diff --git a/internal/config/config.go b/internal/config/config.go
index 324f026..e5b2e57 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/config.go
@@ -122,8 +122,11 @@ type Config struct {
 	// forwarding headers may be believed. Forwarded headers are honored
 	// only when the immediate peer falls inside one of these ranges;
 	// otherwise the peer address is used and the headers are ignored, so
-	// an untrusted client cannot spoof its address. Empty means trust
-	// nothing and always use the peer address.
+	// an untrusted client cannot spoof its address. An omitted key
+	// defaults to the RFC 1918 private ranges (see defaultTrustedProxies),
+	// since pixa is deployed behind a proxy on a private network; an
+	// explicitly empty list trusts nothing and always uses the peer
+	// address, and an explicit list replaces the default.
 	TrustedProxies []netip.Prefix
 
 	// CacheMaxBytes is the disk cache size limit in bytes. Zero
@@ -204,6 +207,14 @@ func newFromSmartConfig(sc *smartconfig.Config) (*Config, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	// parseCIDRList returns a nil slice only when the key is absent; an
+	// explicitly empty list ([]) comes back non-nil and empty. An omitted
+	// key takes the RFC 1918 default, while an explicit empty list is left
+	// as trust-nothing.
+	if trustedProxies == nil {
+		trustedProxies = defaultTrustedProxies()
+	}
+
 	loader := &strictLoader{sc: sc}
 
 	c := &Config{
@@ -839,6 +850,21 @@ func getStringSlice(sc *smartconfig.Config) []string {
 // wrong type, an empty entry, a non-string entry, or an unparseable CIDR
 // aborts startup naming the key and the offending value; the default
 // (an empty list) applies only to an omitted key.
+// defaultTrustedProxies returns the trusted_proxies default: the three RFC
+// 1918 private ranges. pixa is always deployed behind a TLS-terminating
+// reverse proxy, which in practice sits on a private network, so its
+// forwarding headers are believed unless the operator says otherwise.
+// Loopback is deliberately excluded: it is not an RFC 1918 range, and no
+// deployment reaches pixa over it. A fresh slice is returned on each call so
+// callers may hold it without aliasing shared state.
+func defaultTrustedProxies() []netip.Prefix {
+	return []netip.Prefix{
+		netip.MustParsePrefix("10.0.0.0/8"),
+		netip.MustParsePrefix("172.16.0.0/12"),
+		netip.MustParsePrefix("192.168.0.0/16"),
+	}
+}
+
 func parseCIDRList(sc *smartconfig.Config, key string) ([]netip.Prefix, error) {
 	if sc == nil {
 		return nil, nil