, use the optional {@link
+ * DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier} helper so the base defaults type stays usable without the
+ * incubator model classes on the runtime classpath.
+ */
+public final class DefaultInstrumentationConfig {
+
+  private final Map<String, String> defaults;
+  private final List<String> path;
+  private final Map<String, String> propertyMappings;
+
+  public DefaultInstrumentationConfig() {
+    this(new HashMap<>(), emptyList(), new HashMap<>());
+  }
+
+  private DefaultInstrumentationConfig(
+      Map<String, String> defaults, List<String> path, Map<String, String> propertyMappings) {
+    this.defaults = defaults;
+    this.path = path;
+    this.propertyMappings = propertyMappings;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Returns the defaults node for the given child, mirroring {@code
+   * DeclarativeConfigProperties.get(name)} on the read side.
+   */
+  public DefaultInstrumentationConfig get(String name) {
+    List<String> newPath = new ArrayList<>(path);
+    newPath.add(name);
+    return new DefaultInstrumentationConfig(defaults, newPath, propertyMappings);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Adds a property prefix mapping, mirroring {@link DeclarativeConfigPropertiesBridgeBuilder
+   * #addMapping(String, String)} in the opposite direction.
+   *
+   * <p>For example, mapping {@code acme} to {@code acme.full_name} makes {@code
+   * defaults.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "true")} produce {@code
+   * acme.preserved=true}.
+   */
+  @CanIgnoreReturnValue
+  public DefaultInstrumentationConfig addMapping(String propertyPrefix, String declarativePath) {
+    propertyMappings.put(propertyPrefix, declarativePath);
+    return this;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Sets a default value for a property on the current node. Keys use the declarative config shape
+   * (e.g. {@code base_time_unit}); when producing config property keys, underscores are translated
+   * to hyphens and keys ending in {@code /development} follow the same {@code experimental.}
+   * translation as {@link ConfigPropertiesBackedDeclarativeConfigProperties}.
+   *
+   * @return {@code this} for chaining
+   */
+  @CanIgnoreReturnValue
+  public DefaultInstrumentationConfig setDefault(String key, String value) {
+    defaults.put(pathWithName(key), value);
+    return this;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Translates defaults to config properties for auto-configuration.
+   *
+   * <p>Defaults use {@code otel.instrumentation.*} keys unless a custom mapping overrides the
+   * property prefix for a declarative path subtree.
+   */
+  public Map<String, String> toConfigProperties() {
+    HashMap<String, String> map = new HashMap<>();
+    defaults.forEach((declarativePath, value) -> map.put(toConfigProperty(declarativePath), value));
+    return map;
+  }
+
+  Map<String, String> getDefaults() {
+    return defaults;
+  }
+
+  private String pathWithName(String name) {
+    if (path.isEmpty()) {
+      return name;
+    }
+    return String.join(".", path) + "." + name;
+  }
+
+  private String toConfigProperty(String declarativePath) {
+    String propertyPrefix = null;
+    String declarativePrefix = null;
+    for (Map.Entry<String, String> entry : propertyMappings.entrySet()) {
+      String candidate = entry.getValue();
+      if (!matchesPrefix(declarativePath, candidate)) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (declarativePrefix == null || candidate.length() > declarativePrefix.length()) {
+        declarativePrefix = candidate;
+        propertyPrefix = entry.getKey();
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (propertyPrefix == null) {
+      return "otel.instrumentation." + translatePath(declarativePath);
+    }
+    if (declarativePrefix == null) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException("missing declarative prefix for property mapping");
+    }
+
+    if (declarativePath.equals(declarativePrefix)) {
+      return propertyPrefix;
+    }
+
+    int matchedPrefixLength = declarativePrefix.length();
+    return propertyPrefix + "." + translatePath(declarativePath.substring(matchedPrefixLength + 1));
+  }
+
+  private static boolean matchesPrefix(String path, String prefix) {
+    return path.equals(prefix) || path.startsWith(prefix + ".");
+  }
+
+  private static String translatePath(String path) {
+    String[] segments = path.split("\\.");
+    StringBuilder translated = new StringBuilder();
+    for (int i = 0; i < segments.length; i++) {
+      if (i > 0) {
+        translated.append(".");
+      }
+      translated.append(translateName(segments[i]));
+    }
+    return translated.toString();
+  }
+
+  private static String translateName(String name) {
+    if (name.endsWith("/development")) {
+      name = name.substring(0, name.length() - "/development".length());
+      if (!name.contains("experimental")) {
+        name = "experimental." + name;
+      }
+    }
+    return name.replace('_', '-');
+  }
+}
diff --git a/declarative-config-bridge/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.java b/declarative-config-bridge/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5a2f53d36197
--- /dev/null
+++ b/declarative-config-bridge/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.java
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package io.opentelemetry.instrumentation.config.bridge;
+
+import com.google.errorprone.annotations.CanIgnoreReturnValue;
+import io.opentelemetry.sdk.declarativeconfig.internal.model.ExperimentalInstrumentationModel;
+import io.opentelemetry.sdk.declarativeconfig.internal.model.ExperimentalLanguageSpecificInstrumentationModel;
+import io.opentelemetry.sdk.declarativeconfig.internal.model.ExperimentalLanguageSpecificInstrumentationPropertyModel;
+import io.opentelemetry.sdk.declarativeconfig.internal.model.OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/** Utility that applies {@link DefaultInstrumentationConfig} defaults to the declarative model. */
+public final class DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier {
+
+  private DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier() {}
+
+  /**
+   * Applies defaults to the declarative configuration model under {@code
+   * instrumentation/development.java}. Existing values in the model take precedence; defaults are
+   * only set for properties not already present.
