diff --git a/.claude/settings.local.json b/.claude/settings.local.json
index 124d1e9..71fae71 100644
--- a/.claude/settings.local.json
+++ b/.claude/settings.local.json
@@ -36,7 +36,27 @@
       "Bash(powershell -Command \"Get-Process groupchat-server -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force; Write-Output ''Killed''\")",
       "Bash(powershell -Command \"Get-Process groupchat-server -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; Set-Location ''Z:\\\\Projects\\\\Hot\\\\Duke\\\\GroupChat2\\\\server''; cargo build 2>&1\")",
       "Bash(git init)",
-      "Bash(git add -A)"
+      "Bash(git add -A)",
+      "Bash(git commit:*)",
+      "Bash(git branch stream)",
+      "Bash(git checkout stream)",
+      "Bash(powershell -Command \"cd ''Z:\\\\Projects\\\\Hot\\\\Duke\\\\GroupChat2\\\\server''; Get-Process groupchat-server -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force; cargo build 2>&1\")",
+      "Bash(powershell -Command \"cd ''Z:\\\\Projects\\\\Hot\\\\Duke\\\\GroupChat2\\\\server''; cargo build 2>&1\")",
+      "Bash(powershell -Command \"Get-Process groupchat-server -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Id, ProcessName\")",
+      "Bash(powershell -Command \"cd ''Z:\\\\Projects\\\\Hot\\\\Duke\\\\GroupChat2\\\\server''; cargo build 2>&1; Get-Process groupchat-server -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force; Start-Sleep -Seconds 1; Start-Process -FilePath ''.\\\\target\\\\debug\\\\groupchat-server.exe'' -WindowStyle Hidden; Start-Sleep -Seconds 2; Get-Process groupchat-server -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object Id\")",
+      "Bash(powershell -Command \"try { $r = Invoke-WebRequest -Uri ''http://localhost:3001/api/models'' -TimeoutSec 5 -ErrorAction Stop; $r.StatusCode } catch { $_Exception.Message }\")",
+      "Bash(powershell -Command \"Get-Process groupchat-server -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force\")",
+      "Bash(powershell -Command \"Start-Process -FilePath ''.\\\\target\\\\debug\\\\groupchat-server.exe'' -WindowStyle Hidden\")",
+      "Bash(npm run build)",
+      "Bash(git add client/src/components/app.riot client/src/components/chat-room.riot client/src/components/message-bubble.riot client/src/services/stream-buffer.js server/src/handlers/ws.rs server/src/main.rs server/src/models/mod.rs server/src/services/openrouter.rs)",
+      "Bash(taskkill /F /IM server.exe)",
+      "Bash(timeout /t 2 /nobreak)",
+      "Bash(curl -s http://localhost:3001/api/auth/me -H \"Authorization: Bearer test\")",
+      "Bash(git add server/migrations/004_ai_name.sql server/src/main.rs server/src/models/mod.rs server/src/handlers/rooms.rs server/src/handlers/ws.rs server/src/handlers/invites.rs client/src/components/app.riot client/src/components/chat-room.riot client/src/components/create-room-modal.riot client/src/components/message-bubble.riot)",
+      "WebFetch(domain:api.dicebear.com)",
+      "mcp__Desktop_Commander__list_sessions",
+      "mcp__Desktop_Commander__write_file",
+      "Bash(git checkout -b CAN)"
     ]
   }
 }
diff --git a/client/src/components/app.riot b/client/src/components/app.riot
index e241caf..b96a8a9 100644
--- a/client/src/components/app.riot
+++ b/client/src/components/app.riot
@@ -146,10 +146,24 @@
     .no-room-content p {
       font-size: var(--text-sm);
     }
+
+    :global(.hash-highlight) {
+      animation: hash-flash 3s ease;
+    }
+
+    @keyframes hash-flash {
+      0%, 15% {
+        background: rgba(108, 92, 231, 0.2);
+        border-radius: 8px;
+      }
+      100% {
+        background: transparent;
+      }
+    }
   </style>
 
