diff --git a/MEMORY.md b/MEMORY.md
index e91bf2d45ff..0ac6f20d835 100644
--- a/MEMORY.md
+++ b/MEMORY.md
@@ -8,3 +8,4 @@ follow the regression convention: every bullet is pinned by a test in
 
 - 2026-07-01: `recordTrustDecision` must compute the graduation confidence from the same clock read it stores as `last_updated` — re-reading `Date.now()` inside `calculateConfidence` let a ≥1ms scheduler gap on loaded CI runners decay an exact-threshold confidence (4/5 = 0.80 vs 0.8 gate) below the gate, so `trust.graduated` never fired. (`tests/regression/test_trust-graduation-clock-skew.test.ts`)
 - 2026-07-01: brain tests that drive the ingest pipeline must `vi.mock('../embed.js')` (and qdrant.js) — an unmocked test cold-loads the real ~140MB transformers model on CI and `stopBrainIngest()`'s queue drain blows the 10s hook timeout; drain via `stopBrainIngest()` instead of sleeping past `maxLatencyMs` (fixed sleeps are the #89 flake class). (`tests/regression/test_brain-tests-mock-embed.test.ts`)
+- 2026-07-16: never pass a caller-side `Date.now()` into a fixture that samples its own clock — JS evaluates arguments _before_ the call, so `seedItem({ pushed_at: Date.now() })` sampled `pushed_at` first and `detected_at` second, and a ≥1ms gap landed `pushed_at` 1ms _before_ `detected_at`, tripping `timestamps-monotonic` (~1 in 42k idle; far more on a loaded runner — bare re-runs went green, so it read as "just flaky"). Fixture defaults derive from the earliest stamp on the row; an explicit `detected_at` still wins so counter-examples stay constructible. Same family as the 2026-07-01 trust-graduation bullet: **two clock reads assumed to be one instant**. Loosening the predicate would have been wrong — it is already `>=`-tolerant, and the invariant is real. (`tests/regression/test_invariants-seed-clock-skew.test.ts`)
diff --git a/src/__tests__/helpers/seed-tracked-item.ts b/src/__tests__/helpers/seed-tracked-item.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f077b1647e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/helpers/seed-tracked-item.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+/**
+ * Shared seeding fixture for the tracked_items invariant suites.
+ *
+ * Lives outside the *.test.ts glob so vitest treats it as a module, not a
+ * suite. Imported by src/__tests__/invariants-runtime-proof.test.ts and by
+ * tests/regression/test_invariants-seed-clock-skew.test.ts, so the regression
+ * test pins the real fixture rather than a copy of it.
+ */
+import { insertTrackedItem, type TrackedItem } from '../../tracked-items.js';
+
+export function seedItem(overrides: Partial<TrackedItem> = {}): TrackedItem {
+  const now = Date.now();
+  // JS evaluates argument expressions before the call, so a caller writing
+  // `seedItem({ pushed_at: Date.now() })` sampled that stamp *before* the
+  // `now` above. A millisecond tick in between (routine on a loaded CI
+  // runner) would seed detected_at 1ms after pushed_at and trip
+  // timestamps-monotonic. Derive the default from the earliest stamp on the
+  // row instead. An explicit detected_at in `overrides` still wins, so the
+  // time-reversal counter-examples stay constructible.
+  const detectedAt = Math.min(
+    now,
+    ...[overrides.pushed_at, overrides.resolved_at].filter(
+      (t): t is number => typeof t === 'number',
+    ),
+  );
+  const item: TrackedItem = {
+    id: `item-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)}`,
+    source: 'gmail',
+    source_id: `src-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)}`,
+    group_name: 'main',
+    state: 'queued',
+    classification: 'push',
+    superpilot_label: null,
+    trust_tier: null,
+    title: 'test',
+    summary: null,
+    thread_id: 't',
+    detected_at: detectedAt,
+    pushed_at: null,
+    resolved_at: null,
+    resolution_method: null,
+    digest_count: 0,
+    telegram_message_id: null,
+    classification_reason: null,
+    metadata: { sender: 'x@example.com', account: 'me@gmail.com' },
+    confidence: 0.9,
+    model_tier: 1,
+    action_intent: null,
+    facts_extracted: null,
+    repo_candidates: null,
+    reasons: null,
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+  insertTrackedItem(item);
+  return item;
+}
diff --git a/src/__tests__/invariants-runtime-proof.test.ts b/src/__tests__/invariants-runtime-proof.test.ts
index 53fb282de8c..3f888c9110a 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/invariants-runtime-proof.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/invariants-runtime-proof.test.ts
@@ -31,50 +31,13 @@ import {
   handleDismiss,
   handleSnooze,
 } from '../triage/queue-actions.js';
-import {
-  insertTrackedItem,
-  transitionItemState,
-  type TrackedItem,
-} from '../tracked-items.js';
+import { transitionItemState } from '../tracked-items.js';
