diff --git a/web/.storybook/MockNotifications.svelte b/web/.storybook/MockNotifications.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b0bf7afb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/.storybook/MockNotifications.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+<script module lang="ts">
+	import type { NotificationsPreview } from "$lib/notifications.svelte";
+
+	export interface MockNotificationsConfig {
+		// what `preview()` answers; null is a signed-out or unconfigured deliberi
+		preview?: NotificationsPreview | null;
+	}
+
+	// absent: no context at all, like a component rendered outside the root layout.
+	// true or a config object: a stub context.
+	export type MockNotificationsParam = boolean | MockNotificationsConfig | null;
+</script>
+
+<script lang="ts">
+	// story-only decorator. the notifications store is set up by the root layout,
+	// which a page story never renders, so a page reading it out of context would
+	// throw on every visit. opt in with `parameters.notifications`.
+	import { setContext, type Snippet } from "svelte";
+	import { NOTIFICATIONS_KEY, type Notifications } from "$lib/notifications.svelte";
+
+	interface Props {
+		notifications?: MockNotificationsParam;
+		children: Snippet;
+	}
+
+	let { notifications: param, children }: Props = $props();
+
+	// the parameter is fixed for this story's lifetime, so a one-time snapshot is intended
+	// svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally
+	const config: MockNotificationsConfig =
+		typeof param === "object" && param !== null ? param : {};
+
+	// svelte-ignore state_referenced_locally
+	if (param != null && param !== false) {
+		setContext(NOTIFICATIONS_KEY, {
+			markEntityVisited: () => Promise.resolve(),
+			preview: () => Promise.resolve(config.preview ?? null)
+		} satisfies Notifications);
+	}
+</script>
+
+{@render children()}
diff --git a/web/.storybook/preview.ts b/web/.storybook/preview.ts
index 72478ee97..4f922b3ed 100644
--- a/web/.storybook/preview.ts
+++ b/web/.storybook/preview.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import type { Preview } from "@storybook/sveltekit";
 import { withThemeByDataAttribute } from "@storybook/addon-themes";
 import MockAuth, { type MockAuthParam } from "./MockAuth.svelte";
+import MockNotifications, { type MockNotificationsParam } from "./MockNotifications.svelte";
 import BoneCaptureDecorator from "./BoneCaptureDecorator.svelte";
 
 // Load the app's global styles (Tailwind + theme tokens) so components
@@ -18,6 +19,10 @@ const preview: Preview = {
 			Component: MockAuth,
 			props: { auth: context.parameters.auth as MockAuthParam }
 		}),
+		(_story, context) => ({
+			Component: MockNotifications,
+			props: { notifications: context.parameters.notifications as MockNotificationsParam }
+		}),
 		(Story, { id, parameters }) => {
 			void Story;
 			return {
diff --git a/web/eslint.config.js b/web/eslint.config.js
index cd9022542..c8c809c6b 100644
--- a/web/eslint.config.js
+++ b/web/eslint.config.js
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export default defineConfig(
 				projectService: {
 					allowDefaultProject: [
 						".storybook/MockAuth.svelte",
+						".storybook/MockNotifications.svelte",
 						".storybook/BoneCaptureDecorator.svelte",
 						".storybook/WorkflowRunReplay.svelte"
 					]
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/repo/issues/IssueThreadView.stories.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/repo/issues/IssueThreadView.stories.svelte
index 3cd1c4da7..e349663b5 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/repo/issues/IssueThreadView.stories.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/repo/issues/IssueThreadView.stories.svelte
@@ -31,6 +31,6 @@
 	const { Story } = defineMeta({ title: "Repo/Issues/IssueThreadView" });
 </script>
 
-<Story name="Skeleton fixture" asChild parameters={{ auth: true }}>
+<Story name="Skeleton fixture" asChild parameters={{ auth: true, notifications: true }}>
 	<IssueThreadView {issue} comments={sampleThreads} markup={sampleMarkup} {repo} />
 </Story>