   <script>
-    import { api, saveAuth, getUser, clearAuth, isAuthenticated } from '../services/api.js'
+    import { api, saveAuth, getUser, clearAuth, isAuthenticated, setOnUnauthorized } from '../services/api.js'
     import { ws } from '../services/websocket.js'
     import { StreamBuffer } from '../services/stream-buffer.js'
 
@@ -173,24 +187,58 @@
       },
 
       onMounted() {
+        // Register global 401 handler so any expired-token API call triggers logout
+        setOnUnauthorized(() => this.handleLogout())
+
+        // Listen for hash changes to scroll to linked messages
+        this._onHashChange = () => {
+          const hash = window.location.hash?.slice(1)
+          if (hash) this.scrollToHash(hash)
+        }
+        window.addEventListener('hashchange', this._onHashChange)
+
         const user = getUser()
         if (user && isAuthenticated()) {
-          this.update({ user })
-          this.initChat()
+          // Verify the token is still valid with the server before trusting it
+          this.verifyAndInit(user)
         } else {
           // Not logged in — store invite token so we can accept after login
           this.checkPendingInvite()
         }
       },
 
+      async verifyAndInit(cachedUser) {
+        try {
+          // Ask the server if our stored token is still good
+          const freshUser = await api.me()
+          // Use the fresh data from the server (display_name etc. may have changed)
+          this.update({ user: freshUser })
+          this.initChat()
+        } catch (err) {
+          // Token is expired or invalid — force back to login screen
+          console.warn('Stored token is no longer valid, logging out:', err.message)
+          clearAuth()
+          ws.disconnect()
+          this.update({ user: null })
+          this.checkPendingInvite()
+        }
+      },
+
       onUnmounted() {
         ws.disconnect()
+        window.removeEventListener('hashchange', this._onHashChange)
       },
 
       async initChat() {
         const token = localStorage.getItem('token')
         ws.connect(token)
 
+        // If WebSocket detects auth failure (expired/invalid token), auto-logout
+        ws.on('auth_failed', () => {
+          console.warn('WebSocket auth failed — logging out')
+          this.handleLogout()
+        })
+
         ws.on('new_message', (msg) => {
           if (msg.message.room_id === this.state.activeRoomId) {
             // If we were streaming this message, cancel the buffer and remove placeholder
@@ -360,7 +408,14 @@
             typingUsers: [],
           })
           ws.joinRoom(roomId)
-          this.scrollToBottom()
+
+          // Check for hash in URL to scroll to a specific message
+          const targetHash = window.location.hash?.slice(1)
+          if (targetHash) {
+            this.scrollToHash(targetHash)
+          } else {
+            this.scrollToBottom()
+          }
         } catch (e) {
           console.error('Failed to load room:', e)
         }
@@ -448,6 +503,18 @@
           }
         })
       },
+
+      scrollToHash(hash) {
+        requestAnimationFrame(() => {
+          const el = document.getElementById('msg-' + hash)
+          if (el) {
+            el.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'center' })
+            // Briefly highlight the message
+            el.classList.add('hash-highlight')
+            setTimeout(() => el.classList.remove('hash-highlight'), 3000)
+          }
+        })
+      },
     }
   </script>
 </app>
diff --git a/client/src/components/chat-room.riot b/client/src/components/chat-room.riot
index 2cb1503..a5703e9 100644
--- a/client/src/components/chat-room.riot
+++ b/client/src/components/chat-room.riot
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@
     <!-- Messages -->
     <div class="messages-list" ref="messagesList">
       <div class="messages-spacer"></div>
-      <div each={msg in props.messages} key={msg.id}>
+      <div each={msg in props.messages} key={msg.id} data-hash={msg.hash || ''} id={msg.hash ? 'msg-' + msg.hash : ''}>
         <message-bubble
           message={msg}
           is-own={msg.sender_id === props.user?.id}
diff --git a/client/src/components/login-page.riot b/client/src/components/login-page.riot
index 13727c4..2df54fd 100644
--- a/client/src/components/login-page.riot
+++ b/client/src/components/login-page.riot
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@
 
