diff --git a/apps/portal/src/app/features/licensing/components/ConfigDrivenSection.tsx b/apps/portal/src/app/features/licensing/components/ConfigDrivenSection.tsx
index 1d17b5882..00cc4346f 100644
--- a/apps/portal/src/app/features/licensing/components/ConfigDrivenSection.tsx
+++ b/apps/portal/src/app/features/licensing/components/ConfigDrivenSection.tsx
@@ -122,21 +122,33 @@ export function ConfigDrivenSection({
                 onChange={(v) => onChange(field.key, v)}
               />
             ) : isVesselPicker ? (
-              <Select
+              // ponytail: swapped for a plain text input while testing —
+              // vessels list is empty until the backend seed exists. Paste a
+              // vessel id here to exercise the autofill; restore the Select
+              // below once GET /vessels/mine returns real rows.
+              // <Select
+              //   {...common}
+              //   placeholder="Select a registered vessel"
+              //   data={vessels.map((v) => ({ value: v.id, label: `${v.name} — ${v.registrationNumber}` }))}
+              //   value={(value as string) ?? null}
+              //   onChange={(v) => {
+              //     onChange(field.key, v);
+              //     const vessel = vessels.find((x) => x.id === v);
+              //     if (vessel) fillFromVessel(vessel, fields, onChange);
+              //   }}
+              //   searchable
+              //   clearable={!field.required}
+              // />
+              <TextInput
                 {...common}
-                placeholder="Select a registered vessel"
-                data={vessels.map((v) => ({ value: v.id, label: `${v.name} — ${v.registrationNumber}` }))}
-                value={(value as string) ?? null}
-                onChange={(v) => {
+                placeholder="Paste a vessel id (testing)"
+                value={(value as string) ?? ''}
+                onChange={(e) => {
+                  const v = e.currentTarget.value;
                   onChange(field.key, v);
                   const vessel = vessels.find((x) => x.id === v);
-                  // Selecting a different vessel replaces whatever the last
-                  // selection filled in — unlike the nationality/ID prefill,
-                  // this is a live user choice, not a one-time background fill.
                   if (vessel) fillFromVessel(vessel, fields, onChange);
                 }}
-                searchable
-                clearable={!field.required}
               />
             ) : field.type === 'SELECT' ? (
               <Select