diff --git a/src/stores/config.ts b/src/stores/config.ts
index baf48a5..a95bc38 100644
--- a/src/stores/config.ts
+++ b/src/stores/config.ts
@@ -8,14 +8,16 @@ const KEY = "sidecar";
 
 // A private overlay has no Threefold-operated seed peer. The user must
 // declare bootstrap peers they trust (their own VPS, known friends…)
-// before the daemon can usefully start.
+// before the daemon can usefully start. Default to mycelium's
+// well-known peer-listen ports (9651 TCP, 9652 QUIC) so port-forwards
+// on a home router are predictable from the first run.
 const DEFAULT_CONFIG: SidecarConfig = {
   peers: [],
   tunName: null,
   noTun: false,
   networkName: null,
-  tcpListenPort: null,
-  quicListenPort: null,
+  tcpListenPort: 9651,
+  quicListenPort: 9652,
 };
 
 function normalizePort(p: unknown): number | null {
diff --git a/src/views/Settings.vue b/src/views/Settings.vue
index 9a36f1c..638634e 100644
--- a/src/views/Settings.vue
+++ b/src/views/Settings.vue
@@ -412,7 +412,7 @@ onMounted(async () => {
               type="text"
               inputmode="numeric"
               class="mt-1 w-full rounded-md border border-input bg-background px-3 py-1.5 font-mono text-sm focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-ring"
-              placeholder="ephemeral"
+              placeholder="leave empty for ephemeral"
             />
           </div>
           <div>
@@ -424,16 +424,15 @@ onMounted(async () => {
               type="text"
               inputmode="numeric"
               class="mt-1 w-full rounded-md border border-input bg-background px-3 py-1.5 font-mono text-sm focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-ring"
-              placeholder="ephemeral"
+              placeholder="leave empty for ephemeral"
             />
           </div>
         </div>
         <p class="text-[11px] text-muted-foreground">
-          Pin these to a fixed value (e.g. <code class="font-mono">9651</code> for
-          TCP, <code class="font-mono">9652</code> for QUIC) when you port-forward
-          a stable port on your router so other private-network nodes can dial in
-          across daemon restarts. Leave empty to keep using a different ephemeral
-          port at every start.
+          Defaults are <code class="font-mono">9651</code> (TCP) and
+          <code class="font-mono">9652</code> (QUIC) — the conventional mycelium
+          peer-listen ports, predictable for port-forwarding on a home router.
+          Clear the field to fall back to a random ephemeral port at every start.
         </p>
         <div class="flex justify-end gap-2 pt-2">
           <button