diff --git a/packages/daemon/src/domain/health-detectors.ts b/packages/daemon/src/domain/health-detectors.ts
index bce435543..343707f9e 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/src/domain/health-detectors.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/src/domain/health-detectors.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import type { ContextUsageStore } from "./context-usage-store.js";
 import type { RigRepository } from "./rig-repository.js";
 import type { SessionRegistry } from "./session-registry.js";
 import { queryUsageSeries } from "./usage-series.js";
+import { parseSqliteUtcMs } from "./sqlite-time.js";
 
 const CONTEXT_PRESSURE_PERCENT = 95;
 const CONTEXT_CRITICAL_PERCENT = 99;
@@ -213,7 +214,7 @@ export class LiveContextHealthSource implements HealthObservationSource {
               })
                 .filter((sample) => sample.nodeId === node.id
                   && sample.sampledAt !== null
-                  && Date.parse(sample.sampledAt) >= sqliteTimestampMs(tenureStartedAt)
+                  && Date.parse(sample.sampledAt) >= parseSqliteUtcMs(tenureStartedAt)
                   && Date.parse(sample.sampledAt) <= Date.parse(usage.sampledAt!))
                 .map((sample, sourceOrder): HealthEvidenceReference => ({
                   type: "context-usage",
@@ -292,10 +293,6 @@ function selectContextEpisodeEvidence(
     .map((item, sourceOrder) => ({ ...item, sourceOrder }));
 }
 
-function sqliteTimestampMs(value: string): number {
-  return Date.parse(value.includes("T") ? value : `${value.replace(" ", "T")}Z`);
-}
-
 export function healthScopeId(scope: HealthScope): string {
   switch (scope.type) {
     case "instance": return scope.instanceId;
diff --git a/packages/daemon/src/domain/restore-plan-preview.ts b/packages/daemon/src/domain/restore-plan-preview.ts
index 4684347d3..47c2c8c54 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/src/domain/restore-plan-preview.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/src/domain/restore-plan-preview.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 import type Database from "better-sqlite3";
 import { resolveActiveOccupantRow, resolveActiveSnapshotSession, deriveRehydrateSessionIdByNode, activeOccupantAmbiguityError, type ActiveOccupantResolution } from "./active-occupant.js";
 import type { RigWithRelations, Snapshot } from "./types.js";
+import { parseSqliteUtcMs } from "./sqlite-time.js";
 
 /** OPR.0.4.3.20 FR-6 — a present token whose last verification is older than this
  *  is surfaced as `stale` (age-based staleness — the "stale while running" signal
@@ -103,6 +104,7 @@ function tokenStateFor(
     return { tokenState: "unverified", provenance, lastVerified };
   }
   if (lastVerified) {
+    // NaN (unparseable) skips the age check: an unreadable stamp is never stale-by-age.
     const verifiedMs = parseSqliteUtcMs(lastVerified);
     if (!Number.isNaN(verifiedMs) && nowMs - verifiedMs > RESUME_FRESHNESS_THRESHOLD_MS) {
       return { tokenState: "stale", provenance, lastVerified };
@@ -111,13 +113,6 @@ function tokenStateFor(
   return { tokenState: "present", provenance, lastVerified };
 }
 
-/** Parse a SQLite `datetime('now')` value ("YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS", UTC, no zone
- *  marker) to epoch ms. Returns NaN on an unparseable value (age check is then
- *  skipped — an unparseable stamp is never treated as stale-by-age). */
-function parseSqliteUtcMs(value: string): number {
-  return new Date(value.replace(" ", "T") + "Z").getTime();
-}
-
 /** OPR.0.4.3.20 FR-6 — forecast the runtime prompt a resume WOULD hit, so it is
  *  an expected operator step, not a terminal surprise. Only meaningful when the
  *  seat would attempt a resume (has a token). */
diff --git a/packages/daemon/src/domain/snapshot-repository.ts b/packages/daemon/src/domain/snapshot-repository.ts
index 5f025751a..8423d4936 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/src/domain/snapshot-repository.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/src/domain/snapshot-repository.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import type Database from "better-sqlite3";
 import { ulid } from "ulid";
 import type { RestoreSnapshotSelection, RestoreSnapshotSummary, Snapshot, SnapshotData } from "./types.js";
+import { parseSqliteUtcMs } from "./sqlite-time.js";
 
