diff --git a/ui/desktop/app/routes/origin.js b/ui/desktop/app/routes/origin.js
index 9d3704e92..9e3df0ace 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/app/routes/origin.js
+++ b/ui/desktop/app/routes/origin.js
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import Route from '@ember/routing/route';
 import { inject as service } from '@ember/service';
+import { getOwner } from '@ember/application';
 import { action } from '@ember/object';
 import loading from 'ember-loading/decorator';
+import config from '../config/environment';
 
 export default class OriginRoute extends Route {
   // =services
@@ -20,6 +22,17 @@ export default class OriginRoute extends Route {
     return this.store.adapterFor('application');
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Looks up the window object indirectly.
+   * @type {Window}
+   */
+  get window() {
+    // The Ember way of accessing globals...
+    const document = getOwner(this).lookup('service:-document').documentElement;
+    // defaultView === window, but without using globals directly
+    return document.parentNode.defaultView;
+  }
+
   // =methods
 
   /**
@@ -36,7 +49,15 @@ export default class OriginRoute extends Route {
    */
   setupController(controller) {
     super.setupController(...arguments);
-    const origin = this.origin.rendererOrigin;
+    let origin = this.origin.rendererOrigin;
+    // If origin is unset and this is a development environment,
+    // autoset the origin field of the UI for better DX.
+    // The controller URL is almost always the same as the current window when
+    // using mocks, and this makes development more rapid since developers
+    // do not need to fill an origin on every session.
+    if (!origin && config.autoOrigin) {
+      origin = this.window.location.origin;
+    }
     controller.setProperties({ origin });
   }
 
diff --git a/ui/desktop/app/templates/origin.hbs b/ui/desktop/app/templates/origin.hbs
index 1421af91d..8fbae5380 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/app/templates/origin.hbs
+++ b/ui/desktop/app/templates/origin.hbs
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@
         @type="text"
         @value={{this.origin}}
         @label={{t "form.origin.label"}}
-        @helperText={{t "form.origin.description"}} />
+        @helperText={{t "form.origin.description"}}
+        {{autofocus}} />
       <form.actions
         @submitText={{t "actions.submit"}}
         @showCancel={{false}} />
diff --git a/ui/desktop/app/templates/scopes/scope/authenticate/method.hbs b/ui/desktop/app/templates/scopes/scope/authenticate/method.hbs
index 709c1f491..8cdf94c64 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/app/templates/scopes/scope/authenticate/method.hbs
+++ b/ui/desktop/app/templates/scopes/scope/authenticate/method.hbs
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
     @name="identification"
     @type="text"
     @value={{this.identification}}
-    @label={{t "form.login_name.label"}} />
+    @label={{t "form.login_name.label"}}
+    {{autofocus}} />
 
   <form.input
     @name="password"
diff --git a/ui/desktop/config/environment.js b/ui/desktop/config/environment.js
index d549aba56..e4b94e3fc 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/config/environment.js
+++ b/ui/desktop/config/environment.js
@@ -50,6 +50,11 @@ module.exports = function (environment) {
     // ENV.APP.LOG_TRANSITIONS = true;
     // ENV.APP.LOG_TRANSITIONS_INTERNAL = true;
     // ENV.APP.LOG_VIEW_LOOKUPS = true;
+
+    // This flag tells the origin route to autoset the controller origin field
+    // of the UI, which only makes sense in development where the origin is
+    // usually the same as the application origin.
+    ENV.autoOrigin = true;
   }
 
   if (environment === 'test') {
diff --git a/ui/desktop/package.json b/ui/desktop/package.json
index 993f5e605..90b794ab4 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/package.json
+++ b/ui/desktop/package.json
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
     "core": "*",
     "doctoc": "^1.4.0",
     "ember-auto-import": "^1.6.0",
+    "ember-autofocus-modifier": "^1.1.0",
     "ember-cli": "~3.20.2",
     "ember-cli-app-version": "^3.2.0",
     "ember-cli-babel": "^7.21.0",
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 49aca9113..6e151364c 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -8140,6 +8140,14 @@ ember-auto-import@^1.2.15, ember-auto-import@^1.2.19, ember-auto-import@^1.5.3,
     walk-sync "^0.3.3"
     webpack "^4.43.0"
 
+ember-autofocus-modifier@^1.1.0:
+  version "1.1.0"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ember-autofocus-modifier/-/ember-autofocus-modifier-1.1.0.tgz#2180e560699290b8e2abba40f265844368cb4b26"
+  integrity sha512-o5q6vkRg95pJoF8zNo7zHT8/RRNJv3AcHiBXg0UGKfEi6XjrbiTa48kjUPOz3+zz2CrJLZCDcVLUGEk2tZG0Jg==
+  dependencies:
+    ember-cli-babel "^7.22.1"
+    ember-modifier "^2.1.0"
+
 ember-breadcrumbs@^0.2.3:
   version "0.2.3"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ember-breadcrumbs/-/ember-breadcrumbs-0.2.3.tgz#a95e02b73fdc2150f3d552e84a479d6dc96a8b31"
@@ -9010,7 +9018,7 @@ ember-modifier@^1.0.3:
     ember-compatibility-helpers "^1.2.1"
     ember-modifier-manager-polyfill "^1.2.0"
 
-ember-modifier@^2.1.1:
+ember-modifier@^2.1.0, ember-modifier@^2.1.1:
   version "2.1.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/ember-modifier/-/ember-modifier-2.1.1.tgz#aa3a12e2d6cf1622f774f3f1eab4880982a43fa9"
   integrity sha512-g9mcpFWgw5lgNU40YNf0USNWqoGTJ+EqjDQKjm7556gaRNDeGnLylFKqx9O3opwLHEt6ZODnRDy9U0S5YEMREg==