diff --git a/commands/commandeer.go b/commands/commandeer.go
index 377f675539b..8e768f045de 100644
--- a/commands/commandeer.go
+++ b/commands/commandeer.go
@@ -201,17 +201,37 @@ func (r *rootCommand) ConfigFromProvider(key int32, cfg config.Provider) (*commo
 		if cfg == nil {
 			cfg = config.New()
 		}
-		if !cfg.IsSet("publishDir") {
-			cfg.Set("publishDir", "public")
-		}
+
 		if !cfg.IsSet("renderToDisk") {
 			cfg.Set("renderToDisk", true)
 		}
 		if !cfg.IsSet("workingDir") {
 			cfg.Set("workingDir", dir)
+		} else {
+			if err := os.MkdirAll(cfg.GetString("workingDir"), 0777); err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create workingDir: %w", err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Load the config first to allow publishDir to be configured in config file.
+		configs, err := allconfig.LoadConfig(
+			allconfig.ConfigSourceDescriptor{
+				Flags:       cfg,
+				Fs:          hugofs.Os,
+				Filename:    r.cfgFile,
+				ConfigDir:   r.cfgDir,
+				Environment: r.environment,
+			},
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
 		}
-		cfg.Set("publishDirStatic", cfg.Get("publishDir"))
-		cfg.Set("publishDirDynamic", cfg.Get("publishDir"))
+
+		base := configs.Base
+
+		cfg.Set("publishDir", base.PublishDir)
+		cfg.Set("publishDirStatic", base.PublishDir)
+		cfg.Set("publishDirDynamic", base.PublishDir)
 
 		renderStaticToDisk := cfg.GetBool("renderStaticToDisk")
 
@@ -257,21 +277,6 @@ func (r *rootCommand) ConfigFromProvider(key int32, cfg config.Provider) (*commo
 
 		}
 
-		configs, err := allconfig.LoadConfig(
-			allconfig.ConfigSourceDescriptor{
-				Flags:       cfg,
-				Fs:          fs.Source,
-				Filename:    r.cfgFile,
-				ConfigDir:   r.cfgDir,
-				Environment: r.environment,
-			},
-		)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
-		base := configs.Base
-
 		if !base.C.Clock.IsZero() {
 			// TODO(bep) find a better place for this.
 			htime.Clock = clock.Start(configs.Base.C.Clock)
@@ -300,6 +305,7 @@ func (r *rootCommand) HugFromConfig(conf *commonConfig) (*hugolib.HugoSites, err
 	h, _, err := r.hugoSites.GetOrCreate(r.configVersionID.Load(), func(key int32) (*hugolib.HugoSites, error) {
 		conf.mu.Lock()
 		defer conf.mu.Unlock()
+
 		depsCfg := deps.DepsCfg{Configs: conf.configs, Fs: conf.fs, Logger: r.logger}
 		return hugolib.NewHugoSites(depsCfg)
 	})
diff --git a/commands/hugobuilder.go b/commands/hugobuilder.go
index 5db0b3eff85..28c21a9a7eb 100644
--- a/commands/hugobuilder.go
+++ b/commands/hugobuilder.go
@@ -954,6 +954,7 @@ func (c *hugoBuilder) loadConfig(cd *simplecobra.Commandeer, running bool) error
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
 	c.setConf(conf)
 	if c.onConfigLoaded != nil {
 		if err := c.onConfigLoaded(false); err != nil {
diff --git a/config/allconfig/load.go b/config/allconfig/load.go
index 2d1a84423ac..51c1bf279b6 100644
--- a/config/allconfig/load.go
+++ b/config/allconfig/load.go
@@ -208,8 +208,9 @@ func (l configLoader) applyDefaultConfig() error {
 }
 
 func (l configLoader) normalizeCfg(cfg config.Provider) error {
-	minify := cfg.Get("minify")
-	if b, ok := minify.(bool); ok && b {
+	if b, ok := cfg.Get("minifyOutput").(bool); ok && b {
+		cfg.Set("minify.minifyOutput", true)
+	} else if b, ok := cfg.Get("minify").(bool); ok && b {
 		cfg.Set("minify", maps.Params{"minifyOutput": true})
 	}
 
diff --git a/modules/collect.go b/modules/collect.go
index c69e7e7ee7f..3340b332778 100644
--- a/modules/collect.go
+++ b/modules/collect.go
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ func (c *collector) addAndRecurse(owner *moduleAdapter, disabled bool) error {
 	moduleConfig := owner.Config()
 	if owner.projectMod {
 		if err := c.applyMounts(Import{}, owner); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to apply mounts for project module: %w", err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to apply mounts for project: %w", err)
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/testscripts/commands/hugo__flags.txt b/testscripts/commands/hugo__flags.txt
index 46243f8a954..c2ea92c9564 100644
--- a/testscripts/commands/hugo__flags.txt
+++ b/testscripts/commands/hugo__flags.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 # Test the hugo command.
 
-hugo --baseURL http://example.com/ --destination ${WORK}/newpublic --clock 2021-11-06T22:30:00.00+09:00 -e staging --config ${WORK}/myconfig --configDir ${WORK}/myconfigdir -s mysource
+hugo --baseURL http://example.com/ --minify --destination ${WORK}/newpublic --clock 2021-11-06T22:30:00.00+09:00 -e staging --config ${WORK}/myconfig --configDir ${WORK}/myconfigdir -s mysource
 stdout 'Pages.*|1'
 stdout 'Total in'
 grep 'Home: http://example.com/, Time: 2021-11-06' newpublic/index.html
 grep 'Environment: staging, foo: bar, bar: baz' newpublic/index.html
+# Verify that it's minified.
+grep '<body>Home' newpublic/index.html
 
 hugo --quiet
 ! stdout .
@@ -17,7 +19,9 @@ foo = "bar"
 -- myconfigdir/_default/params.toml --
 bar = "baz"
 -- mysource/layouts/index.html --
+<body>
 Home: {{ .Permalink }}, Time: {{ now }}
+</body>
 Environment: {{ hugo.Environment }}, foo: {{ .Site.Params.foo }}, bar: {{ .Site.Params.bar }}
 -- mysource/layouts/_default/single.html --
 Title: {{ .Title }}
diff --git a/testscripts/commands/hugo__publishdir_in_config.txt b/testscripts/commands/hugo__publishdir_in_config.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e57d4ad2fe1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testscripts/commands/hugo__publishdir_in_config.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Test the hugo command.
+
+hugo
+
+grep 'Home' newpublic/index.html
+
+-- hugo.toml --
+baseURL = "http://example.org/"
+disableKinds = ["RSS", "sitemap", "robotsTXT", "404", "taxonomy", "term"]
+publishDir = "newpublic"
+-- layouts/index.html --
+Home.