diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f877b96..0ecfd3b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -129,6 +129,25 @@ Hance ships with a handful of built-in presets (see `presets/*.hlook`). Pass `--
 
 Run `hance --help` for the full list of effect flags (color, halation, bloom, grain, vignette, split-tone, camera-shake, aberration, etc.). Every effect group also has a `--no-<effect>` switch to disable it.
 
+### Config file
+
+Create a `.hancerc.json` in your project directory to set default flags so you don't have to repeat them:
+
+```json
+{
+  "codec": "prores",
+  "crf": 12,
+  "preset": "cinematic",
+  "grain-amount": 0.2
+}
+```
+
+Keys are the same as CLI flags without the `--` prefix. CLI flags always override config values.
+
+Hance searches for `.hancerc.json` starting from the current directory and walking up to the filesystem root. If no local config is found, it falls back to `~/.config/hance/config.json` as a global default.
+
+Use `--no-config` to ignore config files for a single run.
+
 ### Interactive UI
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/packages/cli/__tests__/cli.test.ts b/packages/cli/__tests__/cli.test.ts
index 75df4e6..41bb7e2 100644
--- a/packages/cli/__tests__/cli.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/__tests__/cli.test.ts
@@ -10,64 +10,64 @@ describe("resolveSubcommand", () => {
 });
 
 describe("parseArgs", () => {
-  it("parses input file as first positional arg", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4"]);
+  it("parses input file as first positional arg", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4"]);
     expect(result.inputs).toEqual(["input.mp4"]);
   });
 
-  it("parses --output flag", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--output", "out.mp4"]);
+  it("parses --output flag", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--output", "out.mp4"]);
     expect(result.outputs).toEqual(["out.mp4"]);
   });
 
-  it("parses -o shorthand", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "-o", "out.mp4"]);
+  it("parses -o shorthand", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "-o", "out.mp4"]);
     expect(result.outputs).toEqual(["out.mp4"]);
   });
 
-  it("collects multiple positional args as inputs", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["a.mov", "b.mov", "c.mov"]);
+  it("collects multiple positional args as inputs", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["a.mov", "b.mov", "c.mov"]);
     expect(result.inputs).toEqual(["a.mov", "b.mov", "c.mov"]);
   });
 
-  it("defaults outputs to <stem>_hanced<ext> next to each input when -o omitted", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["a.mov", "b.mov"]);
+  it("defaults outputs to <stem>_hanced<ext> next to each input when -o omitted", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["a.mov", "b.mov"]);
     expect(result.outputs).toEqual(["a_hanced.mov", "b_hanced.mov"]);
   });
 
-  it("treats -o as output directory when multiple inputs given", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["dir/a.mov", "dir/b.mov", "-o", "./out"]);
+  it("treats -o as output directory when multiple inputs given", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["dir/a.mov", "dir/b.mov", "-o", "./out"]);
     expect(result.outputs).toEqual(["out/a_hanced.mov", "out/b_hanced.mov"]);
   });
 
-  it("keeps -o as file path with a single input", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["a.mov", "-o", "custom.mp4"]);
+  it("keeps -o as file path with a single input", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["a.mov", "-o", "custom.mp4"]);
     expect(result.outputs).toEqual(["custom.mp4"]);
   });
 
-  it("parses color settings flags", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--exposure", "0.12", "--contrast", "1.2"]);
+  it("parses color settings flags", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--exposure", "0.12", "--contrast", "1.2"]);
     expect(result.colorSettings.exposure).toBe(0.12);
     expect(result.colorSettings.contrast).toBe(1.2);
   });
 
-  it("parses halation flags with new names", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--halation-amount", "0.5"]);
+  it("parses halation flags with new names", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--halation-amount", "0.5"]);
     expect(result.halation.amount).toBe(0.5);
   });
 