+import { seedItem } from './helpers/seed-tracked-item.js';
 import {
   STATE_MACHINE_INVARIANTS,
   mutedThreadsNeverVisible,
 } from '../../scripts/qa/invariant-predicates.js';
 
-function seedItem(overrides: Partial<TrackedItem> = {}): TrackedItem {
-  const now = Date.now();
-  const item: TrackedItem = {
-    id: `item-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)}`,
-    source: 'gmail',
-    source_id: `src-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)}`,
-    group_name: 'main',
-    state: 'queued',
-    classification: 'push',
-    superpilot_label: null,
-    trust_tier: null,
-    title: 'test',
-    summary: null,
-    thread_id: 't',
-    detected_at: now,
-    pushed_at: null,
-    resolved_at: null,
-    resolution_method: null,
-    digest_count: 0,
-    telegram_message_id: null,
-    classification_reason: null,
-    metadata: { sender: 'x@example.com', account: 'me@gmail.com' },
-    confidence: 0.9,
-    model_tier: 1,
-    action_intent: null,
-    facts_extracted: null,
-    repo_candidates: null,
-    reasons: null,
-    ...overrides,
-  };
-  insertTrackedItem(item);
-  return item;
-}
-
 /**
  * Run every state-machine predicate against the test DB. Each must
  * return 0. The label is prefixed onto the assertion message so failures
diff --git a/tests/regression/test_invariants-seed-clock-skew.test.ts b/tests/regression/test_invariants-seed-clock-skew.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..facb80db035
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/regression/test_invariants-seed-clock-skew.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+// Lesson 2026-07-16: the seedItem fixture must derive its default detected_at
+// from a clock read that cannot post-date a caller-supplied pushed_at /
+// resolved_at. JS evaluates argument expressions BEFORE the call, so
+// `seedItem({ state: 'pushed', pushed_at: Date.now() })` sampled pushed_at
+// first and detected_at second; a >=1ms scheduler gap on a loaded CI runner
+// landed pushed_at 1ms BEFORE detected_at and tripped the
+// timestamps-monotonic invariant ("predicate returned 1 (want 0)" at
+// invariants-runtime-proof.test.ts:90, run 29550755556, PR #98). Measured
+// ~1 in 42k on an idle machine, which is why bare re-runs went green.
+//
+// Same root-cause family as the 2026-07-01 trust-graduation lesson: two
+// Date.now() reads assumed to be the same instant.
+
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+import { _initTestDatabase, _closeDatabase, getDb } from '../../src/db.js';
+import { handleDismiss } from '../../src/triage/queue-actions.js';
+import { seedItem } from '../../src/__tests__/helpers/seed-tracked-item.js';
+import { STATE_MACHINE_INVARIANTS } from '../../scripts/qa/invariant-predicates.js';
+
+const monotonic = STATE_MACHINE_INVARIANTS.find(
+  (i) => i.name === 'timestamps-monotonic',
+)!;
+
+function monotonicViolations(): number {
+  return (getDb().prepare(monotonic.countSql).get() as { n: number }).n;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Advance the clock 1ms on every read. Models the scheduler gap a loaded
+ * runner can insert between two adjacent Date.now() calls — deterministically,
+ * instead of waiting ~42k runs for the real race.
+ */
+function mockTickingClock() {
+  const realNow = Date.now.bind(Date);
+  let tick = 0;
+  return vi.spyOn(Date, 'now').mockImplementation(() => realNow() + ++tick);
+}
+
+describe('seedItem fixture under clock skew', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => _initTestDatabase());
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.restoreAllMocks();
+    _closeDatabase();
+  });
+
+  it('a pushed row seeded with a caller-sampled pushed_at never inverts detected_at', () => {
+    mockTickingClock();
+
+    // Exact call shape from invariants-runtime-proof.test.ts:136 — the
+    // caller's Date.now() is evaluated before seedItem's own read.
+    const item = seedItem({ state: 'pushed', pushed_at: Date.now() });
+
+    expect(item.pushed_at!).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(item.detected_at);
+
+    handleDismiss(item.id);
+    expect(monotonicViolations()).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it('an explicit detected_at is still honoured verbatim (counter-examples must stay constructible)', () => {
+    // The fix derives only the *default* detected_at. A caller that states
+    // detected_at outright still gets it unchanged — otherwise the
+    // time-reversal counter-example at invariants-runtime-proof.test.ts:377
+    // would be silently repaired and stop proving the predicate works.
+    mockTickingClock();
+
+    const pinned = 1_700_000_000_000;
+    const item = seedItem({ state: 'queued', detected_at: pinned });
+
+    expect(item.detected_at).toBe(pinned);
+  });
+});