diff --git a/crates/aptos/CHANGELOG.md b/crates/aptos/CHANGELOG.md
index ffd001a799283..1e2d3237362da 100644
--- a/crates/aptos/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/crates/aptos/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ All notable changes to the Aptos CLI will be captured in this file. This project
 
 # Unreleased
 
+- [`Fix`] CLI config should not always require a private key field to be present.
+
 ## [4.6.0] - 2024/11/29
 - Add `--node-api-key` flag to `aptos move replay` to allow for querying the fullnode with an API key.
 - Add `--chunk-size` flag to allow configuring chunk size for chunked publish mode.
diff --git a/crates/aptos/src/common/types.rs b/crates/aptos/src/common/types.rs
index d6fb1d3855dc9..13c600ba209f8 100644
--- a/crates/aptos/src/common/types.rs
+++ b/crates/aptos/src/common/types.rs
@@ -250,8 +250,11 @@ pub struct ProfileConfig {
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub network: Option<Network>,
     /// Private key for commands.
-    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
-    #[serde(deserialize_with = "deserialize_private_key_with_prefix")]
+    #[serde(
+        skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none",
+        default,
+        deserialize_with = "deserialize_private_key_with_prefix"
+    )]
     pub private_key: Option<Ed25519PrivateKey>,
     /// Public key for commands
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]