diff --git a/src/settings/default-templates.ts b/src/settings/default-templates.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a6fc0e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/settings/default-templates.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import { NoteTemplate } from '../types';
+
+const DEFAULT_TEMPLATES: NoteTemplate[] = [
+	{
+		id: 'tpl-default-general-cleanup',
+		name: 'General cleanup',
+		prompt:
+			'You are a transcription editor. Clean up the voice transcript: '
+			+ 'fix grammar and punctuation, remove filler words ("um", "uh", "like", '
+			+ '"you know"), false starts, and self-corrections, and produce natural-sounding '
+			+ 'written prose. Preserve the original meaning, structure, and approximate length. '
+			+ 'Return only the cleaned transcript with no preamble, commentary, or markdown code fences.',
+		insertMode: 'cursor',
+		newFileFolder: '',
+		newFileNameTemplate: 'ReWrite {{date}} {{time}}',
+	},
+	{
+		id: 'tpl-default-todo-list',
+		name: 'Todo list',
+		prompt:
+			'You are a task extractor. Read the voice transcript and produce a markdown '
+			+ 'checkbox list of every actionable task mentioned, using "- [ ] " for each item. '
+			+ 'When the transcript covers multiple topics, group related items under "##" '
+			+ 'subheadings; otherwise emit a flat list. Keep task descriptions concise but '
+			+ 'specific (include the "what" and any explicit owner or due date). Do not invent '
+			+ 'tasks that were not spoken. Return only the list with no preamble or commentary.',
+		insertMode: 'cursor',
+		newFileFolder: '',
+		newFileNameTemplate: 'ReWrite {{date}} {{time}}',
+	},
+	{
+		id: 'tpl-default-daily-note',
+		name: 'Daily note',
+		prompt:
+			'You are a daily-journal organizer. Restructure the voice transcript into a daily '
+			+ 'note using "##" headings in this order, including a heading only when the '
+			+ 'transcript actually covers it: Goals, Notes, Meals, Dreams. Under each heading, '
+			+ "format content as natural prose or bullet points, whichever fits better. Fix grammar "
+			+ "and remove filler words but preserve the speaker's voice. Return only the formatted "
+			+ 'note with no preamble or commentary.',
+		insertMode: 'newFile',
+		newFileFolder: 'Daily Notes',
+		newFileNameTemplate: '{{date}}',
+	},
+	{
+		id: 'tpl-default-meeting-notes',
+		name: 'Meeting notes',
+		prompt:
+			'You are a meeting-minutes formatter. Restructure the transcript into meeting notes '
+			+ 'using these "##" sections (omit a section if nothing in the transcript applies): '
+			+ 'Attendees, Summary, Action Items, Decisions. Format Action Items as a markdown '
+			+ 'checkbox list ("- [ ] ") including the owner when one was stated. Keep Summary to '
+			+ '2-4 sentences. Return only the formatted notes with no preamble or commentary.',
+		insertMode: 'newFile',
+		newFileFolder: 'Meetings',
+		newFileNameTemplate: 'Meeting {{date}} {{time}}',
+	},
+	{
+		id: 'tpl-default-idea-capture',
+		name: 'Idea capture',
+		prompt:
+			'You are an idea archivist. Preserve the raw ideas from the transcript faithfully: '
+			+ 'fix only grammar, punctuation, and filler words. Do not summarize, abridge, '
+			+ 'reorder, or invent connections between ideas. Prepend a single one-sentence '
+			+ 'summary of the core idea at the very top, followed by a blank line, then the '
+			+ 'cleaned transcript. Return only that output with no preamble or commentary.',
+		insertMode: 'append',
+		newFileFolder: '',
+		newFileNameTemplate: 'Idea {{date}} {{time}}',
+	},
+];
+
+export function freshDefaultTemplates(): NoteTemplate[] {
+	return DEFAULT_TEMPLATES.map((t) => ({ ...t }));
+}
diff --git a/src/settings/index.ts b/src/settings/index.ts
index f160057..48d5e1b 100644
--- a/src/settings/index.ts
+++ b/src/settings/index.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
 	TranscriptionProviderID,
 } from '../types';
 import { loadAllKeys, saveManyKeys } from '../secrets';
+import { freshDefaultTemplates } from './default-templates';
 
 const EMPTY_TRANSCRIPTION_CONFIG: TranscriptionConfig = {
 	apiKey: '',
@@ -80,6 +81,12 @@ function profileLLMKeyId(kind: ActiveProfileKind): string {
 export async function loadSettings(plugin: Plugin): Promise<GlobalSettings> {
 	const stored = (await plugin.loadData()) as Partial<GlobalSettings> | null;
 	const merged = mergeSettings(DEFAULT_SETTINGS, stored ?? {});
+	if (merged.templates.length === 0) {
+		merged.templates = freshDefaultTemplates();
+		if (!merged.defaultTemplateId) {
+			merged.defaultTemplateId = merged.templates[0]?.id ?? '';
+		}
+	}
 	await hydrateSecrets(plugin, merged);
 	return merged;
 }