diff --git a/surfsense_web/atoms/chat/show-timestamps.atom.ts b/surfsense_web/atoms/chat/show-timestamps.atom.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..434f065ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_web/atoms/chat/show-timestamps.atom.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import { atomWithStorage } from "jotai/utils";
+
+/**
+ * Per-device preference: show a timestamp under each chat message.
+ *
+ * Off by default to match streaming-AI chat convention (ChatGPT/Claude keep
+ * the message stream clean and put time in the conversation list). Persisted
+ * in localStorage, so it does not sync across devices — acceptable for a
+ * cosmetic display toggle.
+ */
+export const showMessageTimestampsAtom = atomWithStorage<boolean>("chat-show-timestamps:v1", false);