+   */
+  @CanIgnoreReturnValue
+  public static OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel applyToModel(
+      DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults, OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel model) {
+    if (defaults.getDefaults().isEmpty()) {
+      return model;
+    }
+
+    ExperimentalInstrumentationModel instrumentation = model.getInstrumentationDevelopment();
+    if (instrumentation == null) {
+      instrumentation = new ExperimentalInstrumentationModel();
+      model.withInstrumentationDevelopment(instrumentation);
+    }
+    ExperimentalLanguageSpecificInstrumentationModel java = instrumentation.getJava();
+    if (java == null) {
+      java = new ExperimentalLanguageSpecificInstrumentationModel();
+      instrumentation.withJava(java);
+    }
+
+    Map<String, ExperimentalLanguageSpecificInstrumentationPropertyModel> props =
+        java.getAdditionalProperties();
+
+    for (Map.Entry<String, String> entry : defaults.getDefaults().entrySet()) {
+      applyDefault(props, entry.getKey(), entry.getValue());
+    }
+
+    return model;
+  }
+
+  private static void applyDefault(
+      Map<String, ExperimentalLanguageSpecificInstrumentationPropertyModel> props,
+      String declarativePath,
+      String value) {
+    String[] segments = declarativePath.split("\\.");
+    ExperimentalLanguageSpecificInstrumentationPropertyModel propertyModel =
+        props.computeIfAbsent(
+            segments[0], key -> new ExperimentalLanguageSpecificInstrumentationPropertyModel());
+    Map<String, Object> target = propertyModel.getAdditionalProperties();
+    for (int i = 1; i < segments.length - 1; i++) {
+      Object child = target.get(segments[i]);
+      if (child == null) {
+        Map<String, Object> nested = new HashMap<>();
+        target.put(segments[i], nested);
+        target = nested;
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (!(child instanceof Map)) {
+        return;
+      }
+      // Nested defaults only create string-keyed maps, so this cast is safe here.
