diff --git a/docs/GRAPH_SCHEMA_REFERENCE.md b/docs/GRAPH_SCHEMA_REFERENCE.md
index e972274..35ded96 100644
--- a/docs/GRAPH_SCHEMA_REFERENCE.md
+++ b/docs/GRAPH_SCHEMA_REFERENCE.md
@@ -698,7 +698,7 @@ ORDER BY b.name, a.name
 ### "Find unresolved contradictions"
 ```cypher
 MATCH (a:Entity)-[c:CONTRADICTS]->(b:Entity)
-WHERE c.resolved = false
+WHERE coalesce(c.resolved, false) = false
 RETURN labels(a) AS type_a, a.id AS id_a,
        labels(b) AS type_b, b.id AS id_b,
        c.description, c.detected_date
diff --git a/prompts/dream-nightly.md b/prompts/dream-nightly.md
index 118895c..e440efe 100644
--- a/prompts/dream-nightly.md
+++ b/prompts/dream-nightly.md
@@ -189,6 +189,16 @@ If none fit exactly, use the closest match. Do NOT invent new values.
 
 When a fact replaces an old one (e.g., "we switched from Vue to React"), `graph_relate` handles this automatically — it sets `invalid_at` on the old edge. Note the supersession in the changelog.
 
+### 4g-1. Flag Contradictions
+
+When two facts can't both be true and nothing says which one won, write a `CONTRADICTS` edge between them with these properties:
+
+- `description`: one line on what conflicts
+- `detected_date`: the run's timestamp
+- `resolved`: `false`
+
+The server fills `resolved: false` and `detected_date` if you leave them out, but always send `description`, since nothing else records why the pair conflicts. Log a `contradiction_found` audit event for each one.
+
 ### 4g-2. Validate Extractions
 
 After writing entities and edges for a transcript, call `graph_validate` with the session's `source_session` to check for bad data:
diff --git a/scripts/backfill-contradicts-resolved.cypher b/scripts/backfill-contradicts-resolved.cypher
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef35f6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/backfill-contradicts-resolved.cypher
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// One-time backfill: give every CONTRADICTS edge the review fields the
+// contradiction check relies on. Safe to re-run: coalesce keeps any value
+// already present, so resolved edges stay resolved.
+//
+// 1. Preview (read-only):
+MATCH (a:Entity)-[r:CONTRADICTS]->(b:Entity)
+WHERE r.resolved IS NULL OR r.detected_date IS NULL
+RETURN a.tenant_id AS tenant, a.id AS from_id, b.id AS to_id,
+       r.resolved AS resolved, r.detected_date AS detected_date, r.ingested_at AS ingested_at;
+
+// 2. Apply:
+MATCH (:Entity)-[r:CONTRADICTS]->(:Entity)
+WHERE r.resolved IS NULL OR r.detected_date IS NULL
+SET r.resolved = coalesce(r.resolved, false),
+    r.detected_date = coalesce(r.detected_date, r.ingested_at, datetime())
+RETURN count(r) AS backfilled;
diff --git a/skills/graph-ask/SKILL.md b/skills/graph-ask/SKILL.md
index f71a040..b72917a 100644
--- a/skills/graph-ask/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/graph-ask/SKILL.md
@@ -119,9 +119,10 @@ ORDER BY r.weight DESC LIMIT 30
 ### T7 — Contradictions
 ```cypher
 MATCH (a:Entity)-[r:CONTRADICTS]->(b:Entity)
-WHERE r.resolved = false
-RETURN a.name AS entity_a, b.name AS entity_b, r.properties.description AS conflict, r.properties.detected_date AS detected
-ORDER BY r.properties.detected_date DESC LIMIT 20
+WHERE coalesce(r.resolved, false) = false
+RETURN a.name AS entity_a, b.name AS entity_b, r.description AS conflict,
+       coalesce(r.detected_date, r.ingested_at) AS detected
+ORDER BY toString(detected) DESC LIMIT 20
 ```
 *Use for: "what contradictions exist?", "conflicting facts"*
 
diff --git a/src/shared/neo4j-client.test.ts b/src/shared/neo4j-client.test.ts
index b37849d..c063569 100644
--- a/src/shared/neo4j-client.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/neo4j-client.test.ts
@@ -733,6 +733,56 @@ describe("Contradictions edge cases", () => {
     expect(result.count).toBe(0);
   });
 
+  it("treats a CONTRADICTS edge with no resolved flag as unresolved", async () => {
+    await client.createRelationship(T, "fact-vue", "fact-react", "CONTRADICTS", 1.0, {
+      description: "Tech stack conflict",
+    });
+    // Recreate an edge written before the flag was always set.
