diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index fc1f5ccece3..996b651eeaf 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -52,6 +52,44 @@
       `logsEnabled` argument. Pass `false` to keep Sentry Logs disabled.
 - Disable tracing for HTTP `OPTIONS` requests by default. Set `traceOptionsRequests` to `true` to
   preserve the previous behavior ([#6254](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-java/pull/6254))
+- Incoming HTTP server transactions that finish with status 404 are no longer sent to Sentry by
+  default. This includes matched endpoints that intentionally return 404. Outgoing HTTP requests
+  that receive a 404 are unaffected.
+
+  Restore the previous behavior and trace every incoming HTTP status with an empty configuration:
+
+  Java:
+
+  ```java
+  import java.util.Collections;
+
+  options.setIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing(Collections.emptyList());
+  ```
+
+  `sentry.properties`:
+
+  ```properties
+  ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=
+  ```
+
+  Spring Boot `application.properties`:
+
+  ```properties
+  sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=
+  ```
+
+  Spring Boot `application.yml`:
+
+  ```yaml
+  sentry:
+    ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing: []
+  ```
+
+  The final response status is only known after sampling and request handling. The transaction may
+  already have propagated a sampled trace to downstream services, which can still report their
+  segments. Local child spans are discarded with the ignored transaction. Continuous profile
+  chunks are reported independently. External OTLP export does not pass through `SentryClient` and
+  is not filtered by this option ([#6567](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-java/pull/6567))
 - Remove the Apache HttpClient transport and stop publishing `sentry-apache-http-client-5` ([#6214](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-java/pull/6214))
 - Remove the deprecated `Instrumenter` enum, option, span context property, and `startChild` overloads ([#6252](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-java/pull/6252))
 - Remove deprecated OpenTelemetry integration classes and the legacy `SentrySpanStorage` ([#6243](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-java/pull/6243))
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
index 3ca549b3b9e..f61ad6c3826 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringRunner
   properties =
     [
       "sentry.traces-sample-rate=1.0",
-      "sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=404",
       "sentry.clients.ok-http-enabled=true",
       "sentry.enable-cache-tracing=true",
       "sentry.enable-queue-tracing=true",
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index ee18a3b7233..f6045b89b7e 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `configured not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
     val path = "/missing-ignored-status"
 
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index 09d7aecda14..7d81b9389ff 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -20,6 +20,18 @@ import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders
 
 class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
 
+  @Test
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+    val path = "/missing-default-ignored-status"
+
+    val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
+
+    assertThat(response.statusCode.value()).isEqualTo(404)
+    server.assertNoEnvelope(millis = 1_000) {
+      it.transaction()?.request?.url?.endsWith(path) == true
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `failed request reports errors, spans with their flags, and logs`() {
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity("/person/11", String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index 6e0359c459b..4274747cee7 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -21,6 +21,16 @@ import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders
 
 class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
 
+  @Test
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+    val path = "/missing-default-ignored-status"
+
+    val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
+
+    assertThat(response.statusCode.value()).isEqualTo(404)
+    server.assertNoEnvelope { it.transaction()?.request?.url?.endsWith(path) == true }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `failed request reports errors, nested spans with their flags, and logs`() {
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity("/person/11", String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
index 7af3dbcfdf4..8a283f7d046 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest : WebfluxIntegrationTest() {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `configured not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
     val path = "/missing-ignored-status"
 
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
index 2a9bb4d6710..360dcbb1617 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringRunner
   properties =
     [
       "sentry.traces-sample-rate=1.0",
-      "sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=404",
       "sentry.enable-cache-tracing=true",
       "sentry.logs.enabled=true",
       "sentry.reactive.thread-local-accessor-enabled=true",
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
index 08a8a54c9d2..699919ff44e 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-4/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot4/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
@@ -341,6 +341,15 @@ class SentryAutoConfigurationTest {
       }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  fun `ignored server HTTP status codes default to 404`() {
+    contextRunner.withPropertyValues("sentry.dsn=http://key@localhost/proj").run {
+      val ranges = it.getBean(SentryProperties::class.java).ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing
+      assertThat(ranges).hasSize(1)
+      assertThat(ranges!!.single().isInRange(404)).isTrue()
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `empty ignored server HTTP status codes disable the configuration`() {
     contextRunner
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
index cb67a5321eb..d539470ae93 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringRunner
   properties =
     [
       "sentry.traces-sample-rate=1.0",
-      "sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=404",
       "sentry.clients.ok-http-enabled=true",
       "sentry.enable-cache-tracing=true",
       "sentry.enable-queue-tracing=true",
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index 919034786d6..40638a251c5 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `configured not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
     val path = "/missing-ignored-status"
 
