diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server/Dashboard/DashboardServiceCollectionExtensions.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server/Dashboard/DashboardServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
index b87708b..720f0d8 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server/Dashboard/DashboardServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server/Dashboard/DashboardServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.Cookies;
 using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Options;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.Auth.Abstractions.Roles;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.Auth.AspNetCore;
@@ -55,9 +56,36 @@ public static class DashboardServiceCollectionExtensions
             .AddInteractiveServerComponents();
         services.AddSignalR();
 
-        services
-            .AddAuthentication(DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.AuthenticationScheme)
-            .AddCookie(DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.AuthenticationScheme, cookieOptions =>
+        // DEV/TEST ONLY. Read directly from configuration here because authentication scheme
+        // registration runs before options binding. Key mirrors DashboardOptions.DisableLogin.
+        bool disableLogin = configuration.GetValue<bool>("MxGateway:Dashboard:DisableLogin");
+
+        AuthenticationBuilder authentication =
+            services.AddAuthentication(DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.AuthenticationScheme);
+
+        if (disableLogin)
+        {
+            // Register an always-authenticating handler UNDER the cookie scheme name, so the
+            // Viewer/Admin/HubClients policies (which all resolve this scheme) authenticate
+            // through it as the multi-role dev user — zero policy or page changes.
+            authentication.AddScheme<AuthenticationSchemeOptions, DashboardAutoLoginAuthenticationHandler>(
+                DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.AuthenticationScheme,
+                _ => { });
+
+            // Loud, once-at-startup warning (emitted when GatewayOptions is first resolved).
+            services.AddOptions<GatewayOptions>().PostConfigure<ILoggerFactory>((gatewayOptions, loggerFactory) =>
+                loggerFactory
+                    .CreateLogger("ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server.Dashboard.DisableLogin")
+                    .LogWarning(
+                        "DASHBOARD LOGIN DISABLED (MxGateway:Dashboard:DisableLogin=true) — every request is "
+                        + "authenticated as '{User}' with full permissions ({Roles}). Dev/test only; never "
+                        + "enable in production.",
+                        gatewayOptions.Dashboard.AutoLoginUser ?? DashboardAutoLoginAuthenticationHandler.DefaultUser,
+                        $"{DashboardRoles.Admin}, {DashboardRoles.Viewer}"));
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            authentication.AddCookie(DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.AuthenticationScheme, cookieOptions =>
             {
                 // Hardened defaults (HttpOnly, SameSite=Strict, SecurePolicy, SlidingExpiration,
                 // ExpireTimeSpan) via the shared ZbCookieDefaults.Apply. requireHttps is set to
@@ -73,10 +101,12 @@ public static class DashboardServiceCollectionExtensions
                 cookieOptions.LoginPath = "/login";
                 cookieOptions.LogoutPath = "/logout";
                 cookieOptions.AccessDeniedPath = "/denied";
-            })
-            .AddScheme<AuthenticationSchemeOptions, HubTokenAuthenticationHandler>(
-                DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.HubAuthenticationScheme,
-                _ => { });
+            });
+        }
+
+        authentication.AddScheme<AuthenticationSchemeOptions, HubTokenAuthenticationHandler>(
+            DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.HubAuthenticationScheme,
+            _ => { });
 
         // Honour DashboardOptions.RequireHttpsCookie (default true / Always; set false for dev
         // HTTP deployments → SameAsRequest) and the optional per-environment cookie-name
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Tests/Gateway/Dashboard/DashboardDisableLoginTests.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Tests/Gateway/Dashboard/DashboardDisableLoginTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2bb525a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Tests/Gateway/Dashboard/DashboardDisableLoginTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+using System.Security.Claims;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authentication.Cookies;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Authorization;
+using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Builder;
+using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Server.Dashboard;
+
+namespace ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Tests.Gateway.Dashboard;
+
+public sealed class DashboardDisableLoginTests
+{
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task DisableLoginOff_CookieSchemeUsesCookieHandler()
+    {
+        await using WebApplication app = GatewayApplication.Build([]);
+        IAuthenticationSchemeProvider provider =
+            app.Services.GetRequiredService<IAuthenticationSchemeProvider>();
+
+        AuthenticationScheme? scheme = await provider.GetSchemeAsync(
+            DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.AuthenticationScheme);
+
+        Assert.NotNull(scheme);
+        Assert.Equal(typeof(CookieAuthenticationHandler), scheme!.HandlerType);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task DisableLoginOn_CookieSchemeUsesAutoLoginHandler()
+    {
+        await using WebApplication app = GatewayApplication.Build(
+            ["--MxGateway:Dashboard:DisableLogin=true"]);
+        IAuthenticationSchemeProvider provider =
+            app.Services.GetRequiredService<IAuthenticationSchemeProvider>();
+
+        AuthenticationScheme? scheme = await provider.GetSchemeAsync(
+            DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.AuthenticationScheme);
+
+        Assert.NotNull(scheme);
+        Assert.Equal(typeof(DashboardAutoLoginAuthenticationHandler), scheme!.HandlerType);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task DisableLoginOn_AutoLoginPrincipalSatisfiesAdminAndViewerPolicies()
+    {
+        await using WebApplication app = GatewayApplication.Build(
+            ["--MxGateway:Dashboard:DisableLogin=true"]);
+        IAuthorizationService authorization =
+            app.Services.GetRequiredService<IAuthorizationService>();
+        ClaimsPrincipal user = DashboardAutoLoginAuthenticationHandler.CreatePrincipal("multi-role");
+
+        Assert.True((await authorization.AuthorizeAsync(
+            user, resource: null, DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.AdminPolicy)).Succeeded);
+        Assert.True((await authorization.AuthorizeAsync(
+            user, resource: null, DashboardAuthenticationDefaults.ViewerPolicy)).Succeeded);
+    }
+}