diff --git a/packages/mermaid-layout-elk/src/render.ts b/packages/mermaid-layout-elk/src/render.ts
index 80abea986a..4634877651 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid-layout-elk/src/render.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid-layout-elk/src/render.ts
@@ -465,8 +465,8 @@ export const render = async (data4Layout: LayoutData, svg, element, algorithm) =
     layoutOptions: {
       'elk.hierarchyHandling': 'INCLUDE_CHILDREN',
       'elk.algorithm': algorithm,
-      'nodePlacement.strategy': data4Layout.config['elk.nodePlacement.strategy'],
-      'elk.layered.mergeEdges': data4Layout.config['elk.mergeEdges'],
+      'nodePlacement.strategy': data4Layout.config.elk.nodePlacementStrategy,
+      'elk.layered.mergeEdges': data4Layout.config.elk.mergeEdges,
       'elk.direction': 'DOWN',
       'spacing.baseValue': 30,
       // 'spacing.nodeNode': 40,
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/config.type.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/config.type.ts
index a010fb088d..2d25282f38 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/config.type.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/config.type.ts
@@ -88,16 +88,18 @@ export interface MermaidConfig {
    *
    */
   maxEdges?: number;
-  /**
-   * Elk specific option that allows edges to share path where it convenient. It can make for pretty diagrams but can also make it harder to read the diagram.
-   *
-   */
-  'elk.mergeEdges'?: boolean;
-  /**
-   * Elk specific option affecting how nodes are placed.
-   *
-   */
-  'elk.nodePlacement.strategy'?: 'SIMPLE' | 'NETWORK_SIMPLEX' | 'LINEAR_SEGMENTS' | 'BRANDES_KOEPF';
+  elk?: {
+    /**
+     * Elk specific option that allows edges to share path where it convenient. It can make for pretty diagrams but can also make it harder to read the diagram.
+     *
+     */
+    mergeEdges?: boolean;
+    /**
+     * Elk specific option affecting how nodes are placed.
+     *
+     */
+    nodePlacementStrategy?: 'SIMPLE' | 'NETWORK_SIMPLEX' | 'LINEAR_SEGMENTS' | 'BRANDES_KOEPF';
+  };
   darkMode?: boolean;
   htmlLabels?: boolean;
   /**
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts
index 727842bba1..0fa897d118 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ const config: RequiredDeep<MermaidConfig> = {
   // Set, even though they're `undefined` so that `configKeys` finds these keys
   // TODO: Should we replace these with `null` so that they can go in the JSON Schema?
   deterministicIDSeed: undefined,
+  elk: {
+    mergeEdges: false,
+    nodePlacementStrategy: 'SIMPLE',
+  },
   themeCSS: undefined,
 
   // add non-JSON default config values
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/schemas/config.schema.yaml b/packages/mermaid/src/schemas/config.schema.yaml
index 501e03b849..3f3d8bbcca 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/schemas/config.schema.yaml
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/schemas/config.schema.yaml
@@ -100,21 +100,24 @@ properties:
     type: integer
     default: 500
     minimum: 0
-  elk.mergeEdges:
-    description: |
-      Elk specific option that allows edges to share path where it convenient. It can make for pretty diagrams but can also make it harder to read the diagram.
-    type: boolean
-    default: false
-  elk.nodePlacement.strategy:
-    description: |
-      Elk specific option affecting how nodes are placed.
-    type: string
-    enum:
-      - SIMPLE
-      - NETWORK_SIMPLEX
-      - LINEAR_SEGMENTS
-      - BRANDES_KOEPF
-    default: SIMPLE
+  elk:
+    type: object
+    properties:
+      mergeEdges:
+        description: |
+          Elk specific option that allows edges to share path where it convenient. It can make for pretty diagrams but can also make it harder to read the diagram.
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+      nodePlacementStrategy:
+        description: |
+          Elk specific option affecting how nodes are placed.
+        type: string
+        enum:
+          - SIMPLE
+          - NETWORK_SIMPLEX
+          - LINEAR_SEGMENTS
+          - BRANDES_KOEPF
+        default: SIMPLE
   darkMode:
     type: boolean
     default: false