diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index ef08098a5..f2fe60ea4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -364,12 +364,36 @@ jobs:
         with:
           name: desktop-e2e-relay
           path: target/ci
+      - name: Apply schema and seed deployment community
+        # MT: the relay resolves each request's tenant from the communities host
+        # map and fails closed on an unmapped host. The channel reconciler binds
+        # the deployment community ONCE at boot (outside its retry loop) and
+        # exits permanently on an unmapped host, so the 'localhost:3000'
+        # community MUST exist before the relay starts — the retry loop only
+        # handles late-seeded channels, not a late-seeded community. The relay
+        # migrates at boot via BUZZ_AUTO_MIGRATE, but that's too late for the
+        # pre-boot seed, so apply the schema here first (then drop AUTO_MIGRATE
+        # below). lower(host) is the unique index → ON CONFLICT target. psql
+        # isn't on PATH in hermit → exec into the buzz-postgres container.
+        env:
+          PGHOST: localhost
+          PGPORT: "5432"
+          PGUSER: buzz
+          PGPASSWORD: buzz_dev
+          PGDATABASE: buzz
+        run: |
+          ./bin/pgschema apply --file schema/schema.sql --auto-approve
+          docker exec -e PGPASSWORD=buzz_dev buzz-postgres \
+            psql -U buzz -d buzz -qtA -c "
+          INSERT INTO communities (id, host)
+          VALUES ('00000000-0000-4000-8000-00000000c0de', 'localhost:3000')
+          ON CONFLICT (lower(host)) DO NOTHING
+          ;"
       - name: Start relay
         run: |
           chmod +x ./target/ci/buzz-relay
           nohup env \
             DATABASE_URL=postgres://buzz:buzz_dev@localhost:5432/buzz \
-            BUZZ_AUTO_MIGRATE=true \
             REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379 \
             TYPESENSE_URL=http://localhost:8108 \
             TYPESENSE_API_KEY=buzz_dev_key \