diff --git a/src/test_data.py b/src/test_data.py
index d89e52db9..2c1c6946b 100644
--- a/src/test_data.py
+++ b/src/test_data.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import os
 from time import time
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 
@@ -150,50 +151,36 @@ PUBSUB_TOPICS_WRONG_FORMAT = [
     {"description": "A bool", "value": True},
 ]
 
-SAMPLE_TIMESTAMPS = [
-    {"description": "Now", "value": int(time() * 1e9), "valid_for": ["nwaku"]},
-    {
-        "description": "Far future",
-        "value": int((NOW + timedelta(days=365 * 10)).timestamp() * 1e9),
-        "valid_for": ["nwaku"],
-    },  # 10 years from now
-    {"description": "Recent past", "value": int((NOW - timedelta(hours=1)).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": ["nwaku"]},  # 1 hour ago
-    {"description": "Near future", "value": int((NOW + timedelta(hours=1)).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": ["nwaku"]},  # 1 hour ahead
-    {"description": "Positive number", "value": 1, "valid_for": ["nwaku"]},
-    {"description": "Negative number", "value": -1, "valid_for": ["nwaku"]},
-    {"description": "DST change", "value": int(datetime(2020, 3, 8, 2, 0, 0).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": ["nwaku"]},  # DST starts
-    {"description": "Timestamp as string number", "value": str(int(time() * 1e9)), "valid_for": []},
-    {"description": "Invalid large number", "value": 2**63, "valid_for": []},
-    {"description": "Float number", "value": float(time() * 1e9), "valid_for": []},
-    {"description": "Array instead of timestamp", "value": [int(time() * 1e9)], "valid_for": []},
-    {"description": "Object instead of timestamp", "value": {"time": int(time() * 1e9)}, "valid_for": []},
-    {"description": "ISO 8601 timestamp", "value": "2023-12-26T10:58:51", "valid_for": []},
-    {"description": "Missing", "value": None, "valid_for": []},
-]
-
 
 def get_sample_timestamps():
     """Return timestamp test-cases with values evaluated fresh at call time.
 
     This factory function MUST be called from inside each test (never at module
-    import time) so that the "Now" value maps to the active RLN epoch when the
-    message is actually published.
+    import time) so that the "Now" value reflects the actual time when the
+    message is published.
 
     Valid_for semantics:
-    ``["nwaku"]`` – accepted by nwaku in both standalone and fleet (RLN) mode.
-    ``[]``        – rejected by nwaku in fleet (RLN) mode; kept for completeness
-                    and for use by the companion invalid-timestamp tests.
+    ``["nwaku"]`` – accepted by nwaku in the current run mode.
+    ``[]``        – rejected by nwaku in the current run mode (either
+                    structurally invalid type, or out-of-epoch in fleet/RLN
+                    mode).
     """
     now_ns = int(time() * 1e9)
     now_dt = datetime.now()
+    fleet_mode = os.getenv("FLEET_BOOTSTRAP", "false").lower() == "true"
+    standalone_valid = [] if fleet_mode else ["nwaku"]
     return [
         {"description": "Now", "value": now_ns, "valid_for": ["nwaku"]},
-        {"description": "Far future", "value": int((now_dt + timedelta(days=365 * 10)).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": []},
-        {"description": "Recent past", "value": int((now_dt - timedelta(hours=1)).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": []},
-        {"description": "Near future", "value": int((now_dt + timedelta(hours=1)).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": []},
-        {"description": "Positive number", "value": 1, "valid_for": []},
-        {"description": "Negative number", "value": -1, "valid_for": []},
-        {"description": "DST change", "value": int(datetime(2020, 3, 8, 2, 0, 0).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": []},
+        # 10 years from now
+        {"description": "Far future", "value": int((now_dt + timedelta(days=365 * 10)).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": standalone_valid},
+        # 1 hour ago
+        {"description": "Recent past", "value": int((now_dt - timedelta(hours=1)).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": standalone_valid},
+        # 1 hour ahead
+        {"description": "Near future", "value": int((now_dt + timedelta(hours=1)).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": standalone_valid},
+        {"description": "Positive number", "value": 1, "valid_for": standalone_valid},
+        {"description": "Negative number", "value": -1, "valid_for": standalone_valid},
+        # DST starts
+        {"description": "DST change", "value": int(datetime(2020, 3, 8, 2, 0, 0).timestamp() * 1e9), "valid_for": standalone_valid},
         {"description": "Timestamp as string number", "value": str(now_ns), "valid_for": []},
         {"description": "Invalid large number", "value": 2**63, "valid_for": []},
         {"description": "Float number", "value": float(now_ns), "valid_for": []},
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index e3f233ca7..28f87dd73 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -116,6 +116,8 @@ def configure_fleet_bootstrap(request, fleet_rln_state):
         yield
         return
 
