diff --git a/admin/templates/pages/config.php b/admin/templates/pages/config.php
index f16c2e9..2fee8c6 100644
--- a/admin/templates/pages/config.php
+++ b/admin/templates/pages/config.php
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
                 <div class="col-md-6">
                     <label for="default_page" class="form-label">Standaard/startpagina</label>
                     <select name="default_page" id="default_page" class="form-select">
-                        <option value="">-- Selecteer --</option>
+                        <option value="auto" <?= ($configData['default_page'] ?? 'auto') === 'auto' ? 'selected' : '' ?>>Auto (eerste beschikbare pagina)</option>
                         <?php foreach ($availablePages as $page): ?>
                             <option value="<?= htmlspecialchars($page) ?>" <?= ($configData['default_page'] ?? '') === $page ? 'selected' : '' ?>>
                                 <?= htmlspecialchars(ucwords(str_replace(['-', '_'], ' ', $page))) ?>
diff --git a/cms/core/class/CodePressCMS.php b/cms/core/class/CodePressCMS.php
index 0ac408b..c505f12 100644
--- a/cms/core/class/CodePressCMS.php
+++ b/cms/core/class/CodePressCMS.php
@@ -354,6 +354,9 @@ class CodePressCMS {
         }
         
         $page = $_GET['page'] ?? $this->config['default_page'];
+        if ($page === 'auto') {
+            $page = $this->detectDefaultPage();
+        }
         // Limit length
         $page = substr($page, 0, 255);
         // Only remove file extension at the end, not all dots
@@ -1323,6 +1326,37 @@ class CodePressCMS {
         return 'markdown';
     }
     
+    /**
+     * Auto-detect the first available content page
+     *
+     * Scans the content directory for the first .md/.php/.html file
+     * (preferring non-language-prefixed files) and returns its page key.
+     *
+     * @return string Detected page key, or 'index' as fallback
+     */
+    private function detectDefaultPage(): string
+    {
+        $contentDir = $this->config['content_dir'];
+        if (!is_dir($contentDir)) return 'index';
+
+        $files = scandir($contentDir);
+        $candidates = [];
+        foreach ($files as $f) {
+            if (preg_match('/^((?:nl|en)\.)?(.+?)\.(md|php|html)$/', $f, $m)) {
+                $candidates[] = ['prefix' => $m[1], 'name' => $m[2], 'file' => $f];
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (empty($candidates)) return 'index';
+
+        // Prefer non-language-prefixed files (e.g. index.md over nl.index.md)
+        foreach ($candidates as $c) {
+            if (empty($c['prefix'])) return $c['name'];
+        }
+
+        return $candidates[0]['name'];
+    }
+
     /**
      * Get homepage title
      * 
@@ -1330,7 +1364,11 @@ class CodePressCMS {
      */
     private function getHomepageTitle() {
         // Use formatted filename for homepage title in navigation
-        return $this->formatDisplayName($this->config['default_page']);
+        $page = $this->config['default_page'];
+        if ($page === 'auto') {
+            $page = $this->detectDefaultPage();
+        }
+        return $this->formatDisplayName($page);
     }
     
     /**
diff --git a/config.json b/config.json
index 08f8f29..f49c861 100644
--- a/config.json
+++ b/config.json
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
     "site_title": "CodePress",
     "content_dir": "content",
     "templates_dir": "cms\/templates",
-    "default_page": "index",
     "active_theme": "default",
+    "default_page": "auto",
     "language": {
         "default": "nl",
         "available": [
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 108b9aa..b7c6fa3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "codepress",
-  "version": "1.7.0",
+  "version": "1.7.1",
   "description": "A lightweight, file-based Content Management System built with PHP and Bootstrap.",
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/public/admin.php b/public/admin.php
index 739b688..69c14d8 100644
--- a/public/admin.php
+++ b/public/admin.php
@@ -736,7 +736,7 @@ function handleConfig(AdminAuth $auth, array $config): void
             $messageType = 'danger';
         } else {
             $configData['site_title'] = trim($_POST['site_title'] ?? 'CodePress');
-            $configData['default_page'] = trim($_POST['default_page'] ?? 'index');
+            $configData['default_page'] = trim($_POST['default_page'] ?? 'auto');
             $configData['language']['default'] = trim($_POST['language_default'] ?? 'nl');
             $configData['language']['available'] = $_POST['language_available'] ?? ['nl', 'en'];
             $configData['seo']['description'] = trim($_POST['seo_description'] ?? '');
diff --git a/version.php b/version.php
index 41e380e..2279484 100644
--- a/version.php
+++ b/version.php
@@ -6,12 +6,21 @@
  */
 
 return [
-    'version' => '1.7.0',
+    'version' => '1.7.1',
     'release_date' => '2026-07-28',
-    'codename' => 'API',
+    'codename' => 'Auto',
     'status' => 'stable',
 
     'changelog' => [
+        '1.7.1' => [
+            'date' => '2026-07-28',
+            'changes' => [
+                'Auto-detect first available content page when default_page is set to "auto"',
+                'default_page now defaults to "auto" in config.json for fresh installs',
+                'Admin config form preserves "auto" as a selectable option',
+                'No more empty "-- Selecteer --" option that silently saved "index"',
+            ]
+        ],
         '1.7.0' => [
             'date' => '2026-07-28',
             'changes' => [