 export type RestoreSnapshotSelectionOutcome =
   | { ok: true; snapshot: Snapshot; selection: RestoreSnapshotSelection }
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ export class SnapshotRepository {
     // A concurrent pruner can remove the selected row after it was read. Its
     // insertion position is then unknown, so only strictly newer timestamps count.
     const newerRows = selectedIndex < 0
-      ? candidates.filter((row) => Date.parse(sqliteUtc(row.created_at)) > Date.parse(sqliteUtc(snapshot!.createdAt)))
+      ? candidates.filter((row) => parseSqliteUtcMs(row.created_at) > parseSqliteUtcMs(snapshot!.createdAt))
       : candidates.slice(0, selectedIndex);
     const newer = newerRows.flatMap((row) => {
       const candidate = this.restoreUsableRow(row);
@@ -243,16 +244,12 @@ export class SnapshotRepository {
   }
 }
 
-function sqliteUtc(value: string): string {
-  return /Z$|[+-]\d\d:\d\d$/.test(value) ? value : value.replace(" ", "T") + "Z";
-}
-
 export function summarizeSnapshot(snapshot: Snapshot, nowMs: number = Date.now()): RestoreSnapshotSummary {
   return {
     snapshotId: snapshot.id,
     kind: snapshot.kind,
     createdAt: snapshot.createdAt,
-    ageMs: Math.max(0, nowMs - Date.parse(sqliteUtc(snapshot.createdAt))),
+    ageMs: Math.max(0, nowMs - parseSqliteUtcMs(snapshot.createdAt)),
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/daemon/test/restore-plan-preview.test.ts b/packages/daemon/test/restore-plan-preview.test.ts
index d5a6f395b..6f0feebab 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/test/restore-plan-preview.test.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/test/restore-plan-preview.test.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,12 @@ describe("FR-6 restore-plan token state", () => {
     expect(p.nodes[0]!.tokenState).toBe("stale");
   });
 
+  it("stale (age): an already-zoned ISO last-verified stamp is aged too, not skipped as unparseable", () => {
+    const rig = rigWith([{ id: "n1", logicalId: "a", runtime: "claude-code" }]);
+    const p = buildRestorePlanPreview(rig, null, [row("n1", { resumeLastVerified: "2026-07-02T10:00:00.000Z", resumeLastProbeStatus: "resumable" })], undefined, NOW);
+    expect(p.nodes[0]!.tokenState).toBe("stale");
+  });
+
   it("codex runtime prompt surfaced for a resumable Codex seat", () => {
     const rig = rigWith([{ id: "n1", logicalId: "a", runtime: "codex" }]);
     const p = buildRestorePlanPreview(rig, null, [row("n1", { resumeType: "codex_id", resumeLastProbeStatus: "resumable", resumeLastVerified: FRESH })], undefined, NOW);
diff --git a/packages/daemon/test/sqlite-time.test.ts b/packages/daemon/test/sqlite-time.test.ts
index 0a6302023..935dd71bf 100644
--- a/packages/daemon/test/sqlite-time.test.ts
+++ b/packages/daemon/test/sqlite-time.test.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ describe("parseSqliteUtcMs", () => {
     // A non-UTC host is where a bare Date.parse skews the stamp by the UTC offset.
     process.env.TZ = "America/Los_Angeles";
     expect(parseSqliteUtcMs("2026-09-28 02:45:08")).toBe(Date.UTC(2026, 8, 28, 2, 45, 8));
+    // Same for the T-separated form: no zone marker means UTC, whatever the separator.
+    expect(parseSqliteUtcMs("2026-09-28T02:45:08")).toBe(Date.UTC(2026, 8, 28, 2, 45, 8));
   });
 
   it("leaves zoned ISO values unchanged and returns NaN for garbage", () => {