+    os.environ["FLEET_BOOTSTRAP"] = "true"
+
     from src.node.fleet_waku_node import FleetBootstrapConfig
     from src.node.waku_node import WakuNode
 
diff --git a/tests/filter/test_get_messages.py b/tests/filter/test_get_messages.py
index 00e348ff1..89df2ff7e 100644
--- a/tests/filter/test_get_messages.py
+++ b/tests/filter/test_get_messages.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import pytest
 from src.env_vars import NODE_1, NODE_2
 from src.libs.common import delay, to_base64
 from src.libs.custom_logger import get_custom_logger
-from src.test_data import SAMPLE_INPUTS, SAMPLE_TIMESTAMPS, get_sample_timestamps
+from src.test_data import SAMPLE_INPUTS, get_sample_timestamps
 from src.steps.filter import StepsFilter
 
 logger = get_custom_logger(__name__)
diff --git a/tests/light_push/test_publish.py b/tests/light_push/test_publish.py
index fb404e7d0..5e90b4edc 100644
--- a/tests/light_push/test_publish.py
+++ b/tests/light_push/test_publish.py
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ from src.test_data import (
     INVALID_PAYLOADS,
     PUBSUB_TOPICS_WRONG_FORMAT,
     SAMPLE_INPUTS,
-    SAMPLE_TIMESTAMPS,
     VALID_PUBSUB_TOPICS,
     get_sample_timestamps,
 )
@@ -177,7 +176,7 @@ class TestLightPushPublish(StepsLightPush):
 
     def test_light_push_with_invalid_timestamps(self):
         success_timestamps = []
-        for timestamp in SAMPLE_TIMESTAMPS:
+        for timestamp in get_sample_timestamps():
             if self.light_push_node1.type() not in timestamp["valid_for"]:
                 logger.debug(f'Running test with timestamp {timestamp["description"]}')
                 message = self.create_message(timestamp=timestamp["value"])
diff --git a/tests/relay/test_publish.py b/tests/relay/test_publish.py
index f1f432117..d61ea1dbd 100644
--- a/tests/relay/test_publish.py
+++ b/tests/relay/test_publish.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from src.libs.custom_logger import get_custom_logger
 from time import time
 from src.libs.common import delay, to_base64
 from src.steps.relay import StepsRelay
-from src.test_data import INVALID_CONTENT_TOPICS, INVALID_PAYLOADS, SAMPLE_INPUTS, SAMPLE_TIMESTAMPS, VALID_PUBSUB_TOPICS, get_sample_timestamps
+from src.test_data import INVALID_CONTENT_TOPICS, INVALID_PAYLOADS, SAMPLE_INPUTS, VALID_PUBSUB_TOPICS, get_sample_timestamps
 from src.node.waku_message import WakuMessage
 
 logger = get_custom_logger(__name__)
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ class TestRelayPublish(StepsRelay):
 
     def test_publish_with_invalid_timestamps(self):
         success_timestamps = []
-        for timestamp in SAMPLE_TIMESTAMPS:
+        for timestamp in get_sample_timestamps():
             if self.node1.type() not in timestamp["valid_for"]:
                 logger.debug(f'Running test with timestamp {timestamp["description"]}')
                 message = self.create_message(timestamp=timestamp["value"])