diff --git a/backend/routes/messages.ts b/backend/routes/messages.ts
index 900aa7b7..3705cb45 100644
--- a/backend/routes/messages.ts
+++ b/backend/routes/messages.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,57 @@ router.get('/:podId', auth, getMessages);
 router.post('/:podId', sendMessageRateLimit, auth, createMessage);
 router.delete('/:id', auth, deleteMessage);
 
+// Backdate a message's `created_at`. Pod-creator-only (or message author);
+// no general-purpose user authorization for editing other people's chronology.
+//
+// Why this exists: chat history demos / fixtures need plausible timestamps
+// (yesterday / this morning / etc.) but POST /:podId always stamps with NOW().
+// Direct PG UPDATE works for ops with PG access; this route is the same
+// capability for ops without PG access (Aiven IP-allowlisted, kubectl exec
+// timing out on new sessions, etc.).
+//
+// Body: { created_at: ISO8601 string }
+router.patch('/:id/created-at', auth, async (req: any, res: any) => {
+  try {
+    const { id } = req.params;
+    const { created_at: createdAtRaw } = req.body || {};
+    const ts = createdAtRaw ? new Date(createdAtRaw) : null;
+    if (!ts || Number.isNaN(ts.getTime())) {
+      return res.status(400).json({ msg: 'created_at (ISO8601) is required' });
+    }
+
+    // Authorization: load the message, then check author or pod-creator.
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-require-imports, global-require
+    const PGMessage = require('../models/pg/Message');
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-require-imports, global-require
+    const Pod = require('../models/Pod');
+    const userId = req.userId || req.user?.id;
+    if (!userId) return res.status(401).json({ msg: 'auth required' });
+
+    const message = await PGMessage.findById(id);
+    if (!message) return res.status(404).json({ msg: 'message not found' });
+
+    if (String(message.user_id) !== String(userId)) {
+      const pod = await Pod.findById(message.pod_id);
+      if (!pod || String(pod.createdBy) !== String(userId)) {
+        return res.status(403).json({ msg: 'must be message author or pod creator' });
+      }
+    }
+
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-require-imports, global-require
+    const { pool } = require('../config/db-pg');
+    const r = await pool.query(
+      'UPDATE messages SET created_at = $1, updated_at = $1 WHERE id = $2 RETURNING id, created_at',
+      [ts, id],
+    );
+    if (r.rowCount === 0) return res.status(404).json({ msg: 'message not found in PG' });
+    return res.json({ ok: true, id: r.rows[0].id, created_at: r.rows[0].created_at });
+  } catch (err: any) {
+    console.error('backdate route error:', err?.message || err);
+    return res.status(500).json({ msg: 'backdate failed' });
+  }
+});
+
 module.exports = router;
 
 export {};
diff --git a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2PodChat.tsx b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2PodChat.tsx
index 15216068..a839e078 100644
--- a/frontend/src/v2/components/V2PodChat.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/v2/components/V2PodChat.tsx
@@ -572,28 +572,36 @@ const V2PodChat: React.FC<V2PodChatProps> = ({ detail, inspectorCollapsed, onTog
               </div>
             )}
 
-            <div className={`v2-chat__mode-toggle v2-chat__mode-toggle--header v2-chat__mode-toggle--${mode}`} role="group" aria-label="Pod mode preference">
-              <button
-                type="button"
-                className={`v2-chat__mode-option${mode === 'plan' ? ' v2-chat__mode-option--active' : ''}`}
-                onClick={() => handleSetMode('plan')}
-                aria-pressed={mode === 'plan'}
-                title={modeCopy('plan')}
-              >
-                <Icon d="M9 11l3 3L22 4M21 12v7a2 2 0 01-2 2H5a2 2 0 01-2-2V5a2 2 0 012-2h11" />
-                Plan
-              </button>
-              <button
-                type="button"
-                className={`v2-chat__mode-option${mode === 'execute' ? ' v2-chat__mode-option--active' : ''}`}
-                onClick={() => handleSetMode('execute')}
-                aria-pressed={mode === 'execute'}
-                title={modeCopy('execute')}
-              >
-                <Icon d="M5 3l14 9-14 9V3z" />
-                Execute
-              </button>
-            </div>
+            {/* Plan / Execute mode toggle — hidden until the pod-mode workflow
+                ships end-to-end. Currently the toggle persists `mode` to the
+                pod but no downstream surface uses it for behavior, so the
+                control reads as broken — clicks land but nothing changes for
+                the user. Re-enable when the mode actually drives behavior
+                (agent autonomy gating, suggestion ranking, etc.). */}
+            {false && (
+              <div className={`v2-chat__mode-toggle v2-chat__mode-toggle--header v2-chat__mode-toggle--${mode}`} role="group" aria-label="Pod mode preference">
+                <button
+                  type="button"
+                  className={`v2-chat__mode-option${mode === 'plan' ? ' v2-chat__mode-option--active' : ''}`}
+                  onClick={() => handleSetMode('plan')}
+                  aria-pressed={mode === 'plan'}
+                  title={modeCopy('plan')}
+                >
+                  <Icon d="M9 11l3 3L22 4M21 12v7a2 2 0 01-2 2H5a2 2 0 01-2-2V5a2 2 0 012-2h11" />
+                  Plan
+                </button>
+                <button
+                  type="button"
+                  className={`v2-chat__mode-option${mode === 'execute' ? ' v2-chat__mode-option--active' : ''}`}
+                  onClick={() => handleSetMode('execute')}
+                  aria-pressed={mode === 'execute'}
+                  title={modeCopy('execute')}
+                >
+                  <Icon d="M5 3l14 9-14 9V3z" />
+                  Execute
+                </button>
+              </div>
+            )}
 
             {onOpenInvite && (
               <button