diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi.kt
index 165000b..9448670 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi.kt
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ class GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi(
                 name = RepositoryRef.of(dto.name.required()),
                 commitId = dto.commit?.id.required(),
                 isProtected = dto.isProtected,
-                commitAtEpochMillis = dto.commit?.timestamp.required().toEpochMillisOrInvalid(),
+                commitAtEpochMillis = dto.commit?.timestamp.toEpochMillisOrNull(),
             )
         }
         return response.toPage(items, page, pageSize)
@@ -275,6 +275,15 @@ class GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi(
         throw ApiFailure.InvalidResponse()
     }
 
+    private fun String?.toEpochMillisOrNull(): Long? =
+        this?.takeIf(String::isNotBlank)?.let {
+            try {
+                Instant.parse(it).toEpochMilli()
+            } catch (_: DateTimeParseException) {
+                null
+            }
+        }
+
     private fun parseContentsList(body: String): List<ContentsDto> = try {
         if (!JsonParser.parseString(body).isJsonArray) throw ApiFailure.InvalidResponse()
         parseList(body)
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/domain/model/RepositoryModels.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/domain/model/RepositoryModels.kt
index 104c5b0..73df1d9 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/domain/model/RepositoryModels.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/domain/model/RepositoryModels.kt
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ data class BranchSummary(
     val name: RepositoryRef,
     val commitId: String,
     val isProtected: Boolean,
-    val commitAtEpochMillis: Long,
+    val commitAtEpochMillis: Long?,
 )
 
 data class TagSummary(
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModel.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModel.kt
index 85a5326..fa94735 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModel.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModel.kt
@@ -493,12 +493,18 @@ class RepositoryListViewModel(
         rowBranchJobs[coordinates] = viewModelScope.launch {
             try {
                 val branches = loadAllPages { page -> browserApi.listBranches(coordinates, page, PAGE_SIZE) }
-                val latest = branches.maxByOrNull { it.commitAtEpochMillis }
+                val latest = branches
+                    .filter { it.commitAtEpochMillis != null }
+                    .maxByOrNull { requireNotNull(it.commitAtEpochMillis) }
                 updateRow(coordinates) {
                     it.copy(
                         lastPushedBranch = latest?.let { branch ->
                             LastPushedBranchUiState.Loaded(branch.name.value)
-                        } ?: LastPushedBranchUiState.Empty,
+                        } ?: if (branches.isEmpty()) {
+                            LastPushedBranchUiState.Empty
+                        } else {
+                            LastPushedBranchUiState.Failed
+                        },
                     )
                 }
             } catch (failure: Throwable) {
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApiTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApiTest.kt
index 178995b..c9363da 100644
--- a/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApiTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApiTest.kt
@@ -157,6 +157,23 @@ class GiteaRepositoryBrowserApiTest {
         assertEquals("1", branchUrl.queryParameter("page"))
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun `branch timestamps may be missing or malformed without invalidating references`() = runTest {
+        val transport = QueueTransport(
+            response(
+                """[
+                    {"name":"missing-time","commit":{"id":"abc"},"protected":false},
+                    {"name":"bad-time","commit":{"id":"def","timestamp":"not-a-date"},"protected":false}
+                ]""".trimIndent(),
+            ),
+        )
+
+        val branches = api(transport).listBranches(repository, 1, 20)
+
+        assertEquals(listOf("missing-time", "bad-time"), branches.items.map { it.name.value })
+        assertEquals(listOf(null, null), branches.items.map { it.commitAtEpochMillis })
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun `tree preserves ref and encoded path while returning a local immutable page`() = runTest {
         val transport = QueueTransport(
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModelTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModelTest.kt
index f15ae60..0ab2965 100644
--- a/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModelTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModelTest.kt
@@ -200,6 +200,44 @@ class RepositoryListViewModelTest {
         assertEquals(LastPushedBranchUiState.Empty, rows.getValue("empty-repo").lastPushedBranch)
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun `unknown branch timestamps do not hide a valid latest branch`() = runTest(dispatcher.scheduler) {
+        val browser = FakeBrowser(
+            repositories = listOf(page1Of(repo("mixed"))),
+            branchesByRepository = mapOf(
+                "mixed" to listOf(
+                    BranchSummary(RepositoryRef.of("unknown"), "a", false, null),
+                    BranchSummary(RepositoryRef.of("main"), "b", false, 5_000L),
+                ),
+            ),
+        )
+
+        val viewModel = viewModel(browser)
+        advanceUntilIdle()
