1 files changed, 43 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/packages/meshbay-node/src/meshbay_node/chat/store.py b/packages/meshbay-node/src/meshbay_node/chat/store.py
index a5b2d7d..6f23905 100644
--- a/packages/meshbay-node/src/meshbay_node/chat/store.py
+++ b/packages/meshbay-node/src/meshbay_node/chat/store.py
@@ -45,6 +45,11 @@ class StoredMessage:
     sender_name: str = ""
 
 
+def _row(r) -> StoredMessage:
+    return StoredMessage(id=r[0], sender_id=r[1], iteration=r[2], payload=r[3],
+                         timestamp=r[4], thread_id=r[5], sender_name=r[6] or "")
+
+
 class ChatStore:
     """Async SQLite chat store for one group."""
 
@@ -111,6 +116,44 @@ class ChatStore:
             for r in rows
         ]
 
+    async def get_recent(self, limit: int = 100) -> list[StoredMessage]:
+        """The newest `limit` messages, oldest first so they render in order.
+
+        `get_messages(since=0, limit=n)` cannot answer this: it pages *forward*
+        from the oldest, so a client opening a group with 300 messages was shown
+        the first 200 and never the conversation it came for. Reaching the newest
+        rows means ordering DESC in SQL and reversing here.
+        """
+        cursor = await self._db.execute(
+            "SELECT id, sender_id, iteration, payload, timestamp, thread_id, sender_name "
+            "FROM messages ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT ?",
+            (limit,),
+        )
+        rows = await cursor.fetchall()
+        return [_row(r) for r in reversed(rows)]
+
+    async def get_before(self, before_id: int, limit: int = 50) -> list[StoredMessage]:
+        """The `limit` messages immediately older than `before_id`, oldest first.
+
+        The cursor is the row id, not the timestamp. Nothing makes `timestamp`
+        unique — it is a float from `time.time()` — and a cursor on a value two
+        rows can share is one that eventually skips a message or repeats it.
+        `id` is AUTOINCREMENT: unique, and ordered by insertion.
+        """
+        cursor = await self._db.execute(
+            "SELECT id, sender_id, iteration, payload, timestamp, thread_id, sender_name "
+            "FROM messages WHERE id < ? ORDER BY id DESC LIMIT ?",
+            (before_id, limit),
+        )
+        rows = await cursor.fetchall()
+        return [_row(r) for r in reversed(rows)]
+
+    async def has_before(self, message_id: int) -> bool:
+        """Whether anything older than `message_id` exists — drives "load older"."""
+        cursor = await self._db.execute(
+            "SELECT 1 FROM messages WHERE id < ? LIMIT 1", (message_id,))
+        return await cursor.fetchone() is not None
+
     async def get_thread(self, thread_id: str, limit: int = 100) -> list[StoredMessage]:
         """Get messages in a thread."""
         cursor = await self._db.execute(