diff --git a/golpe.yaml b/golpe.yaml
index f959654..97180df 100644
--- a/golpe.yaml
+++ b/golpe.yaml
@@ -31,7 +31,9 @@ tables:
         type: ubytes
 
     indices:
-      created_at:
+      createdAt:
+        integer: true
+      receivedAt:
         integer: true
       id:
         comparator: StringUint64
@@ -54,8 +56,9 @@ tables:
 
     indexPrelude: |
         auto *flat = v.flat_nested();
-        created_at = flat->created_at();
-        uint64_t indexTime = *created_at;
+        createdAt = flat->created_at();
+        uint64_t indexTime = *createdAt;
+        receivedAt = v.receivedAt();
 
         id = makeKey_StringUint64(sv(flat->id()), indexTime);
         pubkey = makeKey_StringUint64(sv(flat->pubkey()), indexTime);
@@ -164,11 +167,11 @@ config:
     default: 20
 
   - name: relay__writePolicy__plugin
-    desc: ""
+    desc: "If non-empty, path to an executable script that implements the writePolicy plugin logic"
     default: ""
   - name: relay__writePolicy__lookbackSeconds
-    desc: ""
-    default: 21600
+    desc: "Number of seconds to search backwards for lookback events when starting the writePolicy plugin (0 for no lookback)"
+    default: 0
 
   - name: relay__compression__enabled
     desc: "Use permessage-deflate compression if supported by client. Reduces bandwidth, but slight increase in CPU"
diff --git a/src/DBScan.h b/src/DBScan.h
index b463bd5..63a964d 100644
--- a/src/DBScan.h
+++ b/src/DBScan.h
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ struct DBScan {
         } else {
             scanState = CreatedAtScan{};
             auto *state = std::get_if<CreatedAtScan>(&scanState);
-            indexDbi = env.dbi_Event__created_at;
+            indexDbi = env.dbi_Event__createdAt;
 
             isComplete = [&, state]{
                 return state->done;
diff --git a/src/PluginWritePolicy.h b/src/PluginWritePolicy.h
index a274c4f..76fb8a7 100644
--- a/src/PluginWritePolicy.h
+++ b/src/PluginWritePolicy.h
@@ -73,14 +73,15 @@ struct PluginWritePolicy {
                 }
             }
 
-            if (!running) setupPlugin();
-
-            auto json = tao::json::from_string(jsonStr);
+            if (!running) {
+                setupPlugin();
+                sendLookbackEvents();
+            }
 
             auto request = tao::json::value({
                 { "type", "new" },
-                { "event", json },
-                { "receivedAt", receivedAt },
+                { "event", tao::json::from_string(jsonStr) },
+                { "receivedAt", receivedAt / 1000000 },
                 { "sourceType", eventSourceTypeToStr(sourceType) },
                 { "sourceInfo", sourceType == EventSourceType::IP4 || sourceType == EventSourceType::IP6 ? renderIP(sourceInfo) : sourceInfo },
             });
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ struct PluginWritePolicy {
             std::string output = tao::json::to_string(request);
             output += "\n";
 
-            ::fwrite(output.data(), output.size(), 1, running->w);
+            if (::fwrite(output.data(), 1, output.size(), running->w) != output.size()) throw herr("error writing to plugin");
 
             tao::json::value response;
 
@@ -102,7 +103,8 @@ struct PluginWritePolicy {
                     LW << "Got unparseable line from write policy plugin: " << buf;
                     continue;
                 }
-                // FIXME: verify id
+
+                if (response.at("id").get_string() != request.at("event").at("id").get_string()) throw herr("id mismatch");
 
                 break;
             }
@@ -175,4 +177,40 @@ struct PluginWritePolicy {
 
         running = make_unique<RunningPlugin>(pid, inPipe.saveFd(0), outPipe.saveFd(1), path);
     }
+
+    void sendLookbackEvents() {
+        if (cfg().relay__writePolicy__lookbackSeconds == 0) return;
+
+        Decompressor decomp;
+        auto now = hoytech::curr_time_us();
+
+        uint64_t start = now - (cfg().relay__writePolicy__lookbackSeconds * 1'000'000);
+
+        auto txn = env.txn_ro();
+
+        env.generic_foreachFull(txn, env.dbi_Event__receivedAt, lmdb::to_sv<uint64_t>(start), lmdb::to_sv<uint64_t>(0), [&](auto k, auto v) {
+            if (lmdb::from_sv<uint64_t>(k) > now) return false;
+
+            auto ev = env.lookup_Event(txn, lmdb::from_sv<uint64_t>(v));
+            if (!ev) throw herr("unable to look up event, corrupt DB?");
+
+            auto sourceType = (EventSourceType)ev->sourceType();
+            std::string_view sourceInfo = ev->sourceInfo();
+
+            auto request = tao::json::value({
+                { "type", "lookback" },
+                { "event", tao::json::from_string(getEventJson(txn, decomp, ev->primaryKeyId)) },
+                { "receivedAt", ev->receivedAt() / 1000000 },
+                { "sourceType", eventSourceTypeToStr(sourceType) },
+                { "sourceInfo", sourceType == EventSourceType::IP4 || sourceType == EventSourceType::IP6 ? renderIP(sourceInfo) : sourceInfo },
+            });
+
+            std::string output = tao::json::to_string(request);
+            output += "\n";
+
+            if (::fwrite(output.data(), 1, output.size(), running->w) != output.size()) throw herr("error writing to plugin");
+
+            return true;
+        });
+    }
 };
diff --git a/src/cmd_export.cpp b/src/cmd_export.cpp
index 90e94fd..8dc1b88 100644
--- a/src/cmd_export.cpp
+++ b/src/cmd_export.cpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ void cmd_export(const std::vector<std::string> &subArgs) {
 
     auto txn = env.txn_ro();
 
-    env.generic_foreachFull(txn, env.dbi_Event__created_at, lmdb::to_sv<uint64_t>(since), lmdb::to_sv<uint64_t>(0), [&](auto k, auto v) {
+    env.generic_foreachFull(txn, env.dbi_Event__createdAt, lmdb::to_sv<uint64_t>(since), lmdb::to_sv<uint64_t>(0), [&](auto k, auto v) {
         if (lmdb::from_sv<uint64_t>(k) > until) return false;
 
         auto view = env.lookup_Event(txn, lmdb::from_sv<uint64_t>(v));
diff --git a/strfry.conf b/strfry.conf
index d6d440e..0b909e7 100644
--- a/strfry.conf
+++ b/strfry.conf
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ relay {
     # Set OS-limit on maximum number of open files/sockets (if 0, don't attempt to set) (restart required)
     nofiles = 1000000
 
-    # HTTP header that contains the client's real IP, before reverse proxying (ie x-real-ip) (case-insensitive)
+    # HTTP header that contains the client's real IP, before reverse proxying (ie x-real-ip) (MUST be all lower-case)
     realIpHeader = ""
 
     info {
@@ -59,9 +59,11 @@ relay {
     maxSubsPerConnection = 20
 
     writePolicy {
+        # If non-empty, path to an executable script that implements the writePolicy plugin logic
         plugin = ""
 
-        lookbackSeconds = 21600
+        # Number of seconds to search backwards for lookback events when starting the writePolicy plugin (0 for no lookback)
+        lookbackSeconds = 0
     }
 
     compression {