diff --git a/core/source.go b/core/source.go
index 907373e..d4c2b5c 100644
--- a/core/source.go
+++ b/core/source.go
@@ -103,7 +103,43 @@ func getSourceTtx(db DB, source string, env string) (int, error) {
 	return ttx, nil
 }
 
-func GetSourcePostProