diff --git a/apps/web/app/(app)/companies/new/page.tsx b/apps/web/app/(app)/companies/new/page.tsx
index 4e76868..def07f3 100644
--- a/apps/web/app/(app)/companies/new/page.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/app/(app)/companies/new/page.tsx
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { useCompanies, useCreateCompany } from "@/hooks/use-companies";
 import { useCreateNotificationDestination } from "@/hooks/use-notification-destinations";
 import { useDiscoverCompany } from "@/hooks/use-discovery";
 import { authErrorMessage, useCurrentUser, useSystemStatus } from "@/hooks/use-auth";
+import { isLocalConvenience } from "@/lib/auth";
 import {
   FREQUENCY_LABELS,
   MONITORING_FREQUENCIES,
@@ -150,12 +151,17 @@ function AddCompanyWizard() {
   // Prefill with the account's own email once it loads - `defaultValues`
   // can't do this since useCurrentUser resolves after the form has already
   // mounted. Only sets it while the field is still untouched, so it never
-  // clobbers something the user already typed.
+  // clobbers something the user already typed. Skipped for the local-dev
+  // bypass account: its email is a fixed, non-deliverable placeholder
+  // (local@ci-agent.local - no mail relay actually serves that domain),
+  // not something worth prefilling - local dev just types whatever real
+  // address they want to test with.
+  const isLocalDev = systemStatus ? isLocalConvenience(systemStatus) : false;
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (currentUser?.email && !dirtyFields.notificationEmail) {
+    if (currentUser?.email && !isLocalDev && !dirtyFields.notificationEmail) {
       setValue("notificationEmail", currentUser.email);
     }
-  }, [currentUser?.email, dirtyFields.notificationEmail, setValue]);
+  }, [currentUser?.email, isLocalDev, dirtyFields.notificationEmail, setValue]);
 
   const frequencyType = watch("frequencyType");
 
diff --git a/apps/web/tests/add-company-wizard.test.tsx b/apps/web/tests/add-company-wizard.test.tsx
index dee7e79..5a577f5 100644
--- a/apps/web/tests/add-company-wizard.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/tests/add-company-wizard.test.tsx
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ const CURRENT_USER = {
   auth_mode: "local",
 };
 
-function mockFetchImplementation(existingCompanies: unknown[] = []) {
+function mockFetchImplementation(existingCompanies: unknown[] = [], isLocalhost = false) {
   return vi.fn().mockImplementation((url: string, init?: RequestInit) => {
     const path = url.replace("http://localhost:8000", "");
     if (path === "/api/v1/companies/discover" && init?.method === "POST") {
@@ -73,6 +73,25 @@ function mockFetchImplementation(existingCompanies: unknown[] = []) {
     if (path === "/api/v1/auth/me") {
       return Promise.resolve({ ok: true, status: 200, json: async () => CURRENT_USER });
     }
+    if (path === "/api/v1/system/status") {
+      return Promise.resolve({
+        ok: true,
+        status: 200,
+        json: async () => ({
+          app_env: "development",
+          auth_mode: "local",
+          llm_provider: "mock",
+          search_provider: "mock",
+          sms_enabled: false,
+          sms_provider: "twilio",
+          ninjapear_configured: false,
+          ninjapear_credit_balance: null,
+          ninjapear_estimated_credits_per_company: null,
+          is_localhost: isLocalhost,
+          components: [],
+        }),
+      });
+    }
     return Promise.resolve({ ok: false, status: 404, json: async () => ({ detail: "not found" }) });
   });
 }
@@ -163,4 +182,26 @@ describe("AddCompanyWizardPage", () => {
     await user.type(email, "someone-else@example.com");
     expect(email.value).toBe("someone-else@example.com");
   });
+
+  it("leaves the notification email blank for the local-dev bypass account", async () => {
+    // local@ci-agent.local isn't a real, deliverable address (no mail relay
+    // serves that domain) - prefilling it would just be noise to clear.
+    vi.stubGlobal("fetch", mockFetchImplementation([], true));
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    renderWithQueryClient(<AddCompanyWizardPage />);
+
+    await user.type(screen.getByLabelText("Company name"), "Acme Widgets");
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /discover company/i }));
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(screen.getByText(/here's what we found for/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^continue$/i })); // Review -> Schedule
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /^continue$/i })); // Schedule -> Notifications
+
+    const email = (await screen.findByLabelText("Notification email")) as HTMLInputElement;
+    // Give any async prefill effect a chance to run before asserting it didn't.
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 50));
+    expect(email.value).toBe("");
+  });
 });