@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 #include "foundation/constants.h"
 
 enum { TRACE_PATH_SLASHES = 3, TRACE_NOT_FOUND = -1 };
+#include <ctype.h>
+#include <errno.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -63,6 +65,38 @@ const char *cbm_extract_path_from_url(const char *url, char *buf, size_t buf_sz)
 
 /* ── parseDuration ───────────────────────────────────────────────── */
 
+/* Read one nanosecond timestamp. Answers false for text that does not read
+ * cleanly from its first character to its last, the way src/main.c:1104 does
+ * it: an end pointer says where the read stopped, errno catches a number too
+ * large, and *end == '\0' catches anything left over. A leading blank is
+ * refused too, because strtoll would otherwise step over it. */
+static bool trace_read_nano(const char *text, int64_t *out) {
+    if (!text || !text[0] || isspace((unsigned char)text[0])) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    char *end = NULL;
+    errno = 0;
+    long long value = strtoll(text, &end, CBM_DECIMAL_BASE);
+    if (errno != 0 || !end || end == text || *end != '\0') {
+        return false;
+    }
+    *out = (int64_t)value;
+    return true;
+}
+
+int64_t cbm_parse_duration_checked(const char *start_nano, const char *end_nano, bool *ok) {
+    int64_t start = 0;
+    int64_t end = 0;
+    bool read_both = trace_read_nano(start_nano, &start) && trace_read_nano(end_nano, &end);
+    if (ok) {
+        *ok = read_both;
+    }
+    if (!read_both) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+    return (end > start) ? (end - start) : 0;
+}
+
 int64_t cbm_parse_duration(const char *start_nano, const char *end_nano) {
     if (!start_nano || !end_nano) {
         return 0;
@@ -115,7 +149,14 @@ bool cbm_extract_http_info(const cbm_trace_span_t *span, const char *service_nam
         return false;
     }
 
-    out->duration_ns = cbm_parse_duration(span->start_time, span->end_time);
+    /* A timestamp nobody can read is not a measurement. It used to read as 0,
+     * so an unreadable START time reported the whole end time as the duration
+     * -- a made-up number that looks like a real one. The HTTP method and path
+     * on this span are still good, so the span is still returned and only the
+     * duration says it is missing. */
+    bool timed = false;
+    int64_t duration = cbm_parse_duration_checked(span->start_time, span->end_time, &timed);
+    out->duration_ns = timed ? duration : CBM_DURATION_UNKNOWN;
     return true;
 }
 
 
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ typedef struct {
     const char *path;
     const char *status_code;
     int span_kind;
+    /* Nanoseconds, or CBM_DURATION_UNKNOWN when the span's timestamps could
+     * not be read. A duration of 0 means the span really took no time. */
     int64_t duration_ns;
 } cbm_http_span_info_t;
 
@@ -62,9 +64,20 @@ bool cbm_extract_http_info(const cbm_trace_span_t *span, const char *service_nam
  * Writes to buf (up to buf_sz). Returns buf, or "" if not a valid URL. */
 const char *cbm_extract_path_from_url(const char *url, char *buf, size_t buf_sz);
 
-/* Parse nanosecond timestamp strings and return duration. */
+/* A duration nobody could measure. Kept apart from 0, which is a real span
+ * that took no time. */
+#define CBM_DURATION_UNKNOWN (-1)
+
+/* Parse nanosecond timestamp strings and return duration. Text that cannot be
+ * read counts as 0, so an unreadable timestamp and a span that took no time
+ * give the same answer. Use cbm_parse_duration_checked when that matters. */
 int64_t cbm_parse_duration(const char *start_nano, const char *end_nano);
 
+/* Same, and also says whether both timestamps could be read. *ok is false for
+ * a NULL argument and for any text that does not read cleanly end to end, so
+ * a caller can tell "took no time" from "nobody could measure this". */
+int64_t cbm_parse_duration_checked(const char *start_nano, const char *end_nano, bool *ok);
+
 /* Calculate P99 from an array of int64_t values.
  * Sorts values in-place. Returns 0 for empty array. */
 int64_t cbm_calculate_p99(int64_t *values, int count);
 
@@ -265,6 +265,82 @@ TEST(traces_parse_duration_large_values) {
     PASS();
 }
 
+/* A timestamp the code cannot read is not a measurement of no time.
+ *
+ * strtoll answers 0 for text it cannot read, and the subtraction guard turns
+ * that into a duration of 0 ns. A span that genuinely took no time and a span
+ * whose timestamps were garbage then look the same, and no later query can
+ * tell them apart. cbm_parse_duration_checked reports which one it read. */
+TEST(traces_parse_duration_checked_reports_unreadable_timestamps) {
+    bool ok = false;
+
+    /* Positive control: a good pair still reads, and still answers the same
+     * number cbm_parse_duration answers. */
+    int64_t d = cbm_parse_duration_checked("1000000000", "1050000000", &ok);
+    ASSERT(ok);
+    ASSERT_EQ(d, 50000000);
+
+    /* A real measurement of no time reads fine. Zero is an answer here. */
+    ok = false;
+    d = cbm_parse_duration_checked("5000000000", "5000000000", &ok);
+    ASSERT(ok);
+    ASSERT_EQ(d, 0);
+
+    /* End before start reads fine too. The clamp to 0 is the caller's rule,
+     * not a reading failure. */
+    ok = false;
+    d = cbm_parse_duration_checked("1000", "500", &ok);
+    ASSERT(ok);
+    ASSERT_EQ(d, 0);
+
+    /* The claim: text that does not read is reported, not folded into 0. */
+    const char *unreadable[] = {"abc", "", " 100", "100ns", "1e9"};
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < sizeof(unreadable) / sizeof(unreadable[0]); i++) {
+        ok = true;
+        (void)cbm_parse_duration_checked(unreadable[i], "1050000000", &ok);
+        ASSERT(!ok);
+        ok = true;
+        (void)cbm_parse_duration_checked("1000000000", unreadable[i], &ok);
+        ASSERT(!ok);
+    }
+
+    /* A NULL argument was never a measurement either. */
+    ok = true;
+    (void)cbm_parse_duration_checked(NULL, "1000", &ok);
+    ASSERT(!ok);
+    ok = true;
+    (void)cbm_parse_duration_checked("1000", NULL, &ok);
+    ASSERT(!ok);
+    PASS();
+}
+
+/* A span whose timestamps cannot be read keeps its method and path, and says
+ * the duration was not recorded rather than claiming it was zero. */
+TEST(traces_extract_http_info_marks_unreadable_duration) {
+    cbm_trace_attr_t attrs[] = {
+        {.key = "http.method", .string_value = "GET"},
+        {.key = "http.route", .string_value = "/api/orders"},
+        {.key = "http.status_code", .string_value = "200"},
+    };
+    cbm_trace_span_t span = {
+        .kind = 2,
+        .attributes = attrs,
+        .attr_count = 3,
+        .start_time = "not-a-timestamp",
+        .end_time = "1050000000",
+    };
+
+    cbm_http_span_info_t info;
+    bool ok = cbm_extract_http_info(&span, "svc", &info);
+    /* The HTTP part of the span is still good data, so it is still returned. */
+    ASSERT(ok);
+    ASSERT_STR_EQ(info.method, "GET");
+    ASSERT_STR_EQ(info.path, "/api/orders");
+    /* The claim: not recorded, rather than a duration of zero. */
+    ASSERT_EQ(info.duration_ns, CBM_DURATION_UNKNOWN);
+    PASS();
+}
+
 /* ── TestCalculateP99 — edge cases ────────────────────────────────── */
 
 TEST(traces_calculate_p99_100_values) {
@@ -341,4 +417,6 @@ SUITE(traces) {
     RUN_TEST(traces_parse_duration_both_null);
     RUN_TEST(traces_parse_duration_equal);
     RUN_TEST(traces_parse_duration_large_values);
+    RUN_TEST(traces_parse_duration_checked_reports_unreadable_timestamps);
+    RUN_TEST(traces_extract_http_info_marks_unreadable_duration);
 }