## Summary
Add a server-owned `recencyAt` timestamp and `recency_at` thread-list
sort key for product recency ordering while preserving the existing
meaning of `updatedAt` as the latest persisted thread mutation.
This is the server-side alternative to #27697. Rather than narrowing
`updatedAt`, clients can sort the sidebar by `recency_at` and continue
treating `updatedAt` as mutation time.
Paired Codex Apps PR:
[openai/openai#1024599](https://github.com/openai/openai/pull/1024599)
## Contract
- `recencyAt` initializes when a thread is created.
- A turn start advances `recencyAt` monotonically.
- Commentary, agent output, tool results, token/accounting updates, turn
completion, archive, unarchive, resume, and generic metadata writes do
not advance it.
- `updatedAt` retains its existing behavior and continues to advance for
persisted thread mutations.
- Current servers populate `recencyAt`; the response field is optional
in generated TypeScript so clients connected to older servers can fall
back to `updatedAt`.
- Filesystem-only fallback uses existing updated/mtime ordering when
SQLite is unavailable.
## Persistence and compatibility
Migration 0038 adds second- and millisecond-precision recency columns,
backfills them from the existing updated timestamp, creates list
indexes, and includes an insert trigger so older binaries writing to a
migrated database seed recency without causing later mutations to
advance it.
Generic metadata upserts preserve existing recency values. Turn-start
updates use a dedicated monotonic touch, and process-local allocation
keeps millisecond cursor values unique. State DB list, search, read,
filtered-list repair, rollout fallback propagation, and app-server
conversions all carry the new field.
## API
`Thread` responses include:
```ts
recencyAt?: number
```
`thread/list` and `thread/search` accept:
```json
{ "sortKey": "recency_at" }
```
Generated TypeScript and JSON schemas are included.
## Validation
- `just test -p codex-state` — 146 passed
- `just test -p codex-rollout` — 69 passed
- `just test -p codex-thread-store` — 81 passed
- `just test -p codex-app-server-protocol` — 231 passed
- Focused app-server list ordering, response mapping, archive/unarchive,
and resume lifecycle tests passed
- Scoped `just fix` for state, rollout, thread-store,
app-server-protocol, and app-server
- `just fmt`
- `git diff --check`
- Independent correctness, simplicity, elegance, security, and
test-quality reviews; actionable ordering, lifecycle, query-projection,
and timestamp-uniqueness findings were addressed
Jeremy Rose