diff --git a/src/config.py b/src/config.py
index 31dc7912..51929e72 100644
--- a/src/config.py
+++ b/src/config.py
@@ -382,7 +382,8 @@ def merge(metadata: dict[str, Any], base, settings, *path: str,
             return value
 
     elif settings_type == "float":
-        if settings is not Empty and not isinstance(settings, float):
+        # Treat literal ints as floats too for ease of writing settings
+        if settings is not Empty and not isinstance(settings, float) and type(settings) is not int:
             raise TypeError("Expected type float for path '{}', got {} instead".format(".".join(path), type(settings)))
         # float supports three merge types: replace (default), max, min
         if merge_type is None:
@@ -398,6 +399,8 @@ def merge(metadata: dict[str, Any], base, settings, *path: str,
         else:
             value = metadata["_default"]
 
+        if type(value) is int:
+            value = float(value)
         assert isinstance(value, float)
         if merge_type == "replace":
             return value
diff --git a/test/test_config_merge.py b/test/test_config_merge.py
index f6e6c6ff..939a2e5f 100644
--- a/test/test_config_merge.py
+++ b/test/test_config_merge.py
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ def test_invalid_float(self):
         with self.subTest("value required"):
             self.assertRaises(TypeError, merge, metadata, Empty, Empty)
         with self.subTest("invalid type"):
-            self.assertRaises(TypeError, merge, metadata, Empty, 2)
+            # ints are also valid floats, so do not test for that here
             self.assertRaises(TypeError, merge, metadata, Empty, "2.0")
             self.assertRaises(TypeError, merge, metadata, Empty, [])
             self.assertRaises(TypeError, merge, metadata, Empty, {})
@@ -540,7 +540,26 @@ def test_default_multitype(self):
         metadata = {"_type": ["int", "float"], "_default": None}
         with self.subTest("first"):
             metadata["_default"] = 3
-            self.assertEqual(merge(metadata, Empty, Empty), 3)
+            test = merge(metadata, Empty, Empty)
+            self.assertEqual(test, 3)
+            self.assertIsInstance(test, int)
         with self.subTest("second"):
             metadata["_default"] = 2.7
             self.assertEqual(merge(metadata, Empty, Empty), 2.7)
+
+    def test_coerce_int_to_float(self):
+        metadata = {"_type": "float", "_default": None}
+        with self.subTest("as default"):
+            metadata["_default"] = 1
+            test = merge(metadata, Empty, Empty)
+            self.assertEqual(test, 1.0)
+            self.assertIsInstance(test, float)
+        with self.subTest("as base"):
+            metadata["_default"] = 1.0
+            test = merge(metadata, 2, Empty)
+            self.assertEqual(test, 2.0)
+            self.assertIsInstance(test, float)
+        with self.subTest("as settings"):
+            test = merge(metadata, Empty, 3)
+            self.assertEqual(test, 3.0)
+            self.assertIsInstance(test, float)