         try {
           const data = await api.login({
-            email: this.state.email,
+            email: this.state.email.trim().toLowerCase(),
             password: this.state.password,
           })
           this.props.cbLogin(data)
diff --git a/client/src/components/message-bubble.riot b/client/src/components/message-bubble.riot
index 60ca7bc..1b374df 100644
--- a/client/src/components/message-bubble.riot
+++ b/client/src/components/message-bubble.riot
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
           <circle cx="15" cy="14" r="1.5" fill="currentColor"/>
         </svg>
         <img if={!props.message?.is_ai}
-             src={avatarFromHash(props.message?.avatar_hash)}
+             src={getMessageAvatar(props.message)}
              alt={props.message?.sender_name}
              width="32"
              height="32"
@@ -41,25 +41,33 @@
       </div>
       <div if={props.isStreaming} class="message-content streaming-content">{props.message?.content}<span class="streaming-cursor">▌</span></div>
       <div if={!props.isStreaming} class="message-content markdown-content"></div>
-      <div if={props.message?.is_ai && props.message?.ai_meta} class="ai-stats-bar">
-        <button class="ai-stat-btn" onclick={copyFullMessage} title="Copy response">
+      <div if={!props.isStreaming} class="message-actions-bar">
+        <button class="msg-action-btn" onclick={copyFullMessage} title="Copy message">
           <svg width="13" height="13" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2">
             <rect x="9" y="9" width="13" height="13" rx="2" ry="2"/><path d="M5 15H4a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h9a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v1"/>
           </svg>
         </button>
-        <span class="ai-stat-item model">
-          <svg width="12" height="12" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 2a4 4 0 0 0-4 4v2H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v10a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h12a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V10a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-2V6a4 4 0 0 0-4-4z"/></svg>
-          {formatModel(props.message.ai_meta.model)}
-        </span>
-        <span class="ai-stat-item" title="Generation speed">
-          ⚡ {calcSpeed(props.message.ai_meta)} tok/sec
-        </span>
-        <span class="ai-stat-item" title="Completion tokens">
-          🎯 {props.message.ai_meta.completion_tokens} tokens
-        </span>
-        <span class="ai-stat-item" title="Response time">
-          ⏱ {(props.message.ai_meta.response_ms / 1000).toFixed(1)}s
-        </span>
+        <button if={props.message?.hash} class="msg-action-btn" onclick={copyMessageLink} title="Copy link to message">
+          <svg width="13" height="13" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2">
+            <path d="M10 13a5 5 0 0 0 7.54.54l3-3a5 5 0 0 0-7.07-7.07l-1.72 1.71"/>
+            <path d="M14 11a5 5 0 0 0-7.54-.54l-3 3a5 5 0 0 0 7.07 7.07l1.71-1.71"/>
+          </svg>
+        </button>
+        <template if={props.message?.is_ai && props.message?.ai_meta}>
+          <span class="ai-stat-item model">
+            <svg width="12" height="12" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2"><path d="M12 2a4 4 0 0 0-4 4v2H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v10a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h12a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V10a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-2V6a4 4 0 0 0-4-4z"/></svg>
+            {formatModel(props.message.ai_meta.model)}
+          </span>
+          <span class="ai-stat-item" title="Generation speed">
+            ⚡ {calcSpeed(props.message.ai_meta)} tok/sec
+          </span>
+          <span class="ai-stat-item" title="Completion tokens">
+            🎯 {props.message.ai_meta.completion_tokens} tokens
+          </span>
+          <span class="ai-stat-item" title="Response time">
+            ⏱ {(props.message.ai_meta.response_ms / 1000).toFixed(1)}s
+          </span>
+        </template>
       </div>
     </div>
   </div>
@@ -262,7 +270,7 @@
       overflow-y: auto;
     }
 