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index 62b2012163a..f9526f4e6ff 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -20,6 +20,18 @@ import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders
 
 class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
 
+  @Test
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+    val path = "/missing-default-ignored-status"
+
+    val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
+
+    assertThat(response.statusCode.value()).isEqualTo(404)
+    server.assertNoEnvelope(millis = 1_000) {
+      it.transaction()?.request?.url?.endsWith(path) == true
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `failed request reports errors, spans with their flags, and logs`() {
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity("/person/11", String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index e2ca6eb7b56..07e068ff7a6 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -21,6 +21,16 @@ import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders
 
 class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
 
+  @Test
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+    val path = "/missing-default-ignored-status"
+
+    val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
+
+    assertThat(response.statusCode.value()).isEqualTo(404)
+    server.assertNoEnvelope { it.transaction()?.request?.url?.endsWith(path) == true }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `failed request reports errors, nested spans with their flags, and logs`() {
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity("/person/11", String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
index f437453e3b7..dcc87e293af 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest : WebfluxIntegrationTest() {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `configured not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
     val path = "/missing-ignored-status"
 
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
index 8f0ff2d0de3..4d314719e35 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringRunner
   properties =
     [
       "sentry.traces-sample-rate=1.0",
-      "sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=404",
       "sentry.enable-cache-tracing=true",
       "sentry.logs.enabled=true",
       "sentry.reactive.thread-local-accessor-enabled=true",
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
index f574ced344c..08b94cd3d61 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot-jakarta/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/jakarta/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
@@ -349,6 +349,15 @@ class SentryAutoConfigurationTest {
       }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  fun `ignored server HTTP status codes default to 404`() {
+    contextRunner.withPropertyValues("sentry.dsn=http://key@localhost/proj").run {
+      val ranges = it.getBean(SentryProperties::class.java).ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing
+      assertThat(ranges).hasSize(1)
+      assertThat(ranges!!.single().isInRange(404)).isTrue()
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `empty ignored server HTTP status codes disable the configuration`() {
     contextRunner
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/README.md b/sentry-spring-boot/README.md
index beb1aa3d228..1ee657af6df 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/README.md
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/README.md
@@ -7,13 +7,27 @@ For more information check out [Sentry Spring Boot documentation](https://docs.s
 
 ## Ignoring server transactions by HTTP status
 
-Set `sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing` to a comma-separated list of individual
-status codes and inclusive ranges:
+Incoming server transactions that finish with HTTP status 404 are not sent to Sentry by default.
+Set `sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing` to replace the default with a
+comma-separated list of individual status codes and inclusive ranges:
 
 ```properties
 sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=404,500-599
 ```
 
-Matching incoming server transactions are not sent to Sentry. The filter reads the root
-transaction's HTTP response status; child span statuses do not affect it. The option is disabled
-when it is unset or empty.
+Use an empty value to trace every incoming HTTP status:
+
+```properties
+sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=
+```
+
+For YAML configuration, use an empty list:
+
+```yaml
+sentry:
+  ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing: []
+```
+
+The filter reads the root transaction's HTTP response status; child span statuses do not affect it.
+Filtering happens after the response status is known, so the request may already have propagated a
+sampled trace, and local child spans are discarded with the transaction.
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
index 31e49fdbb64..a83f50a73f3 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/integrationtest/IntegrationTest.kt
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringRunner
   properties =
     [
       "sentry.traces-sample-rate=1.0",
-      "sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=404",
       "sentry.clients.ok-http-enabled=true",
       "sentry.enable-cache-tracing=true",
       "sentry.enable-queue-tracing=true",
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index fa17b781b01..84009cc9151 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTest/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/integrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `configured not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
     val path = "/missing-ignored-status"
 