+
+        val row = (viewModel.state.value as RepositoryListUiState.Content).repositories.single()
+        assertEquals(LastPushedBranchUiState.Loaded("main"), row.lastPushedBranch)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun `a repository with branches but no known timestamps reports failed rather than empty`() = runTest(dispatcher.scheduler) {
+        val browser = FakeBrowser(
+            repositories = listOf(page1Of(repo("all-unknown"))),
+            branchesByRepository = mapOf(
+                "all-unknown" to listOf(
+                    BranchSummary(RepositoryRef.of("a"), "1", false, null),
+                    BranchSummary(RepositoryRef.of("b"), "2", false, null),
+                ),
+            ),
+        )
+
+        val viewModel = viewModel(browser)
+        advanceUntilIdle()
+
+        val row = (viewModel.state.value as RepositoryListUiState.Content).repositories.single()
+        assertEquals(LastPushedBranchUiState.Failed, row.lastPushedBranch)
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun `a failed per-row branch fetch does not affect other rows and can be retried`() = runTest(dispatcher.scheduler) {
         val browser = FakeBrowser(
diff --git a/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryReferencePresenterTest.kt b/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryReferencePresenterTest.kt
index 1bc3fb4..601321e 100644
--- a/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryReferencePresenterTest.kt
+++ b/app/src/test/java/com/ubisam/ubgitea/feature/repositories/RepositoryReferencePresenterTest.kt
@@ -27,6 +27,17 @@ class RepositoryReferencePresenterTest {
         assertFalse(branches.last().isSelected)
     }
 
+    @Test
+    fun `a branch with an unknown commit timestamp still appears in the reference list`() {
+        val branches = RepositoryReferencePresenter.branches(
+            listOf(BranchSummary(RepositoryRef.of("no-timestamp"), "a", false, null)),
+            "no-timestamp",
+        )
+
+        assertEquals(listOf("no-timestamp"), branches.map { it.name })
+        assertTrue(branches.single().isSelected)
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun `selecting a tag clears branch selection and selects only that tag`() {
         val branches = RepositoryReferencePresenter.branches(
diff --git a/docs/development-log.md b/docs/development-log.md
index 9a046ca..f328aa0 100644
--- a/docs/development-log.md
+++ b/docs/development-log.md
@@ -320,3 +320,16 @@ This is the append-only implementation and handoff record shared by Codex and Cl
 - Root cause: This Gitea server returned `/user/repos` in apparent name order despite the existing `sort=updated&order=desc` query, so trusting server paging could not guarantee that the newest repository appeared on page 1.
 - Implementation: The ViewModel now loads all server pages in 50-row batches, performs one stable descending sort by `RepositorySummary.updatedAtEpochMillis`, and slices that immutable snapshot into five-row UI pages. Snapshots are scoped by all/favorites/organization selection, reused for next/previous navigation, and invalidated by refresh and logout.
 - Checks: Focused regression tests and `assembleDebug testDebugUnitTest lintDebug` passed. The rebuilt APK was installed wirelessly; the authenticated first page visibly changed from alphabetical order to recent-update order, all five rows loaded their latest branch labels, and the crash buffer remained empty.
+
+## 2026-08-26 — TASK-022: tolerate incomplete Gitea branch timestamps
+
+- Agent and role: Claude, picked up Codex's paused in-progress work in the same worktree (`task-015-notifications`) after the human product owner explicitly confirmed it was safe to continue rather than assuming so.
+- Commit/diff: continued on `claude/task-015-notifications`; `domain/model/RepositoryModels.kt`, `data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi.kt`, `feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModel.kt` and three test files.
+- Features implemented: A repository with a branch whose commit timestamp is missing or malformed no longer fails the whole branch page (row-level latest-branch fetch or the repository reference screen). Root cause (per Codex's incident evidence, repo `CSOT-T8-iPTN-AMA`): `listBranches`'s mapper required every `commit.timestamp` even though a timestamp isn't needed to identify or browse a branch.
+- How it was implemented: Codex had already landed the core fix (`BranchSummary.commitAtEpochMillis` → nullable, mapper tolerates a missing/malformed value instead of throwing, latest-branch picker filters to non-null timestamps before taking the max) plus two of the needed tests, uncommitted, when this was picked up. Verified `RepositoryReferencePresenter` needed no change (it never reads the timestamp field) and added an explicit test proving that rather than leaving it implicit. Found and filled one real gap in the in-progress test coverage: a repository whose branches are *all* missing timestamps wasn't tested — confirmed the existing code already handles it correctly (reports `LastPushedBranchUiState.Failed`, distinct from `Empty`, rather than silently showing nothing) and added the missing test.
+- Files changed: `domain/model/RepositoryModels.kt`, `data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi.kt`, `feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModel.kt`, `data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApiTest.kt`, `feature/repositories/RepositoryReferencePresenterTest.kt`, `feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModelTest.kt`, `tasks/022-tolerate-branch-timestamp-gaps.md`.
