diff --git a/temp_file_trans_client/api.py b/temp_file_trans_client/api.py
index ea36b87..9d7c7b1 100644
--- a/temp_file_trans_client/api.py
+++ b/temp_file_trans_client/api.py
@@ -7,8 +7,11 @@ CONFIG_PATH = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'config.json')
 
 def load_config():
     if os.path.exists(CONFIG_PATH):
-        with open(CONFIG_PATH, 'r') as f:
-            return json.load(f)
+        try:
+            with open(CONFIG_PATH, 'r') as f:
+                return json.load(f)
+        except (json.JSONDecodeError, IOError):
+            return {"server_url": "http://localhost:5000", "default_expiry": "24h"}
     return {"server_url": "http://localhost:5000", "default_expiry": "24h"}
 
 def save_config(config):