+    await client.removeEdgeProperty(T, "fact-vue", "fact-react", "CONTRADICTS", "resolved");
+    await client.removeEdgeProperty(T, "fact-vue", "fact-react", "CONTRADICTS", "detected_date");
+
+    const result = await client.findContradictions(T);
+    expect(result.count).toBe(1);
+    expect(result.contradictions[0].resolved).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.contradictions[0].detected_date).not.toBe("");
+
+    const stats = await client.getStats(T);
+    expect(stats.health.unresolved_contradictions).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it("fills resolved=false and detected_date when a CONTRADICTS edge is written without them", async () => {
+    await client.createRelationship(T, "fact-vue", "fact-react", "CONTRADICTS", 0.5);
+
+    const edges = await client.getRelationships(T, "fact-vue", "out");
+    const edge = edges.find((e) => e.type === "CONTRADICTS");
+    expect(edge?.properties["resolved"]).toBe(false);
+    expect(edge?.properties["detected_date"]).toBeDefined();
+
+    const result = await client.findContradictions(T);
+    expect(result.count).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it("fills the CONTRADICTS defaults in batch mode too", async () => {
+    await client.batchRelate(T, {
+      entities: [],
+      relations: [{ from: "fact-vue", to: "fact-react", relation: "CONTRADICTS", weight: 0.5 }],
+    });
+    const result = await client.findContradictions(T);
+    expect(result.count).toBe(1);
+    expect(result.contradictions[0].resolved).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does not reopen a resolved contradiction when it is asserted again", async () => {
+    await client.createRelationship(T, "fact-vue", "fact-react", "CONTRADICTS", 1.0, {
+      description: "Tech stack conflict",
+      resolved: true,
+    });
+    await client.createRelationship(T, "fact-vue", "fact-react", "CONTRADICTS", 1.0);
+
+    expect((await client.findContradictions(T)).count).toBe(0);
+    expect((await client.findContradictions(T, true)).contradictions[0].resolved).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("surfaces resolved contradictions when include_resolved=true", async () => {
     await client.createRelationship(T, "fact-vue", "fact-react", "CONTRADICTS", 1.0, {
       description: "Tech stack conflict",
diff --git a/src/shared/neo4j-client.ts b/src/shared/neo4j-client.ts
index 85ff26a..7aa38b0 100644
--- a/src/shared/neo4j-client.ts
+++ b/src/shared/neo4j-client.ts
@@ -169,6 +169,14 @@ function recordToEdge(
 
 // ─── Neo4jClient ───
 
+/** Fills the review fields on a CONTRADICTS edge when the writer left them
+ *  out, so the edge is always visible to findContradictions() and getStats().
+ *  coalesce keeps any value already on the edge, so re-asserting a resolved
+ *  contradiction does not reopen it. Expects `r` and `$now` in scope. */
+const CONTRADICTS_DEFAULTS =
+  "SET r.resolved = coalesce(r.resolved, false), " +
+  "r.detected_date = coalesce(r.detected_date, datetime($now))";
+
 export class Neo4jClient {
   private driver: Driver;
   private database: string;
@@ -357,6 +365,23 @@ export class Neo4jClient {
     );
   }
 
+  /** Remove one property from an edge. Used to recreate edges written
+   *  before a property was always set (e.g. CONTRADICTS without `resolved`). */
+  async removeEdgeProperty(
+    tenantId: string,
+    fromId: string,
+    toId: string,
+    relation: RelationshipType,
+    property: "resolved" | "detected_date" | "description",
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const rel = existingRelation(relation);
+    await this.run(
+      `MATCH (a:Entity {tenant_id: $tenantId, id: $fromId})-[r:\`${rel}\`]->(b:Entity {tenant_id: $tenantId, id: $toId})
+       REMOVE r.\`${property}\``,
+      { tenantId, fromId, toId },
+    );
+  }
+
   // ─── Schema Initialization ───
 
   async initializeSchema(): Promise<void> {
@@ -615,6 +640,7 @@ export class Neo4jClient {
     // applies to verbs like FAMILY_OF, where dating one child's birth must not
     // retire every other child.
