diff --git a/Tools/windows/Invoke-MatchedActionSupplement.ps1 b/Tools/windows/Invoke-MatchedActionSupplement.ps1
index 923a6285..9fbd902a 100644
--- a/Tools/windows/Invoke-MatchedActionSupplement.ps1
+++ b/Tools/windows/Invoke-MatchedActionSupplement.ps1
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ $journalBinding=New-CapJournalBinding -RunId ([IO.Path]::GetFileName($runDirecto
     -ModuleSha256 $moduleHash -WorkerSha256 $workerHash `
     -SupervisorSha256 $supervisorHash -Identity $selfIdentity
 $journalState=New-CapJournalState -Root $root -Directory $journalPath `
-    -Binding $journalBinding -DeadlineUtc $leaseWindow.ExpiresUtc.UtcDateTime
+    -Binding $journalBinding -DeadlineUtc $leaseWindow.ExpiresUtc
 Write-CapWorkerJournalSnapshot -Kind 'Bootstrap'
 $startedUtc=[DateTime]::UtcNow
 $primaryFailure=$null
diff --git a/Tools/windows/Tests/UiCaptureDriver.Tests.ps1 b/Tools/windows/Tests/UiCaptureDriver.Tests.ps1
index c97a625e..991d4d9f 100644
--- a/Tools/windows/Tests/UiCaptureDriver.Tests.ps1
+++ b/Tools/windows/Tests/UiCaptureDriver.Tests.ps1
@@ -542,7 +542,35 @@ function Assert-CapRejects {
             $path = Join-Path $c.State.Directory $reference.name
             $null = Assert-CapRejects { Write-CapImmutableJson -Root $c.Root -Path $path -Value @{ invalid = $true } } 'SequenceConflict'
             Assert-CapTest ((Get-FileHash -LiteralPath $path -Algorithm SHA256).Hash -ceq $reference.sha256) 'Collision changed prior bytes.'
-            return @{ subcases = 1; priorBytesUnchanged = $true; retainedStagingFault = $true }
+            $newState = {
+                param([string]$Name, $Deadline)
+                $directory = Join-Path $c.Root $Name
+                $null = New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $directory
+                New-CapJournalState -Root $c.Root -Directory $directory -Binding $c.Binding -DeadlineUtc $Deadline
+            }
+            $deadlineNow = [DateTime]::UtcNow
+            $lease = Get-CapLeaseWindow -GrantedUtc $deadlineNow.AddMinutes(-1).ToString('o') `
+                -ExpiresUtc $deadlineNow.AddMinutes(10).ToString('o') -MaximumMinutes 15 `
+                -NowUtc $deadlineNow
+            $dateTimeState = & $newState 'datetime' $lease.ExpiresUtc
+            $offsetDeadline = ([DateTimeOffset]$lease.ExpiresUtc).ToOffset([TimeSpan]::FromHours(7))
+            $offsetState = & $newState 'offset' $offsetDeadline
+            Assert-CapTest ($dateTimeState.DeadlineUtc.Kind -eq [DateTimeKind]::Utc -and
+                $offsetState.DeadlineUtc.Kind -eq [DateTimeKind]::Utc -and
+                $offsetState.DeadlineUtc -eq $dateTimeState.DeadlineUtc) `
+                'Journal deadline boundary did not preserve DateTime and DateTimeOffset UTC instants.'
+            $null = Assert-CapRejects { & $newState 'null' $null } 'Journal deadline is required'
+            foreach ($kind in @([DateTimeKind]::Local,[DateTimeKind]::Unspecified)) {
+                $null = Assert-CapRejects {
+                    & $newState "kind-$kind" ([DateTime]::SpecifyKind($lease.ExpiresUtc,$kind))
+                } 'explicitly UTC'
+            }
+            $null = Assert-CapRejects {
+                & $newState 'expired' ([DateTime]::UtcNow.AddSeconds(-1))
+            } 'JournalExpired'
+            return @{ subcases = 6; priorBytesUnchanged = $true; retainedStagingFault = $true
+                dateTimeUtc = $dateTimeState.DeadlineUtc; dateTimeOffsetUtc = $offsetState.DeadlineUtc
+                nullRefused = $true; nonUtcKindsRefused = 2; hardDeadlineRefused = $true }
         }
         Invoke-CapTest 'numbered journal reader retries only transient Open failures within count and deadline' {
             $progress = Invoke-JournalConcurrentContract -Name 'retry-to2' -LockedFirst -Publications 2
@@ -3026,6 +3054,8 @@ function Invoke-CapMatchedContracts {
             $actionInvokeSource.Contains('-DefinitionsOnly') -and
             $actionInvokeSource.Contains('$actionSupplementMode=$true') -and
             $actionInvokeSource.Contains('$journalState=New-CapJournalState') -and
+            $actionInvokeSource.Contains('-DeadlineUtc $leaseWindow.ExpiresUtc') -and
+            -not $actionInvokeSource.Contains('$leaseWindow.ExpiresUtc.UtcDateTime') -and
             $actionInvokeSource.Contains("Write-CapWorkerJournalSnapshot -Kind 'Bootstrap'") -and
             $actionInvokeSource.Contains("Write-CapWorkerJournalSnapshot -Kind 'Terminal'") -and
             $workerSource.Contains("'s-tabs-hover-close-action-result'") -and
diff --git a/Tools/windows/UI-CAPTURE-SCENARIOS.md b/Tools/windows/UI-CAPTURE-SCENARIOS.md
index 1d8cdce9..7ca6afa0 100644
--- a/Tools/windows/UI-CAPTURE-SCENARIOS.md
+++ b/Tools/windows/UI-CAPTURE-SCENARIOS.md
@@ -113,6 +113,11 @@ publication is written only after held cleanup and stream EOF collection, and
 the sanitized action manifest retains its binding, publication chain and
 terminal hash without changing the static-capture inventory.
