diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9a39203..06aa0b0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ monitor "example" {
   alert_up = ["log"]
   check_interval = "1m"
   alert_after = 1
-  alert_every = 0
+  alert_every = -1
 }
 ```
 
diff --git a/alert.go b/alert.go
index 2a6c7c8..20a3b92 100644
--- a/alert.go
+++ b/alert.go
@@ -101,14 +101,14 @@ func (alert *Alert) BuildTemplates() error {
 	}
 
 	switch {
-	case alert.commandTemplate == nil && alert.Command != nil:
+	case alert.Command != nil:
 		alert.commandTemplate = []*template.Template{}
 		for i, cmdPart := range alert.Command {
 			alert.commandTemplate = append(alert.commandTemplate, template.Must(
 				template.New(alert.Name+fmt.Sprint(i)).Funcs(timeFormatFuncs).Parse(cmdPart),
 			))
 		}
-	case alert.commandShellTemplate == nil && alert.ShellCommand != "":
+	case alert.ShellCommand != "":
 		shellCmd := alert.ShellCommand
 
 		alert.commandShellTemplate = template.Must(
diff --git a/config.go b/config.go
index 554dd6a..c5e0684 100644
--- a/config.go
+++ b/config.go
@@ -47,6 +47,11 @@ func (config *Config) Init() (err error) {
 		config.DefaultAlertAfter = minAlertAfter
 	}
 
+	if config.DefaultAlertEvery == nil {
+		defaultDefaultAlertEvery := -1
+		config.DefaultAlertEvery = &defaultDefaultAlertEvery
+	}
+
 	for _, monitor := range config.Monitors {
 		if err = monitor.Init(
 			config.DefaultAlertAfter,
diff --git a/config_test.go b/config_test.go
index 6a6d3d4..6fd101a 100644
--- a/config_test.go
+++ b/config_test.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package main_test
 import (
 	"errors"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	m "git.iamthefij.com/iamthefij/minitor-go"
 )
@@ -39,6 +40,91 @@ func TestLoadConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestDefaultConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		configPath     string
+		expectedResult m.Config
+		name           string
+	}{
+		{
+			"./test/valid-config-default-values.hcl",
+			m.Config{
+				CheckInterval:     1 * time.Second,
+				DefaultAlertAfter: 2,
+				DefaultAlertEvery: Ptr(0),
+				DefaultAlertDown:  []string{"log_command"},
+			},
+			"override defaults",
+		},
+		{
+			"./test/valid-config.hcl",
+			m.Config{
+				CheckInterval:     30 * time.Second,
+				DefaultAlertAfter: 1,
+				DefaultAlertEvery: Ptr(-1),
+				DefaultAlertDown:  []string{},
+			},
+			"default defaults",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		c := c
+
+		t.Run(c.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			config, err := m.LoadConfig(c.configPath)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("Got error when loading config file %q: %s", c.configPath, err)
+			}
+
+			// Test Config has default values
+			if config.DefaultAlertAfter != c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertAfter {
+				t.Errorf("Got unexpected DefaultAlertAfter from file %q: expected=%v actual=%v", c.configPath, c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertAfter, config.DefaultAlertAfter)
+			}
+
+			if *config.DefaultAlertEvery != *c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertEvery {
+				t.Errorf("Got unexpected DefaultAlertEvery from file %q: expected=%v actual=%v", c.configPath, *c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertEvery, *config.DefaultAlertEvery)
+			}
+
+			if !m.EqualSliceString(config.DefaultAlertUp, c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertUp) {
+				t.Errorf("Got unexpected DefaultAlertUp from file %q: expected=%v actual=%v", c.configPath, c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertUp, config.DefaultAlertUp)
+			}
+
+			if !m.EqualSliceString(config.DefaultAlertDown, c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertDown) {
+				t.Errorf("Got unexpected DefaultAlertDown from file %q: expected=%v actual=%v", c.configPath, c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertDown, config.DefaultAlertDown)
+			}
+
+			// Check that monitor defaults propagate
+			var defaultMonitor *m.Monitor
+			for _, monitor := range config.Monitors {
+				if monitor.Name == "Default" {
+					defaultMonitor = monitor
+				}
+			}
+
+			if defaultMonitor == nil {
+				t.Errorf("failed to find default monitor in %q", c.configPath)
+			}
+
+			if defaultMonitor.AlertAfter != c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertAfter {
+				t.Errorf("Got unexpected AlertAfter from file %q: expected=%v actual=%v", c.configPath, c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertAfter, defaultMonitor.AlertAfter)
+			}
+
+			if *defaultMonitor.AlertEvery != *c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertEvery {
+				t.Errorf("Got unexpected AlertEvery from file %q: expected=%v actual=%v", c.configPath, *c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertEvery, *defaultMonitor.AlertEvery)
+			}
+
+			if !m.EqualSliceString(defaultMonitor.AlertUp, c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertUp) {
+				t.Errorf("Got unexpected AlertUp from file %q: expected=%v actual=%v", c.configPath, c.expectedResult.DefaultAlertUp, defaultMonitor.AlertUp)
+			}
+
+			// NOTE: Can't compare AlertDown because default is empty and that is invalid
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 // TestMultiLineConfig is a more complicated test stepping through the parsing
 // and execution of mutli-line strings presented in YAML
 func TestMultiLineConfig(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/test/valid-config-default-values.hcl b/test/valid-config-default-values.hcl
index f743af0..2532908 100644
--- a/test/valid-config-default-values.hcl
+++ b/test/valid-config-default-values.hcl
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 check_interval = "1s"
 default_alert_down = ["log_command"]
-default_alert_after = 1
+default_alert_every = 0
+default_alert_after = 2
+
+monitor "Default" {
+  command = ["echo"]
+}
 
 monitor "Command" {
   command = ["echo", "$PATH"]
diff --git a/test/valid-config.hcl b/test/valid-config.hcl
index 5b64931..8dad062 100644
--- a/test/valid-config.hcl
+++ b/test/valid-config.hcl
@@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ alert "log_shell" {
   shell_command = "echo \"Failure on {{.MonitorName}} User is $USER\""
 }
 
+monitor "Default" {
+  command = ["echo"]
+  alert_down = ["log_command"]
+}
+
 monitor "Command" {
   command =  ["echo", "$PATH"]
   alert_down =  ["log_command", "log_shell"]
diff --git a/test/valid-config.yml b/test/valid-config.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index da0a264..0000000
--- a/test/valid-config.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
----
-check_interval: 1s
-
-monitors:
-  - name: Command
-    command: ["echo", "$PATH"]
-    alert_down: ["log_command", "log_shell"]
-    alert_every: 0
-    check_interval: 10s
-  - name: Shell
-    command: >
-      echo 'Some string with stuff';
-      echo 'another line';
-      echo $PATH;
-      exit 1
-    alert_down: ["log_command", "log_shell"]
-    alert_after: 5
-    alert_every: 0
-    check_interval: 1m
-
-alerts:
-  log_command:
-    command: ["echo", "regular", '"command!!!"', "{{.MonitorName}}"]
-  log_shell:
-    command: echo "Failure on {{.MonitorName}} User is $USER"