     const supersede = validAtChecked !== null && isSupersedable(rel.value);
+    const contradictsDefaults = rel.value === "CONTRADICTS" ? CONTRADICTS_DEFAULTS : "";
     const supersedeAt = validAtChecked ?? now;
     const { clean } = sanitizeProperties(properties, "edge");
     const allProps = {
@@ -666,6 +692,7 @@ export class Neo4jClient {
         r.valid_at = CASE WHEN $validAt IS NOT NULL THEN datetime($validAt) ELSE r.valid_at END,
         r += $allProps
       WITH r, a, b
+      ${contradictsDefaults}
       SET r.proposed_relations = CASE
         WHEN $proposed IS NULL THEN r.proposed_relations
         WHEN $proposed IN coalesce(r.proposed_relations, []) THEN r.proposed_relations
@@ -1021,16 +1048,22 @@ export class Neo4jClient {
     }>;
     count: number;
   }> {
-    const resolvedFilter = includeResolved ? "" : "AND r.resolved = false";
+    // A CONTRADICTS edge written without `resolved` is unresolved. Matching
+    // only `r.resolved = false` hid every such edge, so the check reported 0
+    // while real contradictions sat in the graph.
+    const resolvedFilter = includeResolved ? "" : "AND coalesce(r.resolved, false) = false";
     const rows = await this.run(
       `
       MATCH (a:Entity {tenant_id: $tenantId})-[r:CONTRADICTS]->(b:Entity {tenant_id: $tenantId})
       WHERE 1=1 ${resolvedFilter}
       RETURN a.id AS aId, labels(a) AS aLabels, a.name AS aName,
              b.id AS bId, labels(b) AS bLabels, b.name AS bName,
-             r.description AS description, r.detected_date AS detected_date,
-             r.resolved AS resolved
-      ORDER BY r.detected_date DESC
+             r.description AS description,
+             coalesce(r.detected_date, r.ingested_at) AS detected_date,
+             coalesce(r.resolved, false) AS resolved
+      // Older writers stored detected_date as an ISO string, newer edges get a
+      // datetime. toString() puts both on one ISO-ordered scale.
+      ORDER BY toString(coalesce(r.detected_date, r.ingested_at)) DESC
       `,
       { tenantId },
     );
@@ -1360,6 +1393,7 @@ export class Neo4jClient {
             r.valid_at = CASE WHEN $validAt IS NOT NULL THEN datetime($validAt) ELSE r.valid_at END,
             r += $props
           WITH r
+          ${rel.relation === "CONTRADICTS" ? CONTRADICTS_DEFAULTS : ""}
           SET r.proposed_relations = CASE
             WHEN $proposed IS NULL THEN r.proposed_relations
             WHEN $proposed IN coalesce(r.proposed_relations, []) THEN r.proposed_relations
@@ -1462,7 +1496,7 @@ export class Neo4jClient {
       WHERE NOT (orphan)-[]-()
       WITH avgWeight, count(orphan) AS orphanCount
       OPTIONAL MATCH (a2:Entity {tenant_id: $tenantId})-[c:CONTRADICTS]->(b2:Entity {tenant_id: $tenantId})
-      WHERE c.resolved = false
+      WHERE coalesce(c.resolved, false) = false
       WITH avgWeight, orphanCount, count(c) AS contradictions
       OPTIONAL MATCH (stale:Entity {tenant_id: $tenantId})
       WHERE stale.confidence < 0.2 AND stale.last_seen < datetime() - duration('P90D')