diff --git a/apps/server/src/orchestration/Normalizer.test.ts b/apps/server/src/orchestration/Normalizer.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..113b6e1baee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/server/src/orchestration/Normalizer.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
+import {
+  CommandId,
+  type ClientOrchestrationCommand,
+  MessageId,
+  ProjectId,
+  ProviderInstanceId,
+  ThreadId,
+} from "@t3tools/contracts";
+
+import { canonicalizeClientCommandTimestamps } from "./Normalizer.ts";
+
+const clientCreatedAt = "2031-01-01T00:00:00.000Z";
+const serverReceivedAt = "2026-07-18T00:00:00.000Z";
+
+describe("canonicalizeClientCommandTimestamps", () => {
+  it("replaces a client command timestamp with the server receipt timestamp", () => {
+    const command: ClientOrchestrationCommand = {
+      type: "project.create",
+      commandId: CommandId.make("command-1"),
+      projectId: ProjectId.make("project-1"),
+      title: "Clock-safe project",
+      workspaceRoot: "/tmp/clock-safe-project",
+      createdAt: clientCreatedAt,
+    };
+
+    expect(canonicalizeClientCommandTimestamps(command, serverReceivedAt)).toEqual({
+      ...command,
+      createdAt: serverReceivedAt,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("replaces both timestamps when the first turn bootstraps a thread", () => {
+    const command: ClientOrchestrationCommand = {
+      type: "thread.turn.start",
+      commandId: CommandId.make("command-2"),
+      threadId: ThreadId.make("thread-1"),
+      message: {
+        messageId: MessageId.make("message-1"),
+        role: "user",
+        text: "Start a thread",
+        attachments: [],
+      },
+      runtimeMode: "full-access",
+      interactionMode: "default",
+      bootstrap: {
+        createThread: {
+          projectId: ProjectId.make("project-1"),
+          title: "Clock-safe thread",
+          modelSelection: {
+            instanceId: ProviderInstanceId.make("codex"),
+            model: "gpt-5.4",
+          },
+          runtimeMode: "full-access",
+          interactionMode: "default",
+          branch: null,
+          worktreePath: null,
+          createdAt: clientCreatedAt,
+        },
+      },
+      createdAt: clientCreatedAt,
+    };
+
+    const result = canonicalizeClientCommandTimestamps(command, serverReceivedAt);
+
+    expect(result.type).toBe("thread.turn.start");
+    if (result.type !== "thread.turn.start") {
+      throw new Error("Expected a thread.turn.start command");
+    }
+    expect(result.createdAt).toBe(serverReceivedAt);
+    expect(result.bootstrap?.createThread?.createdAt).toBe(serverReceivedAt);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/server/src/orchestration/Normalizer.ts b/apps/server/src/orchestration/Normalizer.ts
index bed166eba45..24c65900b29 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/orchestration/Normalizer.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/orchestration/Normalizer.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
+import * as DateTime from "effect/DateTime";
 import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
 import * as FileSystem from "effect/FileSystem";
 import * as Path from "effect/Path";
 import {
   type ClientOrchestrationCommand,
+  type IsoDateTime,
   type OrchestrationCommand,
   OrchestrationDispatchCommandError,
   PROVIDER_SEND_TURN_MAX_IMAGE_BYTES,
@@ -13,8 +15,38 @@ import { ServerConfig } from "../config.ts";
 import { parseBase64DataUrl } from "../imageMime.ts";
 import * as WorkspacePaths from "../workspace/WorkspacePaths.ts";
 
+export const canonicalizeClientCommandTimestamps = (
+  command: ClientOrchestrationCommand,
+  receivedAt: IsoDateTime,
+): ClientOrchestrationCommand => {
+  const canonicalCommand =
+    "createdAt" in command
+      ? {
+          ...command,
+          createdAt: receivedAt,
+        }
+      : command;
+
+  if (canonicalCommand.type !== "thread.turn.start" || !canonicalCommand.bootstrap?.createThread) {
+    return canonicalCommand;
+  }
+
+  return {
+    ...canonicalCommand,
+    bootstrap: {
+      ...canonicalCommand.bootstrap,
+      createThread: {
+        ...canonicalCommand.bootstrap.createThread,
+        createdAt: receivedAt,
+      },
+    },
+  };
+};
+
 export const normalizeDispatchCommand = (command: ClientOrchestrationCommand) =>
   Effect.gen(function* () {
+    const receivedAt = DateTime.formatIso(yield* DateTime.now);
+    const canonicalCommand = canonicalizeClientCommandTimestamps(command, receivedAt);
     const fileSystem = yield* FileSystem.FileSystem;
     const path = yield* Path.Path;
     const serverConfig = yield* ServerConfig;
@@ -47,30 +79,33 @@ export const normalizeDispatchCommand = (command: ClientOrchestrationCommand) =>
           ),
         );
 
-    if (command.type === "project.create") {
+    if (canonicalCommand.type === "project.create") {
       return {
-        ...command,
+        ...canonicalCommand,
         workspaceRoot: yield* normalizeProjectWorkspaceRootForCreate(
-          command.workspaceRoot,
-          command.createWorkspaceRootIfMissing,
+          canonicalCommand.workspaceRoot,
+          canonicalCommand.createWorkspaceRootIfMissing,
         ),
-        createWorkspaceRootIfMissing: command.createWorkspaceRootIfMissing === true,
+        createWorkspaceRootIfMissing: canonicalCommand.createWorkspaceRootIfMissing === true,
       } satisfies OrchestrationCommand;
     }
 
-    if (command.type === "project.meta.update" && command.workspaceRoot !== undefined) {
+    if (
+      canonicalCommand.type === "project.meta.update" &&
+      canonicalCommand.workspaceRoot !== undefined
+    ) {
       return {
-        ...command,
-        workspaceRoot: yield* normalizeProjectWorkspaceRoot(command.workspaceRoot),
+        ...canonicalCommand,
+        workspaceRoot: yield* normalizeProjectWorkspaceRoot(canonicalCommand.workspaceRoot),
       } satisfies OrchestrationCommand;
     }
 
-    if (command.type !== "thread.turn.start") {
-      return command as OrchestrationCommand;
+    if (canonicalCommand.type !== "thread.turn.start") {
+      return canonicalCommand as OrchestrationCommand;
     }
 
     const normalizedAttachments = yield* Effect.forEach(
-      command.message.attachments,
+      canonicalCommand.message.attachments,
       (attachment) =>
         Effect.gen(function* () {
           const parsed = parseBase64DataUrl(attachment.dataUrl);
@@ -87,7 +122,7 @@ export const normalizeDispatchCommand = (command: ClientOrchestrationCommand) =>
             });
           }
 
-          const attachmentId = createAttachmentId(command.threadId);
+          const attachmentId = createAttachmentId(canonicalCommand.threadId);
           if (!attachmentId) {
             return yield* new OrchestrationDispatchCommandError({
               message: "Failed to create a safe attachment id.",
@@ -135,9 +170,9 @@ export const normalizeDispatchCommand = (command: ClientOrchestrationCommand) =>
     );
 
     return {
-      ...command,
+      ...canonicalCommand,
       message: {
-        ...command.message,
+        ...canonicalCommand.message,
         attachments: normalizedAttachments,
       },
     } satisfies OrchestrationCommand;