fix(cli): report channels list last-write as updated_at, keep created_at as deprecated alias

crates/buzz-cli/src/commands/channels.rs

@@ -13,12 +13,22 @@ use crate::commands::channel_templates::{self, ChannelTemplateRecord, TemplateAg
 use crate::error::CliError;
 use crate::validate::{parse_uuid, read_or_stdin, validate_hex64, validate_uuid};
 
+/// Extracts the channel summary fields from a kind 39000 channel-metadata event.
+///
+/// The timestamp carried here is the time of the **last channel-metadata write**,
+/// not the channel's creation: kind 39000 is addressable/replaceable, so its
+/// `created_at` is overwritten on every metadata update and the channel's birth
+/// time is not recoverable from it. `updated_at` names this value honestly;
+/// `created_at` is a deprecated alias kept for one release so existing scripts
+/// do not break silently — prefer `updated_at`.
 fn extract_channel_metadata(e: &serde_json::Value) -> serde_json::Value {
+    let updated_at = e.get("created_at").and_then(|v| v.as_u64()).unwrap_or(0);
     serde_json::json!({
         "channel_id": extract_d_tag(e),
         "name": extract_tag_value(e, "name"),
         "description": extract_tag_value(e, "about"),
-        "created_at": e.get("created_at").and_then(|v| v.as_u64()).unwrap_or(0),
+        "updated_at": updated_at,
+        "created_at": updated_at,
     })
 }
 
@@ -1748,3 +1758,50 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod extract_channel_metadata_tests {
+    use super::extract_channel_metadata;
+    use serde_json::json;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn updated_at_carries_kind_39000_created_at() {
+        let ev = json!({
+            "kind": 39000,
+            "created_at": 1787300000u64,
+            "tags": [
+                ["d", "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"],
+                ["name", "general"],
+                ["about", "desc"]
+            ]
+        });
+        let meta = extract_channel_metadata(&ev);
+        assert_eq!(meta.get("updated_at"), Some(&json!(1787300000u64)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn created_at_is_deprecated_alias_of_updated_at() {
+        let ev = json!({
+            "kind": 39000,
+            "created_at": 1787300000u64,
+            "tags": [["d", "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"]]
+        });
+        let meta = extract_channel_metadata(&ev);
+        assert_eq!(
+            meta.get("created_at"),
+            meta.get("updated_at"),
+            "created_at must stay pinned to updated_at until removal"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn missing_created_at_yields_zero_for_both_fields() {
+        let ev = json!({
+            "kind": 39000,
+            "tags": [["d", "11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"]]
+        });
+        let meta = extract_channel_metadata(&ev);
+        assert_eq!(meta.get("updated_at"), Some(&json!(0u64)));
+        assert_eq!(meta.get("created_at"), Some(&json!(0u64)));
+    }
+}

crates/buzz-cli/src/lib.rs

@@ -533,6 +533,10 @@ pub enum MessagesCmd {
 #[derive(Subcommand)]
 pub enum ChannelsCmd {
     /// List channels visible to the current identity
+    ///
+    /// Each channel's `updated_at` is the time of its last channel-metadata
+    /// write (kind 39000 is replaceable), not its creation time. `created_at`
+    /// is a deprecated alias of `updated_at`.
     #[command(
         after_help = "Examples:\n  buzz channels list\n  buzz channels list --visibility open"
     )]