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index 53a52f77412..e979aa0e04e 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestOtelAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/otelagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -20,6 +20,18 @@ import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders
 
 class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
 
+  @Test
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+    val path = "/missing-default-ignored-status"
+
+    val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
+
+    assertThat(response.statusCode.value()).isEqualTo(404)
+    server.assertNoEnvelope(millis = 1_000) {
+      it.transaction()?.request?.url?.endsWith(path) == true
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `failed request reports errors, spans with their flags, and logs`() {
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity("/person/11", String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
index 6e9b1c1038b..c9a5ffb72bc 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestOtelNoAgent/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/otelnoagentintegrationtest/PersonIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -21,6 +21,16 @@ import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders
 
 class PersonIntegrationTest : IntegrationTest() {
 
+  @Test
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+    val path = "/missing-default-ignored-status"
+
+    val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
+
+    assertThat(response.statusCode.value()).isEqualTo(404)
+    server.assertNoEnvelope { it.transaction()?.request?.url?.endsWith(path) == true }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `failed request reports errors, nested spans with their flags, and logs`() {
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity("/person/11", String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
index 35c00694d6f..57584cba90a 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/webfluxintegrationtest/PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ class PersonWebfluxIntegrationTest : WebfluxIntegrationTest() {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `configured not found response does not send a transaction`() {
+  fun `default not found response does not send a transaction`() {
     val path = "/missing-ignored-status"
 
     val response = restTemplate.getForEntity(path, String::class.java)
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
index b2ee1979640..f222e37b4ef 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/integrationTestWebflux/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/webfluxintegrationtest/WebfluxIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ import org.springframework.test.context.junit4.SpringRunner
   properties =
     [
       "sentry.traces-sample-rate=1.0",
-      "sentry.ignored-server-http-status-codes-for-tracing=404",
       "sentry.logs.enabled=true",
       "sentry.profile-session-sample-rate=1.0",
       "sentry.profile-lifecycle=TRACE",
diff --git a/sentry-spring-boot/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt b/sentry-spring-boot/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
index 7f86feb1dfe..50fda4611e8 100644
--- a/sentry-spring-boot/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
+++ b/sentry-spring-boot/src/test/kotlin/io/sentry/spring/boot/SentryAutoConfigurationTest.kt
@@ -347,6 +347,15 @@ class SentryAutoConfigurationTest {
       }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  fun `ignored server HTTP status codes default to 404`() {
+    contextRunner.withPropertyValues("sentry.dsn=http://key@localhost/proj").run {
+      val ranges = it.getBean(SentryProperties::class.java).ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing
+      assertThat(ranges).hasSize(1)
+      assertThat(ranges!!.single().isInRange(404)).isTrue()
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `empty ignored server HTTP status codes disable the configuration`() {
     contextRunner
diff --git a/sentry/src/main/java/io/sentry/SentryOptions.java b/sentry/src/main/java/io/sentry/SentryOptions.java
index 04c1434892f..69a8fc0d902 100644
--- a/sentry/src/main/java/io/sentry/SentryOptions.java
+++ b/sentry/src/main/java/io/sentry/SentryOptions.java
@@ -598,7 +598,8 @@ public class SentryOptions implements RateLimiterConfig {
    */
   private @Nullable List<FilterString> ignoredTransactions = null;
 
-  private @Nullable List<HttpStatusCodeRange> ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing = null;
+  private @Nullable List<HttpStatusCodeRange> ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing =
+      new ArrayList<>(Collections.singletonList(new HttpStatusCodeRange(404)));
 
   @ApiStatus.Experimental
   private @NotNull IBackpressureMonitor backpressureMonitor = NoOpBackpressureMonitor.getInstance();
@@ -3151,9 +3152,10 @@ public void setIgnoredTransactions(final @Nullable List<String> ignoredTransacti
 