 
+Journal state creation normalizes an accepted `DateTimeOffset` to its UTC
+instant and accepts `DateTime` only when its `Kind` is explicitly UTC. Null,
+local/unspecified `DateTime`, foreign types and already-expired deadlines fail
+before any numbered publication or launcher release.
+
 The focused contract reproduces the C8R terminal scale with exactly 679 process
 entries and a numbered terminal larger than 1.48 MB, then injects more than one
 second of post-copy validation. It also retains explicit refusals for a copy
diff --git a/Tools/windows/UiCaptureDriver.psm1 b/Tools/windows/UiCaptureDriver.psm1
index 06af5d6f..4000863d 100644
--- a/Tools/windows/UiCaptureDriver.psm1
+++ b/Tools/windows/UiCaptureDriver.psm1
@@ -5167,6 +5167,24 @@ function ConvertTo-CapUtcInstant {
     }
 }
 
+function ConvertTo-CapUtcDateTime {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory)][AllowNull()]$Value,
+        [Parameter(Mandatory)][string]$Field
+    )
+    Write-CapTrace -Command $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Name -Parameters $PSBoundParameters
+
+    if ($null -eq $Value) { throw "$Field is required." }
+    if ($Value -is [DateTime]) {
+        if ($Value.Kind -ne [DateTimeKind]::Utc) {
+            throw "$Field must be an explicitly UTC DateTime."
+        }
+        return $Value
+    }
+    if ($Value -is [DateTimeOffset]) { return $Value.UtcDateTime }
+    throw "$Field must be a UTC DateTime or DateTimeOffset."
+}
+
 function Get-CapLeaseWindow {
     [CmdletBinding()]
     param(
@@ -5322,8 +5340,12 @@ function Assert-CapJournalBinding {
 function New-CapJournalState {
     [CmdletBinding()]
     param([string]$Root, [string]$Directory, [Parameter(Mandatory)]$Binding,
-        [Parameter(Mandatory)][DateTime]$DeadlineUtc, [string]$ObservationPath = '')
+        [Parameter(Mandatory)][AllowNull()]$DeadlineUtc, [string]$ObservationPath = '')
     Write-CapTrace -Command $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Name -Parameters $PSBoundParameters
+    $normalizedDeadline = ConvertTo-CapUtcDateTime -Value $DeadlineUtc -Field 'Journal deadline'
+    if ($normalizedDeadline -le [DateTime]::UtcNow) {
+        throw (New-CapJournalFailure 'JournalExpired' 'Journal deadline reached before state initialization.')
+    }
     $directoryPath = Assert-CapArtifactPath -Root $Root -Path $Directory
     if (-not ([IO.File]::GetAttributes($directoryPath) -band [IO.FileAttributes]::Directory)) {
         throw 'Journal requires an existing dedicated directory.'
@@ -5334,7 +5356,7 @@ function New-CapJournalState {
     Assert-CapJournalBinding $Binding $Binding
     return [pscustomobject]@{
         Root = [IO.Path]::GetFullPath($Root); Directory = $directoryPath; Binding = $Binding
-        DeadlineUtc = $DeadlineUtc; ObservationPath = $ObservationPath
+        DeadlineUtc = $normalizedDeadline; ObservationPath = $ObservationPath
         HighestObserved = 0L; LastApplied = 0L; Sequence = 0L; PreviousHash = ('0' * 64)
         Published = [Collections.Generic.List[object]]::new()
         Accepted = [Collections.Generic.Dictionary[long,string]]::new()