diff --git a/src/services/rich_injector.py b/src/services/rich_injector.py
index 4211f15..c1a7898 100644
--- a/src/services/rich_injector.py
+++ b/src/services/rich_injector.py
@@ -195,6 +195,12 @@ def find_index_for_anchor(messages_list: Any, anchor_msg_id: int, require_anchor
     again once the anchor is paged in.
     """
     anchor_msg_id = int(anchor_msg_id)
+    # Anchors are real, positive message ids. A non-positive anchor must never
+    # match: date separators are local MessageObjects whose messageOwner.id is
+    # 0, so scanning for 0 would "find" the first separator and place the card
+    # against a divider instead of a message.
+    if anchor_msg_id <= 0:
+        return -1
     try:
         size = messages_list.size()
         for i in range(size):
@@ -558,8 +564,13 @@ def loaded_message_ids(messages_list: Any) -> set:
     try:
         for i in range(messages_list.size()):
             owner = getattr(messages_list.get(i), "messageOwner", None)
-            if owner is not None:
-                ids.add(int(getattr(owner, "id", 0) or 0))
+            if owner is None:
+                continue
+            msg_id = int(getattr(owner, "id", 0) or 0)
+            # Skip date separators (id 0). Keeping them would make a summary
+            # whose anchor id is 0 look restorable.
+            if msg_id:
+                ids.add(msg_id)
     except Exception as exc:
         diagnostics.record_error("injector.loaded_message_ids", exc)
     return ids
diff --git a/tools/verify_bundle.py b/tools/verify_bundle.py
index e0e8dfd..770272a 100755
--- a/tools/verify_bundle.py
+++ b/tools/verify_bundle.py
@@ -1927,6 +1927,50 @@ def main(argv=None) -> int:
             f"index={injector.find_index_for_anchor(absent.messages, 123, require_anchor=False)}",
         )
 
+        # Every real chat interleaves date separators, which are local
+        # MessageObjects carrying messageOwner.id == 0 (ChatActivity builds them
+        # with `iput v12, ...Message->id` where v12 is 0, and gives them ids from
+        # a separate dateObjectsStableIds space). They must never be treated as
+        # the insertion point or counted as a loaded anchor.
+        dated = _FakeChatActivity([700, 690])
+        separator_owner = _TLObj("TL_messageService")
+        separator_owner.id = 0
+        dated.messages.add(1, _FakeMessageObject(0, separator_owner))
+        dated_index = injector.find_index_for_anchor(dated.messages, 690)
+        dated_ids = [m.messageOwner.id for m in dated.messages]
+        check(
+            "a date separator is not mistaken for the anchor",
+            dated_ids[dated_index] == 690,
+            f"index={dated_index} ids={dated_ids}",
+        )
+        # A separator's id 0 must not make "anchor 0" look loaded, and must not
+        # be offered as a position; anchor ids are always positive.
+        check(
+            "a date separator does not satisfy an anchor-loaded check",
+            injector.find_index_for_anchor(dated.messages, 0) == -1,
+            f"index={injector.find_index_for_anchor(dated.messages, 0)}",
+        )
+        # A summary anchored on a real message must still restore correctly when
+        # separators sit between the loaded messages.
+        sep_restore = _FakeChatActivity([800, 790])
+        sep_owner = _TLObj("TL_messageService")
+        sep_owner.id = 0
+        sep_restore.messages.add(1, _FakeMessageObject(0, sep_owner))
+        sep_n = injector.restore_saved_summaries(
+            sep_restore,
+            0,
+            -4242,
+            0,
+            [summary_db_mod.StoredSummary(41, -4242, 0, 790, "text", "", 5, 0)],
+        )
+        sep_ids = [m.messageOwner.id for m in sep_restore.messages]
+        sep_card = injector.virtual_id_for(41, 790)
+        check(
+            "summaries restore correctly around date separators",
+            sep_n == 1 and sep_ids.index(sep_card) == sep_ids.index(790) - 1,
+            f"dispatched={sep_n} ids={sep_ids}",
+        )
+
     check(
         "sys.modules gained no entry for bundled plugin module names",
         not ({"main", "config", "services", "providers", "hooks", "ui.summarize_dialog"} & new_modules),