+- Checks and results: `assembleDebug testDebugUnitTest lintDebug --rerun-tasks` BUILD SUCCESSFUL, all unit tests passing, 0 lint errors; `git diff --check` clean; secret-pattern scan of the staged diff clean.
+- Review findings and resolutions: One gap found and fixed in Codex's in-progress test coverage (the all-unknown-timestamps case) — see above.
+- Known limitations: Not retested live against `CSOT-T8-iPTN-AMA` (or any repository with a real missing/malformed branch timestamp) on a physical device with this exact fix — Codex reproduced and diagnosed the original crash on-device, but this fix itself has only unit-test coverage so far.
+- Next recommended task: A physical-device retest of this fix (Codex has working wireless-adb device access per TASK-020/021's evidence). No other roadmap items are open.
+- Next owner: Codex or the human product owner, for the device retest; otherwise no further items are unassigned.
diff --git a/tasks/022-tolerate-branch-timestamp-gaps.md b/tasks/022-tolerate-branch-timestamp-gaps.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ca8a1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tasks/022-tolerate-branch-timestamp-gaps.md
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# TASK-022: Tolerate incomplete Gitea branch timestamps
+
+Status: implemented; all required checks pass; physical-device retest pending
+Owner: Claude (picked up from Codex's paused in-progress work in the same worktree, with the human product owner's explicit confirmation to continue, 2026-08-26)
+Reviewer: Codex
+
+## Outcome
+
+A repository remains browsable when Gitea returns a valid branch name and commit ID but omits or malforms that branch commit's optional timestamp. One incomplete branch must not invalidate the repository's entire branch list.
+
+## Acceptance criteria
+
+- [x] Missing or malformed branch timestamps map to an unknown timestamp without failing the branch page.
+- [x] The latest-branch indicator selects the newest branch among entries with valid timestamps.
+- [x] Reference browsing still displays branches whose timestamps are unknown.
+- [x] Required branch names and commit IDs remain fail-closed.
+- [x] Build, unit tests, lint, and secret scan pass.
+- [ ] Physical-device reproduction pass with this exact fix. The original crash was reproduced and diagnosed by Codex on-device (`CSOT-T8-iPTN-AMA`, see Incident evidence); this fix has been verified only by unit test, not by a live retest against that same repository on a device.
+
+## Incident evidence
+
+On the authenticated device, `CSOT-T8-iPTN-AMA` failed both its row-level latest-branch request and its repository reference screen. Both flows share `listBranches`, whose mapper previously required every `commit.timestamp` even though timestamp is not necessary to identify or browse a branch.
+
+## Evidence (completion)
+
+- `domain/model/RepositoryModels.kt`: `BranchSummary.commitAtEpochMillis` changed from `Long` to `Long?`.
+- `data/repositories/GiteaRepositoryBrowserApi.kt`: `listBranches`'s mapper now uses a new `String?.toEpochMillisOrNull()` (parses if present and well-formed, else `null`) instead of `.required().toEpochMillisOrInvalid()` for the timestamp only — `name`/`commit.id` still go through `.required()` and remain fail-closed.
+- `feature/repositories/RepositoryListViewModel.kt`'s `launchRowBranchFetch`: the latest-branch picker now filters to branches with a non-null timestamp before taking `maxByOrNull`, so an unknown-timestamp branch can never hide a real latest branch. When a repository has branches but *none* have a resolvable timestamp, the row now reports `LastPushedBranchUiState.Failed` (distinct from `Empty`, which stays reserved for a genuinely branch-less repository) rather than silently showing nothing.
+- `feature/repositories/RepositoryReferencePresenter.kt` needed no code change — it never read `commitAtEpochMillis` — but a test was added (`RepositoryReferencePresenterTest`) to make that guarantee explicit rather than implicit.
+- Tests added: `GiteaRepositoryBrowserApiTest` (missing/malformed timestamp maps to `null`, not a thrown failure), `RepositoryReferencePresenterTest` (a null-timestamp branch still renders and can be selected), `RepositoryListViewModelTest` ×2 (mixed known/unknown timestamps still surface the true latest; all-unknown reports `Failed` not `Empty`) — the all-unknown case was the one gap in Codex's in-progress test coverage when this was picked up.
+- `./gradlew assembleDebug testDebugUnitTest lintDebug --rerun-tasks`: BUILD SUCCESSFUL, all unit tests passing, 0 lint errors.
+- `git diff --cached --check`: clean. Secret-pattern scan of the staged diff: no matches.
+- Not verified: a live retest of repository `CSOT-T8-iPTN-AMA` (or any repository with a real missing/malformed branch timestamp) on a physical device with this exact fix — left open per this session's established practice of disclosing rather than silently skipping device-dependent verification.