diff --git a/examples/common/example.py b/examples/common/example.py
index deb9fdf..bc971cd 100644
--- a/examples/common/example.py
+++ b/examples/common/example.py
@@ -29,11 +29,6 @@ def _select_profile(config: dict) -> str:
             print(f"{profile_name} does not have a falcon stanza; skipping")
             continue
 
-        client_id = falcon.get("client_id")
-        if client_id is None:
-            print(f"The falcon stanza in {profile_name} does not contain a client ID; skipping")
-            continue
-
         client_id = str(client_id)
         profile_text = f"{profile_name} (Client ID: {client_id[0:7]}{'x'*24})"
         profile_pairs.append((profile_name, profile_text))
@@ -64,17 +59,34 @@ def _get_profile() -> Dict:
         raise KeyError("You must create a profiles stanza in the configuration YAML file")
 
     profile_names = list(config["profiles"].keys())
+    global_config = None
+    if "globals" in config:
+        global_config = config["globals"]
+    # Check for default profile
+    default_name = None
+    for prof in profile_names:
+        if config["profiles"][prof].get("default", False):
+            default_name = prof
+            # First one we encounter is the default
+            break
+
     # Check to see if the user provided us with a profile name as the first argument
     profile_name = None
     if len(sys.argv) > 1:
         profile_name = sys.argv[1]
         if profile_name not in profile_names:
             raise KeyError(f"The profile named {profile_name} does not exist in config.yml")
+    elif len(profile_names) == 1:
+        # There's only one, treat it as the default
+        profile_name = profile_names[0]
+    elif default_name:
+        # Default profile key has been set
+        profile_name = default_name
     else:
         profile_name = _select_profile(config)
 
     profile = config["profiles"][profile_name]
-    return profile
+    return profile, global_config
 
 
 def _configure_logging(profile: Dict) -> None:
@@ -97,10 +109,8 @@ def _configure_logging(profile: Dict) -> None:
     logging.basicConfig(format=log_format, level=log_level)
 
 
-def _get_example_settings(profile: Dict, example_abs_path: str) -> Dict:
+def _get_example_settings(profile: Dict, example_abs_path: str, globals: Dict) -> Dict:
     """Load example-specific settings from config.yml based on the filename."""
-    if "examples" not in profile:
-        return None
 
     # Get the base path of the examples module by obtaining the common
     # path between this file and the example in question
@@ -125,11 +135,26 @@ def _get_example_settings(profile: Dict, example_abs_path: str) -> Dict:
     exception. It is up to each individual module to check whether the settings are
     complete.
     """
-    example_settings = profile["examples"]
+    example_settings = None
+    if "examples" in profile:
+        example_settings = profile["examples"]
+
+    # Prefer profile specific settings to global defaults
+    if "examples" in globals:
+        global_settings = globals["examples"]
+        if not example_settings:
+            example_settings = global_settings
+        else:
+            for setting in global_settings:
+                if setting not in example_settings:
+                    example_settings[setting] = global_settings[setting]
+                else:
+                    for example in global_settings[setting]:
+                        if example not in example_settings[setting]:
+                            example_settings[setting][example] = global_settings[setting][example]
     for path_section in example_dict_path:
         if path_section not in example_settings:
             return None
-
         example_settings = example_settings[path_section]
 
     # Returns the settings relative to this particular example
@@ -141,7 +166,7 @@ def caracara_example(example_func):
 
     @wraps(example_func)
     def wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
-        profile = _get_profile()
+        profile, global_config = _get_profile()
         if not profile:
             raise TypeError("No profile chosen; aborting")
 
@@ -153,9 +178,6 @@ def wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
 
         falcon_config: Dict = profile["falcon"]
 
-        if "client_id" not in falcon_config or "client_secret" not in falcon_config:
-            raise KeyError("You must include, at minimum, a client_id and client_secret")
-
         _configure_logging(profile)
 
         client = Client(**falcon_config)
@@ -163,6 +185,7 @@ def wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
         example_settings = _get_example_settings(
             profile,
             example_func.__globals__["__file__"],
+            global_config,
         )
 
         # Pass data back to the example via keyword arguments