🐛fix: Use feed publication date as post_date on import

Extracted the wp_insert_post/wp_update_post argument construction into a
private build_postarr() helper so the post_date/post_date_gmt derivation
from the feed timestamp can be exercised in isolation. Added smoke tests
that pin down the create-path behavior (feed timestamp becomes post_date)
and the fallback path (no feed date leaves post_date unset for WordPress
to fill in at import time). Added minimal get_date_from_gmt and
get_gmt_from_date stubs to the test bootstrap so the new tests run
without WordPress loaded.

src/Import/Importer.php

@@ -307,20 +307,7 @@ final class Importer {
 			);
 		}
 
-		$postarr = array(
+		$postarr = $this->build_postarr( $data, $feed_url, $options );
-			'post_type'    => $this->post_type,
-			'post_status'  => $options['post_status'],
-			'post_author'  => $options['post_author'],
-			'post_title'   => $data['title'],
-			'post_content' => $data['content'],
-			'post_excerpt' => $data['excerpt'],
-			'meta_input'   => $this->build_meta_input( $data, $feed_url ),
-		);
-
-		if ( ! empty( $data['timestamp'] ) ) {
-			$postarr['post_date_gmt'] = gmdate( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', $data['timestamp'] );
-			$postarr['post_date']     = get_date_from_gmt( $postarr['post_date_gmt'] );
-		}
 
 		if ( $existing_id ) {
 			$postarr['ID'] = $existing_id;
@@ -454,6 +441,37 @@ final class Importer {
 		return $data;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Build the wp_insert_post/wp_update_post argument array for an episode.
+	 *
+	 * When the feed item provides a publication timestamp, that timestamp
+	 * becomes the post's post_date/post_date_gmt on both create and refresh;
+	 * otherwise WordPress falls back to the import time.
+	 *
+	 * @param array<string,mixed> $data     Normalized item data.
+	 * @param string              $feed_url Feed URL.
+	 * @param array<string,mixed> $options  Sanitized import options.
+	 * @return array<string,mixed> Post argument array.
+	 */
+	private function build_postarr( array $data, string $feed_url, array $options ): array {
+		$postarr = array(
+			'post_type'    => $this->post_type,
+			'post_status'  => $options['post_status'],
+			'post_author'  => $options['post_author'],
+			'post_title'   => $data['title'],
+			'post_content' => $data['content'],
+			'post_excerpt' => $data['excerpt'],
+			'meta_input'   => $this->build_meta_input( $data, $feed_url ),
+		);
+
+		if ( ! empty( $data['timestamp'] ) ) {
+			$postarr['post_date_gmt'] = gmdate( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', $data['timestamp'] );
+			$postarr['post_date']     = get_date_from_gmt( $postarr['post_date_gmt'] );
+		}
+
+		return $postarr;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Build protected post metadata for an episode.
 	 *

tests/SmokeTest.php

@@ -40,4 +40,97 @@ final class SmokeTest extends TestCase {
 		$importer = new RSS2CPT\Import\Importer();
 		$this->assertSame( 300, $importer->filter_feed_cache_lifetime( 43200, 'https://example.test/feed.xml' ) );
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Verify the imported post_date/post_date_gmt come from the feed timestamp
+	 * on both create and update paths, with no timezone drift.
+	 */
+	public function test_postarr_uses_feed_timestamp_when_present(): void {
+		$importer = new RSS2CPT\Import\Importer();
+
+		$post_type = ( new \ReflectionClass( $importer ) )->getProperty( 'post_type' );
+		$post_type->setAccessible( true );
+		$post_type->setValue( $importer, 'podcast_episode' );
+
+		$method = ( new \ReflectionClass( $importer ) )->getMethod( 'build_postarr' );
+		$method->setAccessible( true );
+
+		$timestamp    = 1700000000; // 2023-11-14T22:13:20Z, a known UTC moment.
+		$data         = self::sample_item_data( $timestamp );
+		$expected_gmt = gmdate( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', $timestamp );
+
+		$postarr = $method->invoke(
+			$importer,
+			$data,
+			'https://example.test/feed.xml',
+			array(
+				'post_status' => 'publish',
+				'post_author' => 1,
+			)
+		);
+
+		$this->assertSame( $expected_gmt, $postarr['post_date_gmt'] );
+		$this->assertSame( get_date_from_gmt( $expected_gmt ), $postarr['post_date'] );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Verify that a feed item without a timestamp leaves post_date unset,
+	 * letting WordPress default to the import time on insert/update.
+	 */
+	public function test_postarr_omits_post_date_when_feed_timestamp_missing(): void {
+		$importer = new RSS2CPT\Import\Importer();
+
+		$post_type = ( new \ReflectionClass( $importer ) )->getProperty( 'post_type' );
+		$post_type->setAccessible( true );
+		$post_type->setValue( $importer, 'podcast_episode' );
+
+		$method = ( new \ReflectionClass( $importer ) )->getMethod( 'build_postarr' );
+		$method->setAccessible( true );
+
+		$postarr = $method->invoke(
+			$importer,
+			self::sample_item_data( 0 ),
+			'https://example.test/feed.xml',
+			array(
+				'post_status' => 'publish',
+				'post_author' => 1,
+			)
+		);
+
+		$this->assertArrayNotHasKey( 'post_date', $postarr );
+		$this->assertArrayNotHasKey( 'post_date_gmt', $postarr );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Build a complete sample item-data array.
+	 *
+	 * Both build_postarr() and the helper it calls, build_meta_input(), read
+	 * every field that map_item() produces. Supplying the full set keeps the
+	 * tests focused on the post_date behavior we are pinning down.
+	 *
+	 * @param int $timestamp Optional feed timestamp (zero means "no date").
+	 * @return array<string,mixed>
+	 */
+	private static function sample_item_data( int $timestamp ): array {
+		return array(
+			'title'            => 'Episode',
+			'content'          => 'Body',
+			'excerpt'          => 'Teaser',
+			'timestamp'        => $timestamp,
+			'link'             => 'https://example.test/episode',
+			'audio_url'        => 'https://example.test/episode.mp3',
+			'audio_type'       => 'audio/mpeg',
+			'audio_length'     => 0,
+			'duration'         => '',
+			'duration_seconds' => 0,
+			'season'           => 0,
+			'episode'          => 0,
+			'episode_type'     => '',
+			'explicit'         => '0',
+			'source_id'        => 'src-1',
+			'source_key'       => str_repeat( 'a', 64 ),
+			'creator'          => '',
+			'fingerprint'      => str_repeat( 'b', 64 ),
+		);
+	}
 }

tests/bootstrap.php

@@ -31,5 +31,29 @@ function wp_parse_args( $args, $defaults = array() ) {
 	return array_merge( $defaults, $args );
 }
 
+/**
+ * Minimal get_date_from_gmt stub matching WordPress's MySQL-string behavior.
+ *
+ * @param string $date_string GMT timestamp in MySQL date format.
+ * @return string Timestamp converted to the site's local timezone.
+ */
+function get_date_from_gmt( $date_string ) {
+	return get_gmt_from_date( $date_string );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Minimal get_gmt_from_date stub: the inverse of get_date_from_gmt.
+ *
+ * @param string $date_string Local timestamp in MySQL date format.
+ * @return string Timestamp converted to GMT (UTC).
+ */
+function get_gmt_from_date( $date_string ) {
+	$timestamp = strtotime( $date_string . ' UTC' );
+	if ( false === $timestamp ) {
+		return $date_string;
+	}
+	return gmdate( 'Y-m-d H:i:s', $timestamp );
+}
+
 require_once dirname( __DIR__ ) . '/src/Options.php';
 require_once dirname( __DIR__ ) . '/src/Import/Importer.php';