diff --git a/extensions/workboard/src/dispatcher-ownership.test.ts b/extensions/workboard/src/dispatcher-ownership.test.ts
index 8d5cc35b8cc0..5fc23072d698 100644
--- a/extensions/workboard/src/dispatcher-ownership.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/workboard/src/dispatcher-ownership.test.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,29 @@ function createMemoryStore(): WorkboardKeyedStore {
 }
 
 describe("Workboard dispatcher ownership", () => {
+  it("dispatches a card whose create input tried to inject archivedAt", async () => {
+    const store = new WorkboardStore(createMemoryStore());
+    const now = 10;
+    const card = await store.create({
+      title: "Injected archive",
+      status: "ready",
+      workspaceAccess: { unrestricted: true },
+      metadata: { archivedAt: now },
+    });
+    const run = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ runId: "run-injected" });
+
+    await dispatchAndStartWorkboardCards({
+      store,
+      subagent: { run },
+      options: { now, maxStarts: 1 },
+    });
+
+    expect(run).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    await expect(store.get(card.id)).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      execution: { runId: "run-injected" },
+    });
+  });
+
   it("falls back to one default owner for persisted blank and unassigned agents", async () => {
     const keyed = createMemoryStore();
     const store = new WorkboardStore(keyed);
diff --git a/extensions/workboard/src/store-core.ts b/extensions/workboard/src/store-core.ts
index 96a9c92ee0fa..bbff7ea07299 100644
--- a/extensions/workboard/src/store-core.ts
+++ b/extensions/workboard/src/store-core.ts
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ export class WorkboardCoreStore {
         templateId: normalizeTemplateId(input.templateId),
         ...(childAutomation ? { automation: childAutomation } : {}),
       },
-      { allowDependencyLinks: false },
+      { allowDependencyLinks: false, allowArchivedAt: false },
     );
     const syncedMetadata = trimMetadataToBudget(
       syncExecutionAttemptMetadata(metadata, execution, now),
diff --git a/extensions/workboard/src/store-normalizers.ts b/extensions/workboard/src/store-normalizers.ts
index 1fcd4c5faca1..5627dbb68405 100644
--- a/extensions/workboard/src/store-normalizers.ts
+++ b/extensions/workboard/src/store-normalizers.ts
@@ -1024,7 +1024,11 @@ export function appendCompletionProof(
 export function normalizeMetadata(
   value: unknown,
   fallback: WorkboardMetadata = {},
-  options: { allowDependencyLinks?: boolean; preserveProofId?: string } = {},
+  options: {
+    allowDependencyLinks?: boolean;
+    allowArchivedAt?: boolean;
+    preserveProofId?: string;
+  } = {},
 ): WorkboardMetadata {
   if (!value || typeof value !== "object" || Array.isArray(value)) {
     return trimMetadataToBudget(fallback, options);
@@ -1034,7 +1038,11 @@ export function normalizeMetadata(
     record.stale && typeof record.stale === "object" && !Array.isArray(record.stale)
       ? (record.stale as Record<string, unknown>)
       : null;
-  const hasArchivedAt = Object.hasOwn(record, "archivedAt");
+  // Archival is a transition owned by archive(), which appends the matching
+  // `archived` event. Callers that cannot produce that event (create) must not
+  // be able to declare it, or the card is excluded from dispatch from the
+  // instant it exists with an event log recording only `created`.
+  const hasArchivedAt = Object.hasOwn(record, "archivedAt") && options.allowArchivedAt !== false;
   const hasStale = Object.hasOwn(record, "stale");
   const hasLifecycleStatusSourceUpdatedAt = Object.hasOwn(record, "lifecycleStatusSourceUpdatedAt");
   const links = Array.isArray(record.links)
diff --git a/extensions/workboard/src/store.test.ts b/extensions/workboard/src/store.test.ts
index b16b8694042d..8cf6c15c9cf0 100644
--- a/extensions/workboard/src/store.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/workboard/src/store.test.ts
@@ -1010,6 +1010,24 @@ describe("WorkboardStore", () => {
     expect(restored.events?.at(-1)).toMatchObject({ kind: "unarchived" });
   });
 
+  it("ignores caller-supplied archivedAt on create so no card is born archived", async () => {
+    const store = new WorkboardStore(createMemoryStore());
+    const card = await store.create({
+      title: "Injected archive",
+      metadata: { archivedAt: Date.now() },
+    });
+
+    // Archival is a transition owned by archive(), which appends the matching
+    // event. Honouring it here would exclude the card from dispatch from birth
+    // with an event log recording only "created".
+    expect(card.metadata?.archivedAt).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(card.events?.map((event) => event.kind)).toEqual(["created"]);
+
+    const archived = await store.archive(card.id, true);
+    expect(archived.metadata?.archivedAt).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(archived.events?.at(-1)).toMatchObject({ kind: "archived" });
+  });
+
   it("resolves matching unknown proof on completion without duplicating it", async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers();
     try {