diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index a73c123..33b7f27 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -10,4 +10,5 @@ CIRCLE_BLOCKCHAIN=ARC-TESTNET
 CIRCLE_USDC_TOKEN_ID=15dc2b5d-0994-58b0-bf8c-3a0501148ee8
 
 # Misc
-ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@admin.com
+ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com
+ADMIN_PASSWORD=
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 50ca285..b8ef71c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -113,7 +113,8 @@ CIRCLE_BLOCKCHAIN=ARC-TESTNET
 CIRCLE_USDC_TOKEN_ID=
 
 # Misc
-ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@admin.com
+ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@example.com
+ADMIN_PASSWORD=your-strong-password-here
 ```
 
 | Variable                              | Scope       | Purpose                                                                  |
@@ -125,19 +126,19 @@ ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@admin.com
 | `CIRCLE_ENTITY_SECRET`                | Server-side | Circle entity secret for wallet operations.                              |
 | `CIRCLE_BLOCKCHAIN`                   | Server-side | Blockchain network identifier (e.g., "ARC-TESTNET").                     |
 | `CIRCLE_USDC_TOKEN_ID`                | Server-side | USDC token ID for the specified blockchain. Pre-filled for ARC-TESTNET.  |
-| `ADMIN_EMAIL`                         | Server-side | Admin user email address.                                                |
+| `ADMIN_EMAIL`                         | Server-side | Admin user email for first-run bootstrap.                                |
+| `ADMIN_PASSWORD`                      | Server-side | Admin password for first-run bootstrap (required; never use defaults in production). |
 
 ## User Accounts
 
 ### Admin Account
 
-On first startup, an admin user is automatically created with the following credentials:
-
-- **Email:** `admin@admin.com`
-- **Password:** `123456`
+On first startup, an admin user is created from `ADMIN_EMAIL` and `ADMIN_PASSWORD` in `.env.local`. **Set a strong, unique password before deploying publicly.**
 
 The admin account has access to the **Admin Dashboard**, which provides an overview of all users, wallets, and transactions in the system.
 
+> **Note:** Database triggers that exclude the admin from credits still reference `admin@admin.com`. Use that email locally unless you update the SQL migrations.
+
 Regular users who sign up will see the **User Dashboard**, which allows them to purchase credits with USDC and view their own transaction history.
 
 ### Signup Rate Limits
diff --git a/components/auth-button.tsx b/components/auth-button.tsx
index 6b25f5c..abbda50 100644
--- a/components/auth-button.tsx
+++ b/components/auth-button.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export async function AuthButton() {
 
   if (user) {
     // Check if the logged-in user is the admin.
-    const isAdmin = user.email === 'admin@admin.com';
+    const isAdmin = user.email === process.env.ADMIN_EMAIL;
 
     // Only fetch credits if the user is NOT the admin.
     let initialCredits = 0;
diff --git a/lib/supabase/initialize-admin-user.ts b/lib/supabase/initialize-admin-user.ts
index 95c59c6..c4c9096 100644
--- a/lib/supabase/initialize-admin-user.ts
+++ b/lib/supabase/initialize-admin-user.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ import { SupabaseClient } from "@supabase/supabase-js";
 const supabaseUrl = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL;
 const supabaseServiceRoleKey = process.env.SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY;
 
+const DOCUMENTED_DEFAULT_EMAIL = "admin@admin.com";
+const BANNED_PASSWORDS = new Set(["123456", "password", "admin"]);
+
 // A server-side-only, admin client for Supabase.
 let adminAuthClient: SupabaseClient | null = null;
 
@@ -40,13 +43,46 @@ if (supabaseUrl && supabaseServiceRoleKey) {
   );
 }
 
+function resolveAdminCredentials():
+  | { email: string; password: string }
+  | { error: string } {
+  const email = process.env.ADMIN_EMAIL?.trim();
+  const password = process.env.ADMIN_PASSWORD?.trim();
+
+  if (!email || !password) {
+    return {
+      error:
+        "ADMIN_EMAIL and ADMIN_PASSWORD must be set to bootstrap the admin account.",
+    };
+  }
+
+  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production") {
+    if (
+      email === DOCUMENTED_DEFAULT_EMAIL ||
+      BANNED_PASSWORDS.has(password)
+    ) {
+      return {
+        error:
+          "Refusing to bootstrap admin with documented default credentials in production.",
+      };
+    }
+  }
+
+  return { email, password };
+}
+
 const createAdminUserIfNotExists = async () => {
   if (!adminAuthClient) {
     return;
   }
 
-  const adminEmail = "admin@admin.com";
-  const adminPassword = "123456";
+  const credentials = resolveAdminCredentials();
+  if ("error" in credentials) {
+    console.warn(`Admin user initialization skipped: ${credentials.error}`);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const { email: adminEmail, password: adminPassword } = credentials;
 
   // We call our custom database function via RPC (Remote Procedure Call).
   // This is a single, fast, and scalable database query.
@@ -112,4 +148,4 @@ const createAdminUserIfNotExists = async () => {
 
 // This is the key: we call the function immediately.
 // When this file is imported, this function will run.
-createAdminUserIfNotExists();
\ No newline at end of file
+createAdminUserIfNotExists();
diff --git a/types/environment.d.ts b/types/environment.d.ts
index ca95fb6..27c232e 100644
--- a/types/environment.d.ts
+++ b/types/environment.d.ts
@@ -31,5 +31,6 @@ namespace NodeJS {
 
     // Misc
     ADMIN_EMAIL: string
+    ADMIN_PASSWORD: string
   }
 }