diff --git a/lib/blacklight/configuration.rb b/lib/blacklight/configuration.rb
index 6fb8a1f34..e8a81b8af 100644
--- a/lib/blacklight/configuration.rb
+++ b/lib/blacklight/configuration.rb
@@ -142,29 +142,35 @@ def initialized_default_configuration?
       # set to nil if a checkbox is prefered to the icon
       property :bookmark_icon_component, default: Blacklight::Icons::BookmarkIconComponent
 
-      # @!attribute index
-      # General configuration for all views
+      # @!attribute defaults
+      # Default configuration for all views
       # @return [Blacklight::Configuration::ViewConfig::Index]
-      property :index, default: ViewConfig::Index.new(
+      property :defaults, default: ViewConfig.new(
         # document presenter class used by helpers and views
         document_presenter_class: Blacklight::IndexPresenter,
-        # document presenter used for json responses
-        json_presenter_class: Blacklight::JsonPresenter,
         # component class used to render a document
         document_component: Blacklight::DocumentComponent,
         document_embed_component: nil,
         document_metadata_component: Blacklight::DocumentMetadataComponent,
         document_thumbnail_component: Blacklight::Document::ThumbnailComponent,
         document_title_component: Blacklight::DocumentTitleComponent,
-        sidebar_component: Blacklight::Search::SidebarComponent,
-        dropdown_component: Blacklight::System::DropdownComponent,
         # solr field to use to render a document title
         title_field: nil,
         # solr field to use to render format-specific partials
-        display_type_field: nil,
+        display_type_field: nil
+      )
+
+      # @!attribute index
+      # General configuration for search views
+      # @return [Blacklight::Configuration::ViewConfig::Index]
+      property :index, default: ViewConfig::Index.new(
+        document_actions: NestedOpenStructWithHashAccess.new(ToolConfig),
+        # document presenter used for json responses
+        json_presenter_class: Blacklight::JsonPresenter,
+        sidebar_component: Blacklight::Search::SidebarComponent,
+        dropdown_component: Blacklight::System::DropdownComponent,
         # the "field access" key to use to look up the document display fields
         document_fields_key: :index_fields,
-        document_actions: NestedOpenStructWithHashAccess.new(ToolConfig),
         collection_actions: NestedOpenStructWithHashAccess.new(ToolConfig),
         # what field, if any, to use to render grouped results
         group: false,
@@ -192,7 +198,7 @@ def initialized_default_configuration?
       property :show, default: ViewConfig::Show.new(
         # document presenter class used by helpers and views
         document_presenter_class: Blacklight::ShowPresenter,
-        document_component: Blacklight::DocumentComponent,
+        document_actions: NestedOpenStructWithHashAccess.new(ToolConfig),
         document_thumbnail_component: nil,
         show_tools_component: Blacklight::Document::ShowToolsComponent,
         show_header_tools_component: nil,
@@ -205,20 +211,19 @@ def initialized_default_configuration?
         # Set this to a hash with additional arguments to merge into the route,
         # or set `controller: :current` to route to the current controller.
         route: nil,
-        document_actions: NestedOpenStructWithHashAccess.new(ToolConfig),
         header_actions: NestedOpenStructWithHashAccess.new(ToolConfig)
       )
 
       # @!attribute action_mapping
       # @since v7.16.0
-      # @return [Hash{Symbol => Blacklight::Configuration::ViewConfig}]
+      # @return [Hash{Symbol => Blacklight::Configuration::ActionConfigMapEntry}]
       property :action_mapping, default: NestedOpenStructWithHashAccess.new(
-        ViewConfig,
-        default: { top_level_config: :index },
-        show: { top_level_config: :show },
-        citation: { parent_config: :show },
-        email_record: { top_level_config: :email },
-        sms_record: { top_level_config: :sms }
+        ActionConfigMapEntry,
+        default: { blacklight_config_property: :index, default: [:index, :defaults] },
+        show: { blacklight_config_property: :show },
+        citation: { parent_action_key: :show },
+        email_record: { blacklight_config_property: :email },
+        sms_record: { blacklight_config_property: :sms }
       )
 
       # @!attribute sms
@@ -528,12 +533,7 @@ def view_config(view_type = nil, action_name: :index)
         view_type = nil
       end
 
-      @view_config[[view_type, action_name]] ||= if view_type.nil?
-                                                   action_config(action_name)
-                                                 else
-                                                   base_config = action_config(action_name)
-                                                   base_config.merge(view.fetch(view_type, {}))
-                                                 end
+      @view_config[[view_type, action_name]] ||= action_config(action_name, (view.fetch(view_type, nil) if view_type))
     end
 
