diff --git a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/activity.go b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/activity.go
index 468f743e..7c90ff52 100644
--- a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/activity.go
+++ b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/activity.go
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ func (h *ActivityHandler) List(c *gin.Context) {
 	limitStr := c.DefaultQuery("limit", "100")
 	sinceSecsStr := c.Query("since_secs")
 	sinceID := c.Query("since_id")
+	beforeTSStr := c.Query("before_ts") // optional RFC3339 — return rows strictly older than this timestamp
 
 	// Validate peer_id as a UUID at the trust boundary so a malformed
 	// caller (the agent or a downstream MCP tool) can't smuggle SQL
@@ -75,6 +76,25 @@ func (h *ActivityHandler) List(c *gin.Context) {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Parse before_ts as the wall-clock paging knob for the wheel-side
+	// `chat_history` MCP tool. The agent passes the oldest `created_at`
+	// from a previous response to walk backward through long histories.
+	// Validated as RFC3339 at the trust boundary so a typoed value
+	// surfaces as a clean 400 instead of being silently ignored.
+	var beforeTS time.Time
+	usingBeforeTS := false
+	if beforeTSStr != "" {
+		t, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, beforeTSStr)
+		if err != nil {
+			c.JSON(http.StatusBadRequest, gin.H{
+				"error": "before_ts must be an RFC3339 timestamp (e.g. 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z)",
+			})
+			return
+		}
+		beforeTS = t
+		usingBeforeTS = true
+	}
+
 	limit := 100
 	if n, err := strconv.Atoi(limitStr); err == nil && n > 0 {
 		limit = n
@@ -167,6 +187,14 @@ func (h *ActivityHandler) List(c *gin.Context) {
 		args = append(args, peerID)
 		argIdx++
 	}
+	if usingBeforeTS {
+		// Strictly older — never replay a row with the exact same
+		// timestamp, mirrors the `created_at > cursorTime` shape
+		// `since_id` uses for forward paging.
+		query += fmt.Sprintf(" AND created_at < $%d", argIdx)
+		args = append(args, beforeTS)
+		argIdx++
+	}
 	if sinceSecs > 0 {
 		// Use a parameterized interval so the value is bound, not
 		// interpolated into the SQL string. `make_interval(secs => $N)`
diff --git a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/activity_test.go b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/activity_test.go
index b3aafd23..078a6dc2 100644
--- a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/activity_test.go
+++ b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/activity_test.go
@@ -280,6 +280,110 @@ func TestActivityList_PeerIDRejectsNonUUID(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// ---------- before_ts paging knob ----------
+//
+// before_ts is the wall-clock paging companion to peer_id — the agent
+// walks backward through long histories by passing the oldest
+// `created_at` from the previous response. Validated as RFC3339 at the
+// trust boundary; mirrors the strict-inequality shape since_id uses
+// for forward paging.
+
+func TestActivityList_BeforeTSFilter(t *testing.T) {
+	mock := setupTestDB(t)
+	broadcaster := newTestBroadcaster()
+	handler := NewActivityHandler(broadcaster)
+
+	cutoff, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2026-05-01T00:00:00Z")
+	mock.ExpectQuery(
+		`SELECT .+ FROM activity_logs WHERE workspace_id = .+ AND created_at < .+`,
+	).
+		WithArgs("ws-1", cutoff, 100).
+		WillReturnRows(sqlmock.NewRows([]string{
+			"id", "workspace_id", "activity_type", "source_id", "target_id",
+			"method", "summary", "request_body", "response_body",
+			"tool_trace", "duration_ms", "status", "error_detail", "created_at",
+		}))
+
+	gin.SetMode(gin.TestMode)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	c, _ := gin.CreateTestContext(w)
+	c.Params = gin.Params{{Key: "id", Value: "ws-1"}}
+	c.Request = httptest.NewRequest(
+		"GET", "/workspaces/ws-1/activity?before_ts=2026-05-01T00%3A00%3A00Z", nil,
+	)
+	handler.List(c)
+
+	if w.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Errorf("expected 200, got %d: %s", w.Code, w.Body.String())
+	}
+	if err := mock.ExpectationsWereMet(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unmet expectations: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestActivityList_BeforeTSComposesWithPeerID(t *testing.T) {
+	// peer_id + before_ts: the canonical wheel-side chat_history paging
+	// shape. Pin both args + arg order so a future builder refactor
+	// can't silently drop one filter or reorder placeholders.
+	mock := setupTestDB(t)
+	broadcaster := newTestBroadcaster()
+	handler := NewActivityHandler(broadcaster)
+
+	cutoff, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2026-05-01T00:00:00Z")
+	mock.ExpectQuery(
+		`SELECT .+ FROM activity_logs WHERE workspace_id = .+ AND \(source_id = .+ OR target_id = .+\) AND created_at < .+`,
+	).
+		WithArgs("ws-1", testPeerUUID, cutoff, 100).
+		WillReturnRows(sqlmock.NewRows([]string{
+			"id", "workspace_id", "activity_type", "source_id", "target_id",
+			"method", "summary", "request_body", "response_body",
+			"tool_trace", "duration_ms", "status", "error_detail", "created_at",
+		}))
+
+	gin.SetMode(gin.TestMode)
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	c, _ := gin.CreateTestContext(w)
+	c.Params = gin.Params{{Key: "id", Value: "ws-1"}}
+	c.Request = httptest.NewRequest(
+		"GET",
+		"/workspaces/ws-1/activity?peer_id="+testPeerUUID+"&before_ts=2026-05-01T00%3A00%3A00Z",
+		nil,
+	)
+	handler.List(c)
+
+	if w.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Errorf("expected 200, got %d: %s", w.Code, w.Body.String())
+	}
+	if err := mock.ExpectationsWereMet(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unmet expectations: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestActivityList_BeforeTSRejectsInvalidFormat(t *testing.T) {
+	gin.SetMode(gin.TestMode)
+	broadcaster := newTestBroadcaster()
+	handler := NewActivityHandler(broadcaster)
+
+	for _, bad := range []string{
+		"yesterday",
+		"2026-05-01",                            // missing time component
+		"2026-05-01%2000%3A00%3A00",             // URL-encoded space instead of T
+		"%27%20OR%201%3D1%20--",                 // URL-encoded SQL injection
+	} {
+		w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		c, _ := gin.CreateTestContext(w)
+		c.Params = gin.Params{{Key: "id", Value: "ws-1"}}
+		c.Request = httptest.NewRequest(
+			"GET", "/workspaces/ws-1/activity?before_ts="+bad, nil,
+		)
+		handler.List(c)
+
+		if w.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+			t.Errorf("before_ts=%q: expected 400, got %d (%s)", bad, w.Code, w.Body.String())
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // ---------- Activity type allowlist (#125: memory_write added) ----------
 
 func TestActivityReport_AcceptsMemoryWriteType(t *testing.T) {