   /**
    * Returns the HTTP status codes and inclusive ranges for which incoming server transactions are
-   * not sent to Sentry. An empty list disables this filter.
+   * not sent to Sentry. Defaults to a single range containing 404. An empty list disables this
+   * filter.
    *
-   * @return the configured HTTP status code ranges, or {@code null} if unset
+   * @return the configured HTTP status code ranges, or {@code null} if explicitly set to null
    */
   public @Nullable List<HttpStatusCodeRange> getIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing() {
     return ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing;
@@ -3163,11 +3165,11 @@ public void setIgnoredTransactions(final @Nullable List<String> ignoredTransacti
    * Sets the HTTP status codes and inclusive ranges for which incoming server transactions are not
    * sent to Sentry. For example, configure {@code new HttpStatusCodeRange(404)} for one status or
    * {@code new HttpStatusCodeRange(500, 599)} for an inclusive range. External configuration
-   * accepts comma-separated codes and ranges such as {@code 404,410,500-599}. An empty list
-   * disables this filter.
+   * accepts comma-separated codes and ranges such as {@code 404,410,500-599}. An empty list or
+   * {@code null} disables this filter.
    *
    * @param ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing the HTTP status code ranges, or {@code null} to
-   *     leave the option unset
+   *     disable the filter
    */
   public void setIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing(
       final @Nullable List<HttpStatusCodeRange> ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing) {
diff --git a/sentry/src/test/java/io/sentry/SentryClientTest.kt b/sentry/src/test/java/io/sentry/SentryClientTest.kt
index e11920d5e0d..ccebf83cdaf 100644
--- a/sentry/src/test/java/io/sentry/SentryClientTest.kt
+++ b/sentry/src/test/java/io/sentry/SentryClientTest.kt
@@ -1385,10 +1385,7 @@ class SentryClientTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `server transaction with ignored HTTP status is dropped before callbacks`() {
-    fixture.sentryOptions.setIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing(
-      listOf(HttpStatusCodeRange(404))
-    )
+  fun `server transaction with default ignored HTTP status is dropped before callbacks`() {
     val processor = mock<EventProcessor>()
     val beforeSend = mock<SentryOptions.BeforeSendTransactionCallback>()
     val replayController = mock<ReplayController>()
@@ -1425,18 +1422,29 @@ class SentryClientTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `server transaction with ignored HTTP status range accepts OTel long value`() {
+  fun `default HTTP status filter retains server 200`() {
+    fixture
+      .getSut()
+      .captureTransaction(createServerTransaction(200), fixture.sentryTracer.traceContext())
+
+    verify(fixture.transport).send(any(), anyOrNull())
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  fun `custom HTTP status range replaces default and accepts OTel long value`() {
     fixture.sentryOptions.setIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing(
       listOf(HttpStatusCodeRange(500, 599))
     )
+    val sut = fixture.getSut()
 
-    val eventId =
-      fixture
-        .getSut()
-        .captureTransaction(createServerTransaction(503L), fixture.sentryTracer.traceContext())
+    val ignoredEventId =
+      sut.captureTransaction(createServerTransaction(503L), fixture.sentryTracer.traceContext())
+    val retainedEventId =
+      sut.captureTransaction(createServerTransaction(404), fixture.sentryTracer.traceContext())
 
-    assertThat(eventId).isEqualTo(SentryId.EMPTY_ID)
-    verify(fixture.transport, never()).send(any(), anyOrNull())
+    assertThat(ignoredEventId).isEqualTo(SentryId.EMPTY_ID)
+    assertThat(retainedEventId).isNotEqualTo(SentryId.EMPTY_ID)
+    verify(fixture.transport).send(any(), anyOrNull())
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -1451,10 +1459,7 @@ class SentryClientTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `HTTP status filter only applies to server transactions`() {
-    fixture.sentryOptions.setIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing(
-      listOf(HttpStatusCodeRange(404))
-    )
+  fun `default HTTP status filter only applies to server transactions`() {
     val clientTransaction = createServerTransaction(404)
     clientTransaction.contexts.trace!!.data[SpanDataConvention.SENTRY_KIND_KEY] = "client"
     val missingKindTransaction = createServerTransaction(404)
@@ -1468,10 +1473,7 @@ class SentryClientTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `HTTP status filter ignores missing and invalid root status values`() {
-    fixture.sentryOptions.setIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing(
-      listOf(HttpStatusCodeRange(404))
-    )
+  fun `default HTTP status filter ignores missing and invalid root status values`() {
     val invalidStatusValues = listOf("404", 404.0, 404.5f, 99, 600, Long.MAX_VALUE)
     val sut = fixture.getSut()
 