-    .ai-stats-bar {
+    .message-actions-bar {
       display: flex;
       align-items: center;
       gap: var(--space-sm);
@@ -271,9 +279,21 @@
       font-size: 11px;
       color: var(--text-muted);
       flex-wrap: wrap;
+      opacity: 0;
+      transition: opacity var(--transition-fast);
     }
 
-    .ai-stat-btn {
+    .message:hover .message-actions-bar,
+    .message-actions-bar:focus-within {
+      opacity: 1;
+    }
+
+    /* Always show for AI messages with stats */
+    .ai-message .message-actions-bar {
+      opacity: 1;
+    }
+
+    .msg-action-btn {
       display: inline-flex;
       align-items: center;
       justify-content: center;
@@ -284,12 +304,12 @@
       line-height: 1;
     }
 
-    .ai-stat-btn:hover {
+    .msg-action-btn:hover {
       background: var(--bg-hover);
       color: var(--text-primary);
     }
 
-    .ai-stat-btn.copied {
+    .msg-action-btn.copied {
       color: var(--success);
     }
 
@@ -345,10 +365,14 @@
 
   <script>
     import { renderMarkdown } from '../services/markdown.js'
-    import { avatarFromHash as _avatarFromHash } from '../services/avatar.js'
+    import { avatarFromHash } from '../services/avatar.js'
 
     export default {
-      avatarFromHash: _avatarFromHash,
+      /** Prefer custom avatar_url, fall back to Gravatar hash */
+      getMessageAvatar(msg) {
+        if (msg?.avatar_url) return msg.avatar_url
+        return avatarFromHash(msg?.avatar_hash, 32)
+      },
 
       onMounted() {
         this.renderContent()
@@ -444,7 +468,24 @@
           btn.title = 'Copied!'
           setTimeout(() => {
             btn.classList.remove('copied')
-            btn.title = 'Copy response'
+            btn.title = 'Copy message'
+          }, 2000)
+        })
+      },
+
+      copyMessageLink(e) {
+        e.preventDefault()
+        e.stopPropagation()
+        const hash = this.props.message?.hash
+        if (!hash) return
+        const url = `${window.location.origin}${window.location.pathname}#${hash}`
+        const btn = e.currentTarget
+        navigator.clipboard.writeText(url).then(() => {
+          btn.classList.add('copied')
+          btn.title = 'Link copied!'
+          setTimeout(() => {
+            btn.classList.remove('copied')
+            btn.title = 'Copy link to message'
           }, 2000)
         })
       },
diff --git a/client/src/components/register-page.riot b/client/src/components/register-page.riot
index 3638d07..0058dff 100644
--- a/client/src/components/register-page.riot
+++ b/client/src/components/register-page.riot
@@ -143,9 +143,9 @@
 
         try {
           const data = await api.register({
-            email: this.state.email,
+            email: this.state.email.trim().toLowerCase(),
             password: this.state.password,
-            display_name: this.state.display_name,
+            display_name: this.state.display_name.trim(),
           })
           this.props.cbRegister(data)
         } catch (err) {
diff --git a/client/src/services/api.js b/client/src/services/api.js
index 5d8084f..2ca90a1 100644
--- a/client/src/services/api.js
+++ b/client/src/services/api.js
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 const API_BASE = '/api'
 