     # YARD will include inline disabling as docs, cannot do multiline inside @!macro.  AND this must be separate from doc block.
@@ -646,8 +646,8 @@ def _deep_copy(value)
       end
     end
 
-    def action_config(action, default: :index)
-      action_config = action_mapping[action]
+    def action_config(action_name, view_type_specific_config, default: :index)
+      action_config = action_mapping[action_name]
       action_config ||= action_mapping[:default]
 
       if action_config.parent_config && action_config.parent_config != :default
@@ -658,9 +658,19 @@ def action_config(action, default: :index)
       end
       action_config = action_config.reverse_merge(action_mapping[:default]) if action_config != action_mapping[:default]
 
-      action_config = action_config.reverse_merge(self[action_config.top_level_config]) if action_config.top_level_config
-      action_config = action_config.reverse_merge(show) if default == :show && action_config.top_level_config != :show
-      action_config.reverse_merge(index)
+      view_config = if action_config.blacklight_config_property
+                      self[action_config.blacklight_config_property]
+                    else
+                      self[default]
+                    end
+
+      view_config = Array(action_config.default - [action_config.blacklight_config_property || default]).inject(view_config) do |config, top_level_config|
+        config.reverse_merge(self[top_level_config])
+      end
+
+      view_config = view_config.merge(view_type_specific_config) if view_type_specific_config
+
+      view_config
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/blacklight/configuration/action_config_map_entry.rb b/lib/blacklight/configuration/action_config_map_entry.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..94955583c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/blacklight/configuration/action_config_map_entry.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+module Blacklight
+  class Configuration::ActionConfigMapEntry < OpenStructWithHashAccess
+    # @!attribute parent_action_key
+    # Pull in the configuration for this action from another action's config
+    # @return [Symbol]
+
+    def parent_config = parent_action_key
+
+    def parent_config=(value)
+      self.parent_action_key = value
+    end
+
+    #
+    # @!attribute blacklight_config_property
+    # Pull in the configuration for this action from a top-level config
+    # @return [Symbol]
+
+    def top_level_config = blacklight_config_property
+
+    def top_level_config=(value)
+      self.blacklight_config_property = value
+    end
+
+    #
+    # @!attribute default
+    # Pull in additional default configuration for this action from a top-level config
+    # @return [Array<Symbol>]
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/models/blacklight/configuration_spec.rb b/spec/models/blacklight/configuration_spec.rb
index c5f5c4104..e0dae4b44 100644
--- a/spec/models/blacklight/configuration_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/blacklight/configuration_spec.rb
@@ -670,25 +670,6 @@
         expect(config.view_config(action_name: :show)).to have_attributes config.show.to_h
       end
 
-      it 'includes the default action mapping configuration' do
-        config.action_mapping.default.whatever = :some_value
-
-        expect(config.view_config(action_name: :show)).to have_attributes whatever: :some_value
-      end
-
-      it 'includes the action-specific mappings' do
-        config.action_mapping.foo.document_presenter_class = Blacklight::DocumentPresenter
-
-        expect(config.view_config(action_name: :foo)).to have_attributes config.action_mapping.foo.to_h
-      end
-
-      it 'allows the action mapping to specific a parent configuration with some more defaults' do
-        config.action_mapping.foo.parent_config = :bar
-        config.action_mapping.bar.whatever = :bar_value
-
-        expect(config.view_config(action_name: :foo)).to have_attributes whatever: :bar_value
-      end
-
       context 'with the :citation action' do
         it 'also includes the show config' do
           expect(config.view_config(action_name: :citation)).to have_attributes config.show.to_h
diff --git a/spec/views/catalog/_document.html.erb_spec.rb b/spec/views/catalog/_document.html.erb_spec.rb
index 29584ce79..9f8a55f0c 100644
--- a/spec/views/catalog/_document.html.erb_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/views/catalog/_document.html.erb_spec.rb
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
     stub_template "catalog/_a_default.html.erb" => "a_partial"
     stub_template "catalog/_b_default.html.erb" => "b_partial"
     stub_template "catalog/_c_default.html.erb" => "c_partial"
-    render partial: "catalog/document", locals: { document: document, document_counter: 1, view_config: blacklight_config.index }
+    render partial: "catalog/document", locals: { document: document, document_counter: 1, view_config: blacklight_config.view_config(:index) }
     expect(rendered).to match /a_partial/
     expect(rendered).to match /b_partial/
     expect(rendered).to match /c_partial/
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ def call
     end
 
     it 'renders the document component' do
-      render partial: "catalog/document", locals: { document: document, document_counter: 1, view_config: blacklight_config.index }
+      render partial: "catalog/document", locals: { document: document, document_counter: 1, view_config: blacklight_config.view_config(:index) }
       expect(rendered).to match /blah/
     end
   end