@@ -1489,10 +1491,7 @@ class SentryClientTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `HTTP status filter does not read child span attributes`() {
-    fixture.sentryOptions.setIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing(
-      listOf(HttpStatusCodeRange(404))
-    )
+  fun `default HTTP status filter does not read child span attributes`() {
     val tracer =
       SentryTracer(
         TransactionContext("child-status-transaction", "op", TracesSamplingDecision(true)),
@@ -1511,10 +1510,7 @@ class SentryClientTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `profiling trace deletion failure for ignored transaction is logged`() {
-    fixture.sentryOptions.setIgnoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing(
-      listOf(HttpStatusCodeRange(404))
-    )
+  fun `profiling trace deletion failure for default ignored transaction is logged`() {
     val traceFile = mock<File>()
     whenever(traceFile.delete()).thenReturn(false)
     whenever(traceFile.path).thenReturn("undeletable.trace")
diff --git a/sentry/src/test/java/io/sentry/SentryOptionsTest.kt b/sentry/src/test/java/io/sentry/SentryOptionsTest.kt
index 1a9dfac4502..a3b6417598d 100644
--- a/sentry/src/test/java/io/sentry/SentryOptionsTest.kt
+++ b/sentry/src/test/java/io/sentry/SentryOptionsTest.kt
@@ -1088,14 +1088,31 @@ class SentryOptionsTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `ignored server HTTP status codes for tracing are unset by default`() {
-    assertNull(SentryOptions().ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing)
+  fun `ignored server HTTP status codes for tracing default to 404`() {
+    val ranges = SentryOptions().ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing
+
+    assertThat(ranges).hasSize(1)
+    assertThat(ranges!!.single().isInRange(404)).isTrue()
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  fun `default ignored server HTTP status code lists are independent`() {
+    val first = SentryOptions().ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing!!
+    val second = SentryOptions().ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing!!
+
+    first.clear()
+
+    assertThat(second).hasSize(1)
+    assertThat(second.single().isInRange(404)).isTrue()
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `ignored server HTTP status code setter preserves empty and custom ranges`() {
+  fun `ignored server HTTP status code setter preserves null, empty and custom ranges`() {
     val options = SentryOptions()
 
+    options.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing = null
+    assertThat(options.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing).isNull()
+
     options.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing = emptyList()
     assertThat(options.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing).isEmpty()
 
@@ -1107,11 +1124,10 @@ class SentryOptionsTest {
   }
 
   @Test
-  fun `merging empty ignored server HTTP status codes replaces the previous value`() {
+  fun `merging empty ignored server HTTP status codes clears the default`() {
     val externalOptions = ExternalOptions()
     externalOptions.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing = emptyList()
     val options = SentryOptions()
-    options.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing = listOf(HttpStatusCodeRange(404))
 
     options.merge(externalOptions)
 
@@ -1129,6 +1145,16 @@ class SentryOptionsTest {
     assertThat(options.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing!![0].isInRange(410)).isTrue()
   }
 
+  @Test
+  fun `merging options when ignored server HTTP status codes are not set preserves default`() {
+    val options = SentryOptions()
+
+    options.merge(ExternalOptions())
+
+    assertThat(options.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing).hasSize(1)
+    assertThat(options.ignoredServerHttpStatusCodesForTracing!!.single().isInRange(404)).isTrue()
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `merging options when ignoredErrors is not set preserves the previous value`() {
     val externalOptions = ExternalOptions()