diff --git a/src/fri/recursive_verifier.rs b/src/fri/recursive_verifier.rs
index b268e831..ce3f475e 100644
--- a/src/fri/recursive_verifier.rs
+++ b/src/fri/recursive_verifier.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ impl<F: RichField + Extendable<D>, const D: usize> CircuitBuilder<F, D> {
     /// Make sure we have enough wires and routed wires to do the FRI checks efficiently. This check
     /// isn't required -- without it we'd get errors elsewhere in the stack -- but just gives more
     /// helpful errors.
-    fn check_config(&self, max_fri_arity: usize) {
+    fn check_recursion_config(&self, max_fri_arity: usize) {
         let random_access = RandomAccessGate::<F, D>::new_from_config(
             &self.config,
             max_fri_arity.max(1 << self.config.cap_height),
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ impl<F: RichField + Extendable<D>, const D: usize> CircuitBuilder<F, D> {
         let config = &common_data.config;
 
         if let Some(max_arity) = common_data.fri_params.max_arity() {
-            self.check_config(max_arity);
+            self.check_recursion_config(max_arity);
         }
 
         debug_assert_eq!(
diff --git a/src/plonk/circuit_builder.rs b/src/plonk/circuit_builder.rs
index ac8f01f1..a13a117d 100644
--- a/src/plonk/circuit_builder.rs
+++ b/src/plonk/circuit_builder.rs
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ use crate::field::cosets::get_unique_coset_shifts;
 use crate::field::extension_field::target::ExtensionTarget;
 use crate::field::extension_field::{Extendable, FieldExtension};
 use crate::field::fft::fft_root_table;
-use crate::field::field_types::RichField;
+use crate::field::field_types::{Field, RichField};
 use crate::fri::commitment::PolynomialBatchCommitment;
-use crate::fri::FriParams;
+use crate::fri::{FriConfig, FriParams};
 use crate::gates::arithmetic::ArithmeticExtensionGate;
 use crate::gates::constant::ConstantGate;
 use crate::gates::gate::{Gate, GateInstance, GateRef, PrefixedGate};
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ pub struct CircuitBuilder<F: RichField + Extendable<D>, const D: usize> {
 
 impl<F: RichField + Extendable<D>, const D: usize> CircuitBuilder<F, D> {
     pub fn new(config: CircuitConfig) -> Self {
-        CircuitBuilder {
+        let builder = CircuitBuilder {
             config,
             gates: HashSet::new(),
             gate_instances: Vec::new(),
@@ -101,7 +101,32 @@ impl<F: RichField + Extendable<D>, const D: usize> CircuitBuilder<F, D> {
             free_arithmetic: HashMap::new(),
             free_random_access: HashMap::new(),
             current_switch_gates: Vec::new(),
-        }
+        };
+        builder.check_config();
+        builder
+    }
+
+    fn check_config(&self) {
+        let &CircuitConfig {
+            security_bits,
+            rate_bits,
+            fri_config:
+                FriConfig {
+                    proof_of_work_bits,
+                    num_query_rounds,
+                    ..
+                },
+            ..
+        } = &self.config;
+
+        // Conjectured FRI security; see the ethSTARK paper.
+        let fri_field_bits = F::Extension::order().bits() as usize;
+        let fri_query_security_bits = num_query_rounds * rate_bits + proof_of_work_bits as usize;
+        let fri_security_bits = fri_field_bits.min(fri_query_security_bits);
+        assert!(
+            fri_security_bits >= security_bits,
+            "FRI params fall short of target security"
+        );
     }
 
     pub fn num_gates(&self) -> usize {
diff --git a/src/plonk/circuit_data.rs b/src/plonk/circuit_data.rs
index f1257860..391e5c2f 100644
--- a/src/plonk/circuit_data.rs
+++ b/src/plonk/circuit_data.rs
@@ -38,20 +38,7 @@ pub struct CircuitConfig {
 
 impl Default for CircuitConfig {
     fn default() -> Self {
-        CircuitConfig {
-            num_wires: 4,
-            num_routed_wires: 4,
-            security_bits: 128,
-            rate_bits: 3,
-            num_challenges: 3,
-            zero_knowledge: true,
-            cap_height: 1,
-            fri_config: FriConfig {
-                proof_of_work_bits: 1,
-                reduction_strategy: FriReductionStrategy::ConstantArityBits(3, 5),
-                num_query_rounds: 1,
-            },
-        }
+        CircuitConfig::standard_recursion_config()
     }
 }
 
@@ -64,10 +51,10 @@ impl CircuitConfig {
     pub(crate) fn standard_recursion_config() -> Self {
         Self {
             num_wires: 143,
-            num_routed_wires: 64,
-            security_bits: 128,
+            num_routed_wires: 28,
+            security_bits: 100,
             rate_bits: 3,
-            num_challenges: 3,
+            num_challenges: 2,
             zero_knowledge: false,
             cap_height: 3,
             fri_config: FriConfig {
@@ -83,7 +70,7 @@ impl CircuitConfig {
         Self {
             num_wires: 143,
             num_routed_wires: 64,
-            security_bits: 128,
+            security_bits: 4,
             rate_bits: 3,
             num_challenges: 3,
             zero_knowledge: false,