diff --git a/benchmarks/workload-generator-commons/src/main/java/theodolite/commons/workloadgeneration/LoadGenerator.java b/benchmarks/workload-generator-commons/src/main/java/theodolite/commons/workloadgeneration/LoadGenerator.java
index 96037fc6d0091ba5ac4194815bf0f435771f2f1d..a9a1ce65ac32e3508299c99a38ecd21e4c9461cf 100644
--- a/benchmarks/workload-generator-commons/src/main/java/theodolite/commons/workloadgeneration/LoadGenerator.java
+++ b/benchmarks/workload-generator-commons/src/main/java/theodolite/commons/workloadgeneration/LoadGenerator.java
@@ -114,8 +114,10 @@ public final class LoadGenerator {
       clusterConfig = ClusterConfig.fromKubernetesDnsName(kubernetesDnsName);
       LOGGER.info("Use Kubernetes DNS name '{}'.", kubernetesDnsName);
     } else {
-      throw new IllegalArgumentException(
-          "Neither a bootstrap server nor a Kubernetes DNS name was provided.");
+      clusterConfig = ClusterConfig.fromBootstrapServer(BOOTSTRAP_SERVER_DEFAULT);
+      LOGGER.info(
+          "Neither a bootstrap server nor a Kubernetes DNS name was provided. Use default bootstrap server '{}'.", // NOCS
+          BOOTSTRAP_SERVER_DEFAULT);
     }
 
     final String port = System.getenv(ConfigurationKeys.PORT);