diff --git a/relay-event-normalization/src/eap/trimming.rs b/relay-event-normalization/src/eap/trimming.rs
index b5eac1b8e3..58bde9d05c 100644
--- a/relay-event-normalization/src/eap/trimming.rs
+++ b/relay-event-normalization/src/eap/trimming.rs
@@ -716,8 +716,7 @@ mod tests {
         // That leaves 9B for the string's value.
         // Note that the `number` field doesn't take up any size.
         // The `"footer"` is removed because it comes after the attributes and there's no space left.
-        let state =
-            ProcessingState::new_root(Some(Cow::Owned(FieldAttrs::default().max_bytes(50))), []);
+        let state = ProcessingState::root_builder().max_bytes(50).build();
         processor::process_value(&mut value, &mut processor, &state).unwrap();
 
         insta::assert_json_snapshot!(SerializableAnnotated(&value), @r###"
@@ -883,8 +882,7 @@ mod tests {
         });
 
         let mut processor = TrimmingProcessor::new(100);
-        let state =
-            ProcessingState::new_root(Some(Cow::Owned(FieldAttrs::default().max_bytes(30))), []);
+        let state = ProcessingState::root_builder().max_bytes(30).build();
         processor::process_value(&mut value, &mut processor, &state).unwrap();
 
         insta::assert_json_snapshot!(SerializableAnnotated(&value), @r###"
@@ -937,8 +935,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         let mut attributes = Annotated::new(attributes);
 
-        let state =
-            ProcessingState::new_root(Some(Cow::Owned(FieldAttrs::default().max_bytes(40))), []);
+        let state = ProcessingState::root_builder().max_bytes(40).build();
         processor::process_value(&mut attributes, &mut TrimmingProcessor::new(20), &state).unwrap();
         let attributes_after_trimming = attributes.clone();
         processor::process_value(&mut attributes, &mut TrimmingProcessor::new(20), &state).unwrap();
diff --git a/relay-event-schema/src/processor/attrs.rs b/relay-event-schema/src/processor/attrs.rs
index 7b55aa4f6d..fec2145a20 100644
--- a/relay-event-schema/src/processor/attrs.rs
+++ b/relay-event-schema/src/processor/attrs.rs
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ impl FieldAttrs {
         self
     }
 
-    /// Sets whether this field can have an empty value.
+    /// Sets whether this field's value must be nonempty.
     ///
     /// This is distinct from `required`. An empty string (`""`) passes the "required" check but not the
     /// "nonempty" one.
@@ -239,8 +239,8 @@ impl FieldAttrs {
     }
 
     /// Sets the maximum number of characters allowed in the field.
-    pub const fn max_chars(mut self, max_chars: usize) -> Self {
-        self.max_chars = SizeMode::Static(Some(max_chars));
+    pub const fn max_chars(mut self, max_chars: Option<usize>) -> Self {
+        self.max_chars = SizeMode::Static(max_chars);
         self
     }
 
@@ -254,8 +254,8 @@ impl FieldAttrs {
     }
 
     /// Sets the maximum number of bytes allowed in the field.
-    pub const fn max_bytes(mut self, max_bytes: usize) -> Self {
-        self.max_bytes = SizeMode::Static(Some(max_bytes));
+    pub const fn max_bytes(mut self, max_bytes: Option<usize>) -> Self {
+        self.max_bytes = SizeMode::Static(max_bytes);
         self
     }
 
@@ -355,6 +355,96 @@ impl<T> Deref for BoxCow<'_, T> {
     }
 }
 
+/// A builder for root [`ProcessingStates`](ProcessingState).
+///
+/// This is created by [`ProcessingState::root_builder`].
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub struct ProcessingStateBuilder {
+    attrs: Option<FieldAttrs>,
+    value_type: EnumSet<ValueType>,
+}
+
+impl ProcessingStateBuilder {
+    /// Modifies the attributes of the root field.
+    pub fn attrs<F: FnOnce(FieldAttrs) -> FieldAttrs>(mut self, f: F) -> Self {
+        let attrs = self.attrs.take().unwrap_or_default();
+        self.attrs = Some(f(attrs));
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Sets whether a value in the root field is required.
+    pub fn required(self, required: bool) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.required(required))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets whether the root field's value must be nonempty.
+    ///
+    /// This is distinct from `required`. An empty string (`""`) passes the "required" check but not the
+    /// "nonempty" one.
+    pub fn nonempty(self, nonempty: bool) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.nonempty(nonempty))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets whether whitespace should be trimmed on the root field before validation.
+    pub fn trim_whitespace(self, trim_whitespace: bool) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.trim_whitespace(trim_whitespace))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets whether the root field contains PII.
+    pub fn pii(self, pii: Pii) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.pii(pii))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets whether the root field contains PII dynamically based on the current state.
+    pub fn pii_dynamic(self, pii: fn(&ProcessingState) -> Pii) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.pii_dynamic(pii))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets the maximum number of chars allowed in the root field.
+    pub fn max_chars(self, max_chars: impl Into<Option<usize>>) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.max_chars(max_chars.into()))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets the maximum number of characters allowed in the root field dynamically based on the current state.
+    pub fn max_chars_dynamic(self, max_chars: fn(&ProcessingState) -> Option<usize>) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.max_chars_dynamic(max_chars))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets the maximum number of bytes allowed in the root field.
+    pub fn max_bytes(self, max_bytes: impl Into<Option<usize>>) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.max_bytes(max_bytes.into()))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets the maximum number of bytes allowed in the root field dynamically based on the current state.
+    pub fn max_bytes_dynamic(self, max_bytes: fn(&ProcessingState) -> Option<usize>) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.max_bytes_dynamic(max_bytes))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets whether additional properties should be retained during normalization.
+    pub fn retain(self, retain: bool) -> Self {
+        self.attrs(|attrs| attrs.retain(retain))
+    }
+
+    /// Sets the value type for the root state.
+    pub fn value_type(mut self, value_type: EnumSet<ValueType>) -> Self {
+        self.value_type = value_type;
+        self
+    }
+
+    /// Consumes the builder and returns a root [`ProcessingState`] with
+    /// the configured attributes and value type.
+    pub fn build(self) -> ProcessingState<'static> {
+        let Self { attrs, value_type } = self;
+        ProcessingState {
+            parent: None,
+            path_item: None,
+            attrs: attrs.map(Cow::Owned),
+            value_type,
+            depth: 0,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 /// An event's processing state.
 ///
 /// The processing state describes an item in an event which is being processed, an example
@@ -405,6 +495,25 @@ impl<'a> ProcessingState<'a> {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Creates a builder that can be used to easily create
+    /// a custom root state.
+    ///
+    /// # Example
+    /// ```
+    /// use relay_event_schema::processor::ProcessingState;
+    ///
+    /// let root = ProcessingState::root_builder()
+    ///   .max_bytes(50)
+    ///   .retain(true)
+    ///   .build();
+    /// ```
+    pub fn root_builder() -> ProcessingStateBuilder {
+        ProcessingStateBuilder {
+            attrs: None,
+            value_type: EnumSet::empty(),
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Derives a processing state by entering a borrowed key.
     pub fn enter_borrowed(
         &'a self,