diff --git a/mpcdf_setup_home_project.py b/mpcdf_setup_home_project.py
index bfe6fc9b301b36bc1af0d84d2e9c9eac4d570732..23313a3478fd8933103aba87d233babf0ffb1b99 100644
--- a/mpcdf_setup_home_project.py
+++ b/mpcdf_setup_home_project.py
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ import osc.cmdln
 @osc.cmdln.option('--distribution',
                   help="Base distribution, necessary argument unless set previously for this project")
 @osc.cmdln.option('--microarchitecture', metavar="ARCH", nargs=1,
-                  help="Configure project to use ARCH as microarchitecture")
+                  help="Configure project to use ARCH as microarchitecture, "
+                       "defaults to 'sandybridge' or what has been set before in the "
+                       "home project")
 @osc.cmdln.alias("mpcdf_setup_home")
 def do_mpcdf_setup_home_project(self, subcmd, opts, *args):
     """${cmd_name}: Setup a home project based on a software: sub-project
@@ -61,14 +63,15 @@ def do_mpcdf_setup_home_project(self, subcmd, opts, *args):
     microarchitecture = None
     if opts.microarchitecture is None:
         for prjconfline in map(decode_it, osc.core.show_project_conf(api_url, project)):
-            if prjconfline.startwith("Constraint: hostlabel"):
+            if prjconfline.startswith("Constraint: hostlabel"):
                 microarchitecture = prjconfline.split()[2]
                 break
     else:
         microarchitecture = opts.microarchitecture
 
     if microarchitecture is None:
-        raise osc.oscerr.WrongArgs('Could not determine desired microarchitecture, please specify --microarchitecture explicitly')
+        microarchitecture = 'sandybridge'
+        print("Setting microarchitecture to 'sandybridge' by default")
 
     parent = "software:{0}:{1}".format(distribution, microarchitecture)