+// Global callback for 401 responses (set by app component to trigger auto-logout)
+let onUnauthorized = null
+
+export function setOnUnauthorized(callback) {
+  onUnauthorized = callback
+}
+
 function getToken() {
   return localStorage.getItem('token')
 }
@@ -25,6 +32,11 @@ async function request(method, path, body) {
   const res = await fetch(`${API_BASE}${path}`, opts)
 
   if (!res.ok) {
+    // Auto-logout on 401 for any authenticated request (not login/register)
+    if (res.status === 401 && path !== '/auth/login' && path !== '/auth/register') {
+      if (onUnauthorized) onUnauthorized()
+      throw new Error('Session expired — please log in again')
+    }
     const text = await res.text()
     throw new Error(text || `HTTP ${res.status}`)
   }
diff --git a/client/src/services/websocket.js b/client/src/services/websocket.js
index 1935130..a9b6822 100644
--- a/client/src/services/websocket.js
+++ b/client/src/services/websocket.js
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ class WebSocketManager {
     if (this.ws && this.ws.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) return
 
     this.token = token
+    this._authFailed = false
 
     const protocol = window.location.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss:' : 'ws:'
     const host = window.location.host
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ class WebSocketManager {
     this.ws.onopen = () => {
       console.log('[WS] Connected')
       this.reconnectDelay = 1000
+      this._authFailed = false
 
       // Re-subscribe to all rooms we were watching
       for (const roomId of this.subscribedRooms) {
@@ -46,8 +48,23 @@ class WebSocketManager {
     }
 
     this.ws.onclose = (event) => {
-      console.log('[WS] Disconnected', event.code)
+      console.log('[WS] Disconnected, code:', event.code)
       this.emit('disconnected')
+
+      // Code 1008 = Policy Violation (server rejected auth)
+      // Code 4401 = custom auth failure
+      // Also detect immediate close without open (HTTP 401 on upgrade)
+      if (event.code === 1008 || event.code === 4401 || !event.wasClean) {
+        // If we never successfully connected, the token is likely invalid
+        if (this._authFailed || (!event.wasClean && this.reconnectDelay > 4000)) {
+          console.warn('[WS] Auth appears invalid, stopping reconnect')
+          this.token = null
+          this.emit('auth_failed')
+          return
+        }
+        this._authFailed = true
+      }
+
       if (this.token) {
         this.scheduleReconnect()
       }
diff --git a/server/Cargo.lock b/server/Cargo.lock
index a615c56..644ace4 100644
--- a/server/Cargo.lock
+++ b/server/Cargo.lock
@@ -863,6 +863,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "scraper",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
+ "sha2",
  "sqlx",
  "tokio",
  "tower 0.4.13",
diff --git a/server/Cargo.toml b/server/Cargo.toml
index 766e299..b8046ce 100644
--- a/server/Cargo.toml
+++ b/server/Cargo.toml
@@ -25,4 +25,5 @@ rand = "0.8"
 async-trait = "0.1"
 scraper = "0.22"
 md-5 = "0.10"
+sha2 = "0.10"
 base64 = "0.22"
diff --git a/server/migrations/007_message_hash.sql b/server/migrations/007_message_hash.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93d7b94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/migrations/007_message_hash.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+-- Add SHA-256 integrity hash column to messages
+ALTER TABLE messages ADD COLUMN hash TEXT;
+
+-- Backfill hashes for existing messages is done in Rust (see main.rs)
+-- because SQLite doesn't have a built-in SHA-256 function.
diff --git a/server/src/handlers/auth.rs b/server/src/handlers/auth.rs
index 6066bf2..49e0d05 100644
--- a/server/src/handlers/auth.rs
+++ b/server/src/handlers/auth.rs
@@ -16,9 +16,20 @@ pub async fn register(
     State(state): State<Arc<AppState>>,
     Json(body): Json<RegisterRequest>,
 ) -> Result<Json<AuthResponse>, (StatusCode, String)> {
-    // Check if email already exists
-    let existing = sqlx::query_scalar::<_, String>("SELECT id FROM users WHERE email = ?")
-        .bind(&body.email)
+    // Normalize email: trim whitespace and lowercase for consistent matching
+    let email = body.email.trim().to_lowercase();
+    let display_name = body.display_name.trim().to_string();
+
+    if email.is_empty() {
+        return Err((StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, "Email is required".into()));
+    }
+    if display_name.is_empty() {
+        return Err((StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST, "Display name is required".into()));
+    }
+
+    // Check if email already exists (case-insensitive for safety with legacy data)
+    let existing = sqlx::query_scalar::<_, String>("SELECT id FROM users WHERE LOWER(email) = ?")
+        .bind(&email)
         .fetch_optional(&state.db)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, e.to_string()))?;
@@ -36,22 +47,22 @@ pub async fn register(
 
