diff --git a/changelog.d/fixes/11368-create-connection-tokenexpiresat.md b/changelog.d/fixes/11368-create-connection-tokenexpiresat.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69ce198f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fixes/11368-create-connection-tokenexpiresat.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- **Provider connections:** keep `tokenExpiresAt` when a connection is created. The create-path allowlist omitted it, so every insert stored NULL and the dashboard token badge could read a fresh connection as expired until its first background refresh ([#11368](https://github.com/diegosouzapw/OmniRoute/pull/11368)).
diff --git a/src/lib/db/providers.ts b/src/lib/db/providers.ts
index 6c7b6ea34c..e63b85bf09 100644
--- a/src/lib/db/providers.ts
+++ b/src/lib/db/providers.ts
@@ -625,6 +625,10 @@ export async function createProviderConnection(data: JsonRecord) {
     "accessToken",
     "refreshToken",
     "expiresAt",
+    // #5326's payload sets this and _insertConnectionRow binds it, but it was
+    // missing from this allowlist — so every created row stored NULL however good
+    // the payload was. The update path already carries it (`data.tokenExpiresAt`).
+    "tokenExpiresAt",
     "tokenType",
     "scope",
     "idToken",
diff --git a/tests/unit/oauth-connection-tokenexpiresat-5326.test.ts b/tests/unit/oauth-connection-tokenexpiresat-5326.test.ts
index 206183ee85..9507506221 100644
--- a/tests/unit/oauth-connection-tokenexpiresat-5326.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/oauth-connection-tokenexpiresat-5326.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,22 @@
 import test from "node:test";
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
 
-import { buildOAuthConnectionCreatePayload } from "../../src/lib/oauth/connectionPersistence.ts";
+const TEST_DATA_DIR = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "omniroute-tokenexpiresat-"));
+process.env.DATA_DIR = TEST_DATA_DIR;
+process.env.API_KEY_SECRET = process.env.API_KEY_SECRET || "tokenexpiresat-test-secret";
+
+const core = await import("../../src/lib/db/core.ts");
+const providersDb = await import("../../src/lib/db/providers.ts");
+const { buildOAuthConnectionCreatePayload } =
+  await import("../../src/lib/oauth/connectionPersistence.ts");
+
+test.after(() => {
+  core.resetDbInstance();
+  fs.rmSync(TEST_DATA_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
 
 // Regression for #5326: a freshly created OAuth connection (e.g. antigravity) used
 // to persist only `expiresAt`, leaving `tokenExpiresAt` null. The dashboard token
@@ -32,12 +47,39 @@ test("buildOAuthConnectionCreatePayload mirrors expiresAt into tokenExpiresAt (#
 });
 
 test("buildOAuthConnectionCreatePayload keeps tokenExpiresAt null when expiry is unknown", () => {
-  const payload = buildOAuthConnectionCreatePayload(
-    "antigravity",
-    { accessToken: "at-456" },
-    null
-  );
+  const payload = buildOAuthConnectionCreatePayload("antigravity", { accessToken: "at-456" }, null);
 
   assert.equal(payload.expiresAt, null);
   assert.equal(payload.tokenExpiresAt, null);
 });
+
+// The two cases above assert the payload object only, which is why the create path
+// could drop the field for as long as it did. `createProviderConnection` copies
+// optional fields through an allowlist, and `tokenExpiresAt` was not on it, so the
+// insert bound NULL however good the payload was. Persist and read it back.
+test("a created connection keeps tokenExpiresAt through the database", async () => {
+  core.resetDbInstance();
+  const expiresAt = new Date(Date.now() + 3600 * 1000).toISOString();
+  const payload = buildOAuthConnectionCreatePayload(
+    "antigravity",
+    {
+      accessToken: "at-789",
+      refreshToken: "rt-789",
+      email: "roundtrip@example.com",
+      expiresIn: 3600,
+    },
+    expiresAt
+  );
+  assert.equal(payload.tokenExpiresAt, expiresAt, "precondition: the payload carries it");
+
+  const created = await providersDb.createProviderConnection(payload);
+  const readBack = (await providersDb.getProviderConnections({})).find(
+    (c: { id: string }) => c.id === created.id
+  );
+
+  assert.ok(readBack, "the connection was persisted");
+  assert.equal(readBack.expiresAt, expiresAt);
+  // The dashboard badge and tokenHealthCheck both prefer tokenExpiresAt and fall back
+  // to expiresAt only when it is null, so a NULL here is a false "Token Expired".
+  assert.equal(readBack.tokenExpiresAt, expiresAt);
+});