diff --git a/src/engine/db/mod.rs b/src/engine/db/mod.rs
index 333c323..7e08985 100644
--- a/src/engine/db/mod.rs
+++ b/src/engine/db/mod.rs
@@ -1216,12 +1216,23 @@ impl Db {
         let mut snapshot: Vec<Event> = self.accounts.values().cloned().map(|a| Event::AccountRegistered(Box::new(a))).collect();
         for c in self.channels.values() {
             snapshot.push(Event::ChannelRegistered { name: c.name.clone(), founder: c.founder.clone(), ts: c.ts });
+            // ChannelRegistered replays last_used back to the registration ts, so a
+            // channel active since registration would have its inactivity-expiry clock
+            // reset by every compaction (and could then be wrongly expired). Restore it.
+            if c.last_used > c.ts {
+                snapshot.push(Event::ChannelUsed { channel: c.name.clone(), ts: c.last_used });
+            }
             if !c.lock_on.is_empty() || !c.lock_off.is_empty() {
                 snapshot.push(Event::ChannelMlock { name: c.name.clone(), on: c.lock_on.clone(), off: c.lock_off.clone(), params: c.lock_params.clone() });
             }
             for a in &c.access {
                 snapshot.push(Event::ChannelAccessAdd { channel: c.name.clone(), account: a.account.clone(), level: a.level.clone() });
             }
+            // LEVELS overrides live only in c.levels; without this they reset to the
+            // tier defaults on every compaction.
+            for (cap, role) in &c.levels {
+                snapshot.push(Event::ChannelLevelSet { channel: c.name.clone(), cap: cap.clone(), role: role.clone() });
+            }
             for k in &c.akick {
                 snapshot.push(Event::ChannelAkickAdd { channel: c.name.clone(), mask: k.mask.clone(), reason: k.reason.clone() });
             }
diff --git a/src/engine/db/tests.rs b/src/engine/db/tests.rs
index 2ee29c9..bfafcec 100644
--- a/src/engine/db/tests.rs
+++ b/src/engine/db/tests.rs
@@ -458,6 +458,30 @@
         assert_eq!(db.certfps("bob"), &[kept][..], "kept cert survives");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn compaction_preserves_channel_last_used_and_levels() {
+        let p = tmp("compact-chan");
+        let mut db = Db::open(&p, "local");
+        db.scram_iterations = 4096;
+        db.register("alice", "pw", None).unwrap();
+        db.register_channel("#chan", "alice").unwrap();
+        let reg_ts = db.channel("#chan").unwrap().ts;
+        // A LEVELS override and recent activity, both held outside ChannelRegistered.
+        db.level_set("#chan", "SET", "AOP").unwrap();
+        let active = reg_ts + 100_000; // past the 1-day activity-coalesce threshold
+        db.mark_channel_used("#chan", active);
+        assert_eq!(db.channel("#chan").unwrap().last_used, active);
+
+        db.compact().unwrap();
+        drop(db);
+        let db = Db::open(&p, "local");
+        let c = db.channel("#chan").expect("channel survives compaction");
+        // Before the fix, the snapshot emitted only ChannelRegistered, so replay
+        // reset last_used to reg_ts (risking wrong expiry) and dropped the override.
+        assert_eq!(c.last_used, active, "inactivity clock survives compaction");
+        assert!(c.levels.iter().any(|(cap, role)| cap == "SET" && role == "AOP"), "LEVELS override survives: {:?}", c.levels);
+    }
+
     // An account provisioned from a SCRAM verifier alone (external authority)
     // must authenticate over the PLAIN / IDENTIFY path (db.authenticate), not
     // only over SCRAM — the verifier is the sole credential, so a backfilled