     sqlx::query("INSERT INTO users (id, email, display_name, password_hash) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)")
         .bind(&user_id)
-        .bind(&body.email)
-        .bind(&body.display_name)
+        .bind(&email)
+        .bind(&display_name)
         .bind(&password_hash)
         .execute(&state.db)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, e.to_string()))?;
 
-    let token = create_token(&user_id, &body.email, &body.display_name, &state.jwt_secret)
+    let token = create_token(&user_id, &email, &display_name, &state.jwt_secret)
         .map_err(|e| (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, e.to_string()))?;
 
     Ok(Json(AuthResponse {
         token,
         user: UserPublic {
             id: user_id,
-            email: body.email,
-            display_name: body.display_name,
+            email,
+            display_name,
             avatar_url: None,
         },
     }))
@@ -61,10 +72,13 @@ pub async fn login(
     State(state): State<Arc<AppState>>,
     Json(body): Json<LoginRequest>,
 ) -> Result<Json<AuthResponse>, (StatusCode, String)> {
+    // Normalize email: trim whitespace and lowercase for case-insensitive matching
+    let email = body.email.trim().to_lowercase();
+
     let user = sqlx::query_as::<_, (String, String, String, String, Option<String>)>(
-        "SELECT id, email, display_name, password_hash, avatar_url FROM users WHERE email = ?",
+        "SELECT id, email, display_name, password_hash, avatar_url FROM users WHERE LOWER(email) = ?",
     )
-    .bind(&body.email)
+    .bind(&email)
     .fetch_optional(&state.db)
     .await
     .map_err(|e| (StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR, e.to_string()))?
diff --git a/server/src/handlers/rooms.rs b/server/src/handlers/rooms.rs
index 0f89bb2..01abfc6 100644
--- a/server/src/handlers/rooms.rs
+++ b/server/src/handlers/rooms.rs
@@ -180,10 +180,10 @@ pub async fn get_messages(
         return Err((StatusCode::FORBIDDEN, "Not a member of this room".into()));
     }
 