-  it("parses --no-halation to disable", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--no-halation"]);
+  it("parses --no-halation to disable", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--no-halation"]);
     expect(result.halation.enabled).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it("parses --blend for global blend", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--blend", "0.5"]);
+  it("parses --blend for global blend", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--blend", "0.5"]);
     expect(result.blend).toBe(0.5);
   });
 
-  it("parses new effect flags", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs([
+  it("parses new effect flags", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs([
       "input.mp4",
       "--bloom-amount", "0.3",
       "--grain-amount", "0.2",
@@ -78,75 +78,75 @@ describe("parseArgs", () => {
     expect(result.vignette.amount).toBe(0.4);
   });
 
-  it("parses --preset to load a named preset", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--preset", "portra-400"]);
+  it("parses --preset to load a named preset", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--preset", "portra-400"]);
     expect(result.halation.amount).toBe(0.2);
   });
 
-  it("CLI flags override preset values", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--preset", "portra-400", "--aberration", "0.8"]);
+  it("CLI flags override preset values", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--preset", "portra-400", "--aberration", "0.8"]);
     expect(result.aberration.amount).toBe(0.8);
   });
 
-  it("parses --encode-preset for FFmpeg speed", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--encode-preset", "fast"]);
+  it("parses --encode-preset for FFmpeg speed", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--encode-preset", "fast"]);
     expect(result.encodePreset).toBe("fast");
   });
 
-  it("throws on unknown flag", () => {
-    expect(() => parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--unknown"])).toThrow();
+  it("throws on unknown flag", async () => {
+    expect(parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--unknown"])).rejects.toThrow();
   });
 
-  it("throws on out-of-range value", () => {
-    expect(() => parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--exposure", "10"])).toThrow();
+  it("throws on out-of-range value", async () => {
+    expect(parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--exposure", "10"])).rejects.toThrow();
   });
 
-  it("throws with no input", () => {
-    expect(() => parseArgs([])).toThrow();
+  it("throws with no input", async () => {
+    expect(parseArgs([])).rejects.toThrow();
   });
 
-  it("detects --help flag", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["--help"]);
+  it("detects --help flag", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["--help"]);
     expect(result.help).toBe(true);
   });
 
-  it("parses --export low", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "low"]);
+  it("parses --export low", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "low"]);
     expect(result.codec).toBe("h264");
     expect(result.crf).toBe(23);
     expect(result.encodePreset).toBe("fast");
   });
 
-  it("parses --export high", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "high"]);
+  it("parses --export high", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "high"]);
     expect(result.codec).toBe("h265");
     expect(result.crf).toBe(16);
     expect(result.encodePreset).toBe("slow");
     expect(result.pixelFormat).toBe("yuv420p10le");
   });
 
-  it("parses --export medium and returns correct pixelFormat", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "medium"]);
+  it("parses --export medium and returns correct pixelFormat", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "medium"]);
     expect(result.codec).toBe("h264");
     expect(result.crf).toBe(18);
     expect(result.encodePreset).toBe("medium");
     expect(result.pixelFormat).toBe("yuv420p");
   });
 
-  it("--export with individual override: codec wins", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "high", "--codec", "h264"]);
+  it("--export with individual override: codec wins", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "high", "--codec", "h264"]);
     expect(result.codec).toBe("h264");
     expect(result.crf).toBe(16);
     expect(result.encodePreset).toBe("slow");
   });
 
-  it("--export with individual override: crf wins", () => {
-    const result = parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "high", "--crf", "20"]);
+  it("--export with individual override: crf wins", async () => {
+    const result = await parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "high", "--crf", "20"]);
     expect(result.crf).toBe(20);
   });
 
