diff --git a/src/Symfony/Bundle/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php b/src/Symfony/Bundle/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
index cc7326d2e6..34156be729 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Bundle/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Bundle/DependencyInjection/Configuration.php
@@ -674,6 +674,18 @@ private function addDefaultsSection(ArrayNodeDefinition $rootNode): void
                 ->arrayNode('parameters')
                     ->info('Global parameters applied to all resources and operations.')
                     ->useAttributeAsKey('parameter_class')
+                    ->validate()
+                        ->always(static function (array $parameters): array {
+                            foreach ($parameters as $name => $parameter) {
+                                $class = $parameter['class'] ?? $name;
+                                if ((isset($parameter['class']) || str_contains((string) $name, '\\')) && !is_subclass_of($class, Parameter::class)) {
+                                    throw new InvalidConfigurationException(\sprintf('The default parameter "%s" must reference a class extending "%s", "%s" given.', $name, Parameter::class, $class));
+                                }
+                            }
+
+                            return $parameters;
+                        })
+                    ->end()
                     ->prototype('array')
                         ->ignoreExtraKeys(false)
                         ->children()
diff --git a/tests/Symfony/Bundle/DependencyInjection/ConfigurationTest.php b/tests/Symfony/Bundle/DependencyInjection/ConfigurationTest.php
index 24c952b015..e294d98a0f 100644
--- a/tests/Symfony/Bundle/DependencyInjection/ConfigurationTest.php
+++ b/tests/Symfony/Bundle/DependencyInjection/ConfigurationTest.php
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 namespace ApiPlatform\Tests\Symfony\Bundle\DependencyInjection;
 
 use ApiPlatform\Metadata\Exception\InvalidArgumentException;
+use ApiPlatform\Metadata\HeaderParameter;
 use ApiPlatform\Symfony\Bundle\DependencyInjection\Configuration;
 use Doctrine\DBAL\Exception\UniqueConstraintViolationException;
 use Doctrine\ORM\OptimisticLockException;
@@ -540,4 +541,43 @@ public function testOauthScopeNaming(): void
 
         $this->assertEquals(['resource:read-write' => 'Read and write resource data'], $config['oauth']['scopes']);
     }
+
+    public function testDefaultParameters(): void
+    {
+        $config = $this->processor->processConfiguration($this->configuration, [
+            'api_platform' => [
+                'defaults' => [
+                    'parameters' => [
+                        HeaderParameter::class => ['key' => 'API-Token'],
+                        'request_id' => ['class' => HeaderParameter::class, 'key' => 'Request-ID'],
+                        'api_version' => ['key' => 'api_version'],
+                    ],
+                ],
+            ],
+        ]);
+
+        $this->assertCount(3, $config['defaults']['parameters']);
+    }
+
+    public static function invalidDefaultParameterProvider(): iterable
+    {
+        yield 'unknown class option' => ['api_token', ['class' => 'ApiPlatform\Metadata\HeaderParamter'], 'ApiPlatform\Metadata\HeaderParamter'];
+        yield 'unknown class as key' => ['ApiPlatform\Metadata\HeaderParamter', ['key' => 'API-Token'], 'ApiPlatform\Metadata\HeaderParamter'];
+        yield 'not a parameter' => ['api_token', ['class' => \stdClass::class], \stdClass::class];
+    }
+
+    #[DataProvider('invalidDefaultParameterProvider')]
+    public function testDefaultParametersWithInvalidClass(string $name, array $parameter, string $class): void
+    {
+        $this->expectException(InvalidConfigurationException::class);
+        $this->expectExceptionMessage(\sprintf('The default parameter "%s" must reference a class extending "ApiPlatform\Metadata\Parameter", "%s" given.', $name, $class));
+
+        $this->processor->processConfiguration($this->configuration, [
+            'api_platform' => [
+                'defaults' => [
+                    'parameters' => [$name => $parameter],
+                ],
+            ],
+        ]);
+    }
 }