-    // Query messages with user email via LEFT JOIN for Gravatar hash
+    // Query messages with user email + avatar_url via LEFT JOIN
     let rows = if let Some(before) = &params.before {
-        sqlx::query_as::<_, (String, String, String, String, String, String, bool, String, Option<String>, Option<String>, Option<String>)>(
-            "SELECT m.id, m.room_id, m.sender_id, m.sender_name, m.content, m.mentions, m.is_ai, m.created_at, m.ai_meta, m.image_url, u.email \
+        sqlx::query_as::<_, (String, String, String, String, String, String, bool, String, Option<String>, Option<String>, Option<String>, Option<String>, Option<String>)>(
+            "SELECT m.id, m.room_id, m.sender_id, m.sender_name, m.content, m.mentions, m.is_ai, m.created_at, m.ai_meta, m.image_url, u.email, u.avatar_url, m.hash \
              FROM messages m LEFT JOIN users u ON m.sender_id = u.id \
              WHERE m.room_id = ? AND m.created_at < ? ORDER BY m.created_at DESC LIMIT ?",
         )
@@ -193,8 +193,8 @@ pub async fn get_messages(
         .fetch_all(&state.db)
         .await
     } else {
-        sqlx::query_as::<_, (String, String, String, String, String, String, bool, String, Option<String>, Option<String>, Option<String>)>(
-            "SELECT m.id, m.room_id, m.sender_id, m.sender_name, m.content, m.mentions, m.is_ai, m.created_at, m.ai_meta, m.image_url, u.email \
+        sqlx::query_as::<_, (String, String, String, String, String, String, bool, String, Option<String>, Option<String>, Option<String>, Option<String>, Option<String>)>(
+            "SELECT m.id, m.room_id, m.sender_id, m.sender_name, m.content, m.mentions, m.is_ai, m.created_at, m.ai_meta, m.image_url, u.email, u.avatar_url, m.hash \
              FROM messages m LEFT JOIN users u ON m.sender_id = u.id \
              WHERE m.room_id = ? ORDER BY m.created_at DESC LIMIT ?",
         )
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ pub async fn get_messages(
     let payloads: Vec<MessagePayload> = rows
         .into_iter()
         .rev()
-        .map(|(id, room_id, sender_id, sender_name, content, mentions, is_ai, created_at, ai_meta_str, image_url, email)| {
+        .map(|(id, room_id, sender_id, sender_name, content, mentions, is_ai, created_at, ai_meta_str, image_url, email, avatar_url, hash)| {
             let ai_meta = ai_meta_str
                 .as_deref()
                 .and_then(|s| serde_json::from_str::<crate::models::AiMeta>(s).ok());
@@ -226,7 +226,9 @@ pub async fn get_messages(
                 created_at,
                 ai_meta,
                 avatar_hash,
+                avatar_url,
                 image_url,
+                hash,
             }
         })
         .collect();
diff --git a/server/src/handlers/ws.rs b/server/src/handlers/ws.rs
index 08575c6..e55d2bd 100644
--- a/server/src/handlers/ws.rs
+++ b/server/src/handlers/ws.rs
@@ -164,9 +164,12 @@ async fn handle_send_message(
     let mentions_json = serde_json::to_string(mentions).unwrap_or_else(|_| "[]".to_string());
     let now = chrono::Utc::now().to_rfc3339();
 
+    // Compute integrity hash from timestamp + content
+    let hash = crate::models::message_hash(&now, content);
+
     // Store in database (with image_url)
     let _ = sqlx::query(
-        "INSERT INTO messages (id, room_id, sender_id, sender_name, content, mentions, is_ai, created_at, image_url) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0, ?, ?)",
+        "INSERT INTO messages (id, room_id, sender_id, sender_name, content, mentions, is_ai, created_at, image_url, hash) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 0, ?, ?, ?)",
     )
     .bind(&msg_id)
     .bind(room_id)
@@ -176,9 +179,19 @@ async fn handle_send_message(
     .bind(&mentions_json)
     .bind(&now)
     .bind(image_url)
+    .bind(&hash)
     .execute(&state.db)
     .await;
 
+    // Look up the sender's custom avatar (if any) for the message payload
+    let avatar_url: Option<String> = sqlx::query_scalar("SELECT avatar_url FROM users WHERE id = ?")
+        .bind(user_id)
+        .fetch_optional(&state.db)
+        .await
+        .ok()
+        .flatten()
+        .flatten();
+
     // Broadcast human message
     let payload = MessagePayload {
         id: msg_id,
@@ -191,7 +204,9 @@ async fn handle_send_message(
         created_at: now,
         ai_meta: None,
         avatar_hash: crate::models::gravatar_hash(email),
+        avatar_url,
         image_url: image_url.map(String::from),
+        hash: Some(hash),
     };
 
     let _ = state.tx.send(BroadcastEvent {
@@ -402,8 +417,11 @@ async fn handle_send_message(
     // Serialize ai_meta for database storage
     let ai_meta_json = ai_meta.as_ref().and_then(|m| serde_json::to_string(m).ok());
 