-  it("throws on invalid --export value", () => {
-    expect(() => parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "ultra"])).toThrow();
+  it("throws on invalid --export value", async () => {
+    expect(parseArgs(["input.mp4", "--export", "ultra"])).rejects.toThrow();
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/__tests__/config.test.ts b/packages/cli/__tests__/config.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a0833a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/__tests__/config.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+import { describe, expect, test, beforeEach, afterEach } from "bun:test";
+import { configToArgv, loadConfig, findLocalConfig } from "../src/config";
+import { mkdirSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+
+describe("configToArgv", () => {
+  test("converts string values to flag pairs", () => {
+    expect(configToArgv({ codec: "prores", preset: "cinematic" })).toEqual([
+      "--codec", "prores",
+      "--preset", "cinematic",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  test("converts numeric values to flag pairs", () => {
+    expect(configToArgv({ crf: 22, blend: 0.8 })).toEqual([
+      "--crf", "22",
+      "--blend", "0.8",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  test("converts boolean true to standalone flag", () => {
+    expect(configToArgv({ "no-grain": true })).toEqual(["--no-grain"]);
+  });
+
+  test("skips false and undefined values", () => {
+    expect(configToArgv({ "no-grain": false })).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  test("handles empty config", () => {
+    expect(configToArgv({})).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("findLocalConfig", () => {
+  let tempDir: string;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    tempDir = path.join(tmpdir(), `hance-test-${Date.now()}`);
+    mkdirSync(tempDir, { recursive: true });
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  test("finds config in the given directory", () => {
+    const configPath = path.join(tempDir, ".hancerc.json");
+    writeFileSync(configPath, '{"codec": "prores"}');
+    expect(findLocalConfig(tempDir)).toBe(configPath);
+  });
+
+  test("walks up to find config in parent directory", () => {
+    const child = path.join(tempDir, "sub", "deep");
+    mkdirSync(child, { recursive: true });
+    const configPath = path.join(tempDir, ".hancerc.json");
+    writeFileSync(configPath, '{"codec": "prores"}');
+    expect(findLocalConfig(child)).toBe(configPath);
+  });
+
+  test("returns null when no config exists", () => {
+    expect(findLocalConfig(tempDir)).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("loadConfig", () => {
+  let tempDir: string;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    tempDir = path.join(tmpdir(), `hance-test-${Date.now()}`);
+    mkdirSync(tempDir, { recursive: true });
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  test("loads config from directory", async () => {
+    writeFileSync(path.join(tempDir, ".hancerc.json"), '{"codec": "prores", "crf": 12}');
+    const { config, source } = await loadConfig(tempDir);
+    expect(config.codec).toBe("prores");
+    expect(config.crf).toBe(12);
+    expect(source).toBe(path.join(tempDir, ".hancerc.json"));
+  });
+
+  test("returns empty config when no file exists", async () => {
+    const { config, source } = await loadConfig(tempDir);
+    expect(config).toEqual({});
+    expect(source).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  test("warns and skips invalid JSON", async () => {
+    writeFileSync(path.join(tempDir, ".hancerc.json"), "not json");
+    const { config, source } = await loadConfig(tempDir);
+    expect(config).toEqual({});
+    expect(source).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  test("warns and skips non-object JSON (array)", async () => {
+    writeFileSync(path.join(tempDir, ".hancerc.json"), "[1, 2, 3]");
+    const { config, source } = await loadConfig(tempDir);
+    expect(config).toEqual({});
+    expect(source).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/cli.ts b/packages/cli/src/cli.ts
index df66fa8..6c73fd7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/cli.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { probe, applyPreset, resolveExportPreset } from "@hance/core";
 import type { PresetData, FilmOptions } from "@hance/core";
 import { runGpuExport } from "./pipeline";
 import { parseEffectFlags, EFFECT_HELP_TEXT } from "./effect-flags";
+import { loadConfig, configToArgv } from "./config";
 import path from "node:path";
 
 declare const HANCE_VERSION: string | undefined;
@@ -25,6 +26,9 @@ hance <input> [<input> ...] [options]
 
 ${EFFECT_HELP_TEXT}
 
+  Config:
+  --no-config               Ignore config file
+
   General:
   --help, -h                Show this help
   --version, -v             Print version and exit
@@ -79,8 +83,20 @@ interface ParsedArgs extends FilmOptions {
   outputArg: string;
 }
 
-export function parseArgs(argv: string[]): ParsedArgs {
-  const r = parseEffectFlags(argv);
+export async function parseArgs(argv: string[]): Promise<ParsedArgs> {
+  const noConfig = argv.includes("--no-config");
+  const filteredArgv = noConfig ? argv.filter(a => a !== "--no-config") : argv;
+
+  let mergedArgv: string[];
+  if (noConfig) {
+    mergedArgv = filteredArgv;
+  } else {
+    const { config } = await loadConfig();
+    const configArgv = configToArgv(config);
+    mergedArgv = [...configArgv, ...filteredArgv];
+  }
+
+  const r = parseEffectFlags(mergedArgv);
   const inputs = r.positional;
 
   if (!r.help && inputs.length === 0) {
@@ -174,7 +190,7 @@ async function main() {
 
   let parsed: ParsedArgs;
   try {
-    parsed = parseArgs(args);
+    parsed = await parseArgs(args);
   } catch (err) {
     console.error(`Error: ${(err as Error).message}`);
     process.exit(1);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/config.ts b/packages/cli/src/config.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea83eba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/config.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { homedir } from "node:os";
+
+const LOCAL_CONFIG_NAME = ".hancerc.json";
+const GLOBAL_CONFIG_PATH = path.join(homedir(), ".config", "hance", "config.json");
+
+export function findLocalConfig(startDir: string): string | null {
+  let dir = startDir;
+  while (true) {
+    const candidate = path.join(dir, LOCAL_CONFIG_NAME);
+    if (existsSync(candidate)) return candidate;
+    const parent = path.dirname(dir);
+    if (parent === dir) return null;
+    dir = parent;
+  }
+}
+
+export interface HanceConfig {
+  [key: string]: string | number | boolean;
+}
+
+export async function loadConfig(startDir = process.cwd()): Promise<{ config: HanceConfig; source: string | null }> {
+  const localPath = findLocalConfig(startDir);
+
+  for (const configPath of [localPath, GLOBAL_CONFIG_PATH]) {
+    if (configPath && existsSync(configPath)) {
+      try {
+        const raw = await Bun.file(configPath).json();
+        if (typeof raw !== "object" || raw === null || Array.isArray(raw)) {
+          console.warn(`Warning: ignoring invalid config at ${configPath}`);
+          continue;
+        }
+        return { config: raw as HanceConfig, source: configPath };
+      } catch {
+        console.warn(`Warning: failed to parse config at ${configPath}`);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return { config: {}, source: null };
+}
+
+export function configToArgv(config: HanceConfig): string[] {
+  const argv: string[] = [];
+  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(config)) {
+    if (value === true) {
+      argv.push(`--${key}`);
+    } else if (value !== false && value !== undefined) {
+      argv.push(`--${key}`, String(value));
+    }
+  }
+  return argv;
+}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/effect-flags.ts b/packages/cli/src/effect-flags.ts
index 6045ad3..eb2e63c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/effect-flags.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/effect-flags.ts
@@ -71,12 +71,14 @@ const KNOWN_FLAGS = new Set([
   "--split-tone-mode", "--split-tone-protect-neutrals", "--split-tone-amount",
   "--split-tone-hue", "--split-tone-pivot", "--no-split-tone",
   "--camera-shake-amount", "--camera-shake-rate", "--no-camera-shake",
+  "--no-config",
   "--help", "-h",
 ]);
 
 const BOOLEAN_FLAGS = new Set([
   "--no-color-settings", "--no-halation", "--no-aberration", "--no-bloom",
   "--no-grain", "--no-vignette", "--no-split-tone", "--no-camera-shake",
+  "--no-config",
   "--halation-highlights-only", "--split-tone-protect-neutrals",
 ]);