diff --git a/crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/side_effects.rs b/crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/side_effects.rs
index 88a9f0c731..aa5338cbf7 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/side_effects.rs
+++ b/crates/buzz-relay/src/handlers/side_effects.rs
@@ -3106,6 +3106,12 @@ pub async fn reconcile_channel_events(
     Ok(())
 }
 
+fn next_snapshot_timestamp(now: u64, current: Option<u64>) -> u64 {
+    current
+        .map(|created_at| created_at.saturating_add(1).max(now))
+        .unwrap_or(now)
+}
+
 /// Publish a kind:13535 archived identities list event (NIP-IA).
 ///
 /// Queries all current archived identities and emits a relay-signed,
@@ -3115,7 +3121,8 @@ pub async fn publish_nipia_archival_list(
     state: &Arc<AppState>,
 ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let archived = state.db.list_archived(tenant.community()).await?;
-    let relay_pubkey_hex = state.relay_keypair.public_key().to_hex();
+    let relay_pubkey = state.relay_keypair.public_key();
+    let relay_pubkey_hex = relay_pubkey.to_hex();
 
     let mut tags: Vec<Tag> = Vec::with_capacity(archived.len() + 1);
     tags.push(Tag::parse(["-"]).map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("failed to build '-' tag: {e}"))?);
@@ -3127,8 +3134,33 @@ pub async fn publish_nipia_archival_list(
         );
     }
 
+    // Nostr timestamps have one-second resolution, while archive and unarchive
+    // can complete within the same second. A same-second snapshot would enter
+    // NIP-16's event-id tie-break and could lose to the prior snapshot, leaving
+    // clients with stale archive state. Advance strictly past the stored head so
+    // every accepted identity-state transition produces the authoritative head.
+    let now = std::time::SystemTime::now()
+        .duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH)
+        .unwrap_or_default()
+        .as_secs();
+    let existing = state
+        .db
+        .get_latest_global_replaceable(
+            tenant.community(),
+            KIND_IA_ARCHIVED_LIST as i32,
+            relay_pubkey.to_bytes().as_slice(),
+        )
+        .await?;
+    let created_at = next_snapshot_timestamp(
+        now,
+        existing
+            .as_ref()
+            .map(|stored| stored.event.created_at.as_secs()),
+    );
+
     let event = EventBuilder::new(Kind::Custom(KIND_IA_ARCHIVED_LIST as u16), "")
         .tags(tags)
+        .custom_created_at(nostr::Timestamp::from(created_at))
         .sign_with_keys(&state.relay_keypair)
         .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("failed to sign kind:{KIND_IA_ARCHIVED_LIST}: {e}"))?;
 
@@ -3372,6 +3404,23 @@ fn topic_for_subscription(channel_id: Option<Uuid>) -> EventTopic {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn identity_archive_snapshot_advances_past_same_second_head() {
+        assert_eq!(next_snapshot_timestamp(1_000, Some(1_000)), 1_001);
+        assert_eq!(next_snapshot_timestamp(1_000, Some(1_001)), 1_002);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn identity_archive_snapshot_uses_wall_clock_when_it_is_newer() {
+        assert_eq!(next_snapshot_timestamp(1_001, Some(1_000)), 1_001);
+        assert_eq!(next_snapshot_timestamp(1_001, None), 1_001);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn identity_archive_snapshot_timestamp_saturates() {
+        assert_eq!(next_snapshot_timestamp(u64::MAX, Some(u64::MAX)), u64::MAX);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn delete_tombstone_omits_absent_moderation_metadata() {
         let content =