+      @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+      Map<String, Object> nested = (Map<String, Object>) child;
+      target = nested;
+    }
+    target.putIfAbsent(segments[segments.length - 1], value);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/declarative-config-bridge/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplierTest.java b/declarative-config-bridge/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplierTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..677767e0a11f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/declarative-config-bridge/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplierTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package io.opentelemetry.instrumentation.config.bridge;
+
+import static java.util.Collections.singletonMap;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+import io.opentelemetry.sdk.declarativeconfig.internal.model.OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+class DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplierTest {
+
+  @Test
+  void applyToModel() {
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.get("micrometer").setDefault("base_time_unit", "s");
+    defaults.get("log4j_appender").setDefault("experimental_log_attributes/development", "true");
+
+    OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel model = new OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel();
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.applyToModel(defaults, model);
+
+    assertThat(
+            model
+                .getInstrumentationDevelopment()
+                .getJava()
+                .getAdditionalProperties()
+                .get("micrometer")
+                .getAdditionalProperties())
+        .containsEntry("base_time_unit", "s");
+    assertThat(
+            model
+                .getInstrumentationDevelopment()
+                .getJava()
+                .getAdditionalProperties()
+                .get("log4j_appender")
+                .getAdditionalProperties())
+        .containsEntry("experimental_log_attributes/development", "true");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void applyToModelSupportsNestedPaths() {
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "true");
+
+    OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel model = new OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel();
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.applyToModel(defaults, model);
+
+    assertThat(
+            model
+                .getInstrumentationDevelopment()
+                .getJava()
+                .getAdditionalProperties()
+                .get("acme")
+                .getAdditionalProperties())
+        .containsEntry("full_name", singletonMap("preserved", "true"));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void applyToModelDoesNotOverrideExisting() {
+    OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel model = new OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel();
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig seed = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    seed.get("micrometer").setDefault("base_time_unit", "ms");
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.applyToModel(seed, model);
+
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.get("micrometer").setDefault("base_time_unit", "s");
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.applyToModel(defaults, model);
+
+    assertThat(
+            model
+                .getInstrumentationDevelopment()
+                .getJava()
+                .getAdditionalProperties()
+                .get("micrometer")
+                .getAdditionalProperties())
+        .containsEntry("base_time_unit", "ms");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void applyToModelDoesNotOverrideExistingNestedValues() {
+    OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel model = new OpenTelemetryConfigurationModel();
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig seed = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    seed.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "true");
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.applyToModel(seed, model);
+
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "false");
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfigApplier.applyToModel(defaults, model);
+
+    assertThat(
+            model
+                .getInstrumentationDevelopment()
+                .getJava()
+                .getAdditionalProperties()
+                .get("acme")
+                .getAdditionalProperties())
+        .containsEntry("full_name", singletonMap("preserved", "true"));
+  }
+}
diff --git a/declarative-config-bridge/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigTest.java b/declarative-config-bridge/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1697093aed8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/declarative-config-bridge/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/instrumentation/config/bridge/DefaultInstrumentationConfigTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package io.opentelemetry.instrumentation.config.bridge;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+import io.opentelemetry.api.incubator.config.DeclarativeConfigProperties;
+import io.opentelemetry.sdk.autoconfigure.spi.internal.DefaultConfigProperties;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.stream.Stream;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.Arguments;
+import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.MethodSource;
+
+class DefaultInstrumentationConfigTest {
+
+  private static Stream<Arguments> configPropertyDefaults() {
+    return Stream.of(
+        Arguments.of(
+            "micrometer", "base_time_unit", "s", "otel.instrumentation.micrometer.base-time-unit"),
+        Arguments.of(
+            "log4j_appender",
+            "experimental_log_attributes/development",
+            "true",
+            "otel.instrumentation.log4j-appender.experimental-log-attributes"),
+        Arguments.of(
+            "spring_scheduling",
+            "controller_telemetry/development",
+            "false",
+            "otel.instrumentation.spring-scheduling.experimental.controller-telemetry"),
+        Arguments.of(
+            "grpc",
+            "experimental_span_attributes/development",
+            "true",
+            "otel.instrumentation.grpc.experimental-span-attributes"));
+  }
+
+  @ParameterizedTest
+  @MethodSource("configPropertyDefaults")
+  void toConfigProperties(
+      String instrumentation, String key, String value, String expectedPropertyKey) {
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.get(instrumentation).setDefault(key, value);
+
+    Map<String, String> props = defaults.toConfigProperties();
+
+    assertThat(props).containsEntry(expectedPropertyKey, value).hasSize(1);
+  }
+
+  @ParameterizedTest
+  @MethodSource("configPropertyDefaults")
+  void toConfigPropertiesRoundTripsThroughBridge(
+      String instrumentation, String key, String value, String expectedPropertyKey) {
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.get(instrumentation).setDefault(key, value);
+
+    DeclarativeConfigProperties config =
+        ConfigPropertiesBackedDeclarativeConfigProperties.createInstrumentationConfig(
+            DefaultConfigProperties.createFromMap(defaults.toConfigProperties()));
+
+    assertThat(config.getStructured("java").getStructured(instrumentation).getString(key))
+        .isEqualTo(value);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void toConfigPropertiesWithCustomMapping() {
+    DefaultInstrumentationConfig defaults = new DefaultInstrumentationConfig();
+    defaults.addMapping("acme", "acme.full_name");
+    defaults.get("acme").get("full_name").setDefault("preserved", "true");
+
+    assertThat(defaults.toConfigProperties()).containsEntry("acme.preserved", "true").hasSize(1);
+  }
+}