diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8fe596b9c3..ba2ca11ec5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ and this project adheres to
 
 ### Changed
 
+- Default failure notifications for project users are now disabled to minimize
+  email volume [#3517](https://github.com/OpenFn/lightning/issues/3517)
+
 ### Fixed
 
 ## [v2.14.1-pre2] - 2025-08-12
diff --git a/lib/lightning/projects/project_user.ex b/lib/lightning/projects/project_user.ex
index bcdac60482..c6509725b4 100644
--- a/lib/lightning/projects/project_user.ex
+++ b/lib/lightning/projects/project_user.ex
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ defmodule Lightning.Projects.ProjectUser do
     belongs_to :user, User
     belongs_to :project, Project
     field :delete, :boolean, virtual: true
-    field :failure_alert, :boolean, default: true
+    field :failure_alert, :boolean, default: false
     field :role, RolesEnum
     field :digest, DigestEnum, default: :never