diff --git a/src/utils/config.py b/src/utils/config.py
index a22657e..0e17ed9 100644
--- a/src/utils/config.py
+++ b/src/utils/config.py
@@ -1,21 +1,35 @@
-from pathlib import Path
+import os
 from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
 
 import yaml
 
 
 def load_config(config_path: Optional[str] = None) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    """Load configuration from a YAML file."""
-    if config_path is None:
-        config_path = Path(".git-insights/config.yaml")
-
-    config_file = Path(config_path)
-
-    if not config_file.exists():
-        return {}
-
-    try:
-        with open(config_file, "r") as f:
+    """Load configuration from file or use defaults."""
+    if config_path and os.path.exists(config_path):
+        with open(config_path, "r") as f:
             return yaml.safe_load(f) or {}
-    except Exception:
-        return {}
+
+    default_paths = [
+        ".git-insights/config.yaml",
+        os.path.expanduser("~/.git-insights/config.yaml"),
+    ]
+
+    for path in default_paths:
+        if os.path.exists(path):
+            with open(path, "r") as f:
+                return yaml.safe_load(f) or {}
+
+    return get_default_config()
+
+
+def get_default_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
+    """Return default configuration."""
+    return {
+        "repository_path": ".",
+        "analysis_days": 30,
+        "output_format": "json",
+        "churn_threshold": 500,
+        "risky_commit_threshold": 500,
+        "merge_commit_flag": True,
+    }