+    // Compute integrity hash from timestamp + content
+    let ai_hash = crate::models::message_hash(&ai_now, &ai_response);
+
     let _ = sqlx::query(
-        "INSERT INTO messages (id, room_id, sender_id, sender_name, content, mentions, is_ai, created_at, ai_meta) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, '[]', 1, ?, ?)",
+        "INSERT INTO messages (id, room_id, sender_id, sender_name, content, mentions, is_ai, created_at, ai_meta, hash) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, '[]', 1, ?, ?, ?)",
     )
     .bind(&ai_msg_id)
     .bind(room_id)
@@ -412,6 +430,7 @@ async fn handle_send_message(
     .bind(&ai_response)
     .bind(&ai_now)
     .bind(&ai_meta_json)
+    .bind(&ai_hash)
     .execute(&state.db)
     .await;
 
@@ -427,7 +446,9 @@ async fn handle_send_message(
         created_at: ai_now,
         ai_meta,
         avatar_hash: String::new(),
+        avatar_url: None,
         image_url: None,
+        hash: Some(ai_hash),
     };
 
     let _ = state.tx.send(BroadcastEvent {
diff --git a/server/src/main.rs b/server/src/main.rs
index 8d0c5bf..4a65a83 100644
--- a/server/src/main.rs
+++ b/server/src/main.rs
@@ -221,6 +221,38 @@ async fn main() {
         Err(e) => panic!("Failed to run migration 006: {}", e),
     }
 
+    // Run migration 007 - SHA-256 integrity hash on messages
+    let migration_007 = include_str!("../migrations/007_message_hash.sql");
+    match sqlx::raw_sql(migration_007).execute(&db).await {
+        Ok(_) => {
+            tracing::info!("Migration 007 applied, backfilling hashes for existing messages...");
+            // Backfill hashes for all existing messages that don't have one
+            let rows = sqlx::query_as::<_, (String, String, String)>(
+                "SELECT id, created_at, content FROM messages WHERE hash IS NULL",
+            )
+            .fetch_all(&db)
+            .await
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+
+            let count = rows.len();
+            for (id, created_at, content) in rows {
+                let hash = models::message_hash(&created_at, &content);
+                let _ = sqlx::query("UPDATE messages SET hash = ? WHERE id = ?")
+                    .bind(&hash)
+                    .bind(&id)
+                    .execute(&db)
+                    .await;
+            }
+            if count > 0 {
+                tracing::info!("Backfilled hashes for {} existing messages", count);
+            }
+        }
+        Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("duplicate column") => {
+            tracing::debug!("Migration 007 already applied, skipping");
+        }
+        Err(e) => panic!("Failed to run migration 007: {}", e),
+    }
+
     tracing::info!("Database initialized");
 
     let (tx, _rx) = broadcast::channel::<models::BroadcastEvent>(4096);
diff --git a/server/src/models/mod.rs b/server/src/models/mod.rs
index db08f06..544c096 100644
--- a/server/src/models/mod.rs
+++ b/server/src/models/mod.rs
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ pub struct Message {
     pub is_ai: bool,
     pub created_at: String,
     pub ai_meta: Option<String>,
+    pub hash: Option<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, sqlx::FromRow)]
@@ -212,7 +213,11 @@ pub struct MessagePayload {
     #[serde(default)]
     pub avatar_hash: String,
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub avatar_url: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub image_url: Option<String>,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
+    pub hash: Option<String>,
 }
 
 /// Compute Gravatar-compatible MD5 hash from an email address.
@@ -223,6 +228,15 @@ pub fn gravatar_hash(email: &str) -> String {
     format!("{:x}", result)
 }
 
+/// Compute SHA-256 integrity hash from created_at timestamp + message content.
+pub fn message_hash(created_at: &str, content: &str) -> String {
+    use sha2::{Sha256, Digest};
+    let mut hasher = Sha256::new();
+    hasher.update(created_at.as_bytes());
+    hasher.update(content.as_bytes());
+    format!("{:x}", hasher.finalize())
+}
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct AiMeta {
     pub model: String,