diff --git a/utils/propertiesMatcher.test.ts b/utils/propertiesMatcher.test.ts
index 7239228..e462fef 100644
--- a/utils/propertiesMatcher.test.ts
+++ b/utils/propertiesMatcher.test.ts
@@ -596,6 +596,32 @@ const { test } = Deno;
     console.log("Checker = ", matches.Parser.parserAsString(checker.parser));
     checker.unsafeCast({ mode: "automatic", size: 1234 });
   });
+
+  test("A default that is invalid according to the tests", () => {
+    const checker = PM.typeFromProps({
+      pubkey_whitelist: {
+        name: "Pubkey Whitelist (hex)",
+        description:
+          "A list of pubkeys that are permitted to publish through your relay. A minimum, you need to enter your own Nostr hex (not npub) pubkey. Go to https://damus.io/key/ to convert from npub to hex.",
+        type: "list",
+        nullable: true,
+        range: "[1,*)",
+        subtype: "string",
+        spec: {
+          placeholder: "hex (not npub) pubkey",
+          pattern: "[0-9a-fA-F]{3}",
+          "pattern-description":
+            "Must be a valid 64-digit hexadecimal value (ie a Nostr hex pubkey, not an npub). Go to https://damus.io/key/ to convert npub to hex.",
+        },
+        default: [] as string[], // [] as string []
+      },
+    } as const);
+
+    checker.unsafeCast({
+      pubkey_whitelist: ["aaa"],
+    });
+  });
+
   test("Full spec", () => {
     const checker = PM.typeFromProps(bitcoinProperties);
 
diff --git a/utils/propertiesMatcher.ts b/utils/propertiesMatcher.ts
index e4ca9d1..e9a2862 100644
--- a/utils/propertiesMatcher.ts
+++ b/utils/propertiesMatcher.ts
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ const isGenerator = matches.shape({ charset: matches.string, len: matches.number
 function defaultNullable<A>(parser: matches.Parser<unknown, A>, value: unknown) {
   if (matchDefault.test(value)) {
     if (isGenerator(value.default)) return parser.defaultTo(parser.unsafeCast(generateDefault(value.default)));
-    return parser.defaultTo(parser.unsafeCast(value.default));
+    return parser.defaultTo(value.default);
   }
   if (matchNullable.test(value)) return parser.optional();
   return parser;
@@ -215,11 +215,13 @@ export function guardAll<A extends ValueSpecAny>(value: A): matches.Parser<unkno
       const spec = (matchSpec.test(value) && value.spec) || {};
       const rangeValidate = (matchRange.test(value) && matchNumberWithRange(value.range).test) || (() => true);
 
+      const { default: _, ...arrayOfSpec } = spec;
+
       const subtype = matchSubType.unsafeCast(value).subtype;
       return defaultNullable(
         matches
           // deno-lint-ignore no-explicit-any
-          .arrayOf(guardAll({ type: subtype, ...spec } as any))
+          .arrayOf(guardAll({ type: subtype, ...arrayOfSpec } as any))
           .validate((x) => rangeValidate(x.length), "valid length"),
         value
         // deno-lint-ignore no-explicit-any