diff --git a/logos_delivery/waku/waku_core/message/message.nim b/logos_delivery/waku/waku_core/message/message.nim
index f6e6c9336..089e314f5 100644
--- a/logos_delivery/waku/waku_core/message/message.nim
+++ b/logos_delivery/waku/waku_core/message/message.nim
@@ -9,7 +9,20 @@ import ../topics, ../time
 
 const MaxMetaAttrLength* = 64 # 64 bytes
 
-type WakuMessage* = object # Data payload transmitted.
+type WakuMessage* = ref object
+  # Data payload transmitted.
+  ## `WakuMessage` is a `ref object` for performance: every assignment,
+  ## async-closure capture, and Result/Option bind-out costs a pointer +
+  ## refcount instead of deep-copying the three seqs + the string.
+  ##
+  ## By convention a `WakuMessage` is **immutable after construction**. Only
+  ## mutate an instance you just constructed yourself, or one you obtained via
+  ## `clone()`. Mutating a message received through an API or held elsewhere is
+  ## a shared-state bug under ref semantics.
+  ##
+  ## NOTE: this deliberately deviates from the AGENTS.md `Ref`-suffix naming
+  ## rule; renaming the ~2,100 occurrences of `WakuMessage` has no semantic
+  ## value and would be pure churn.
   payload*: seq[byte]
   # String identifier that can be used for content-based filtering.
   contentTopic*: ContentTopic
@@ -28,7 +41,36 @@ type WakuMessage* = object # Data payload transmitted.
   # attribute will be used in the rln-relay protocol.
   proof*: seq[byte]
 
+proc `==`*(a, b: WakuMessage): bool =
+  ## Structural equality. Two messages are equal when both are nil, or both are
+  ## non-nil with field-wise-equal contents (ref identity is *not* used).
+  if a.isNil() or b.isNil():
+    return a.isNil() and b.isNil()
+  a.payload == b.payload and a.contentTopic == b.contentTopic and a.meta == b.meta and
+    a.version == b.version and a.timestamp == b.timestamp and a.ephemeral == b.ephemeral and
+    a.proof == b.proof
+
+proc clone*(msg: WakuMessage): WakuMessage =
+  ## Explicit deep copy into a fresh ref (copies the payload/meta/proof seqs).
+  ## Cloning is the deliberate, rare escape hatch when a held message must be
+  ## mutated without affecting other holders.
+  if msg.isNil():
+    return nil
+  WakuMessage(
+    payload: msg.payload,
+    contentTopic: msg.contentTopic,
+    meta: msg.meta,
+    version: msg.version,
+    timestamp: msg.timestamp,
+    ephemeral: msg.ephemeral,
+    proof: msg.proof,
+  )
+
 proc ensureTimestampSet*(message: WakuMessage): WakuMessage =
-  result = message
-  if result.timestamp == 0:
-    result.timestamp = getNowInNanosecondTime()
+  ## Returns `message` unchanged when its timestamp is already set; otherwise
+  ## returns a fresh clone with the current timestamp. Never mutates the input
+  ## (which may be shared under ref semantics).
+  if message.timestamp != 0:
+    return message
+  result = message.clone()
+  result.timestamp = getNowInNanosecondTime()
diff --git a/tests/all_tests_waku.nim b/tests/all_tests_waku.nim
index 5498db307..f8ffc7b20 100644
--- a/tests/all_tests_waku.nim
+++ b/tests/all_tests_waku.nim
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import ./test_waku
 import
   ./waku_core/test_namespaced_topics,
   ./waku_core/test_time,
+  ./waku_core/test_message,
   ./waku_core/test_message_digest,
   ./waku_core/test_peers,
   ./waku_core/test_published_address
diff --git a/tests/waku_core/test_message.nim b/tests/waku_core/test_message.nim
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a0debfe34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/waku_core/test_message.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+{.used.}
+
+import std/times, stew/byteutils, testutils/unittests
+import logos_delivery/waku/waku_core/message/message
+
+suite "Waku Message - ref semantics":
+  test "structural == on equal contents":
+    let a = WakuMessage(
+      payload: "\x01\x02\x03".toBytes(),
+      contentTopic: "/test/1/proto",
+      meta: @[byte 9],
+      version: 1,
+      timestamp: 42,
+      ephemeral: true,
+      proof: @[byte 7],
+    )
+    let b = WakuMessage(
+      payload: "\x01\x02\x03".toBytes(),
+      contentTopic: "/test/1/proto",
+      meta: @[byte 9],
+      version: 1,
+      timestamp: 42,
+      ephemeral: true,
+      proof: @[byte 7],
+    )
+    check:
+      a == b # equal by content, distinct refs
+      not (a == WakuMessage(payload: "\x01\x02\x03".toBytes()))
+
+  test "structural == nil cases":
+    let nilA: WakuMessage = nil
+    let nilB: WakuMessage = nil
+    let nonNil = WakuMessage(payload: @[byte 1])
+    check:
+      nilA == nilB # both nil -> equal
+      not (nilA == nonNil) # one nil -> not equal
+      not (nonNil == nilB)
+
+  test "clone is an independent deep copy":
+    let orig =
+      WakuMessage(payload: @[byte 1, 2, 3], contentTopic: "/a/1", proof: @[byte 8])
+    let cp = orig.clone()
+    check:
+      cp == orig # equal contents
+      not cp.isNil()
+    # mutating the clone must not touch the original
+    cp.payload = @[byte 9]
+    cp.proof = @[byte 0]
+    check:
+      orig.payload == @[byte 1, 2, 3]
+      orig.proof == @[byte 8]
+      not (cp == orig)
+
+  test "clone(nil) is nil":
+    let n: WakuMessage = nil
+    check n.clone().isNil()
+
+  test "ensureTimestampSet returns same ref when timestamp already set":
+    let msg = WakuMessage(payload: @[byte 1], timestamp: 123)
+    let res = msg.ensureTimestampSet()
+    check:
+      cast[pointer](res) == cast[pointer](msg) # same instance, no clone
+      res.timestamp == 123
+
+  test "ensureTimestampSet returns a fresh ref, never mutating the shared input":
+    let msg = WakuMessage(payload: @[byte 1], timestamp: 0)
+    let res = msg.ensureTimestampSet()
+    check:
+      cast[pointer](res) != cast[pointer](msg) # distinct instance
+      res.timestamp != 0
+      msg.timestamp == 0 # input untouched (would be a shared-state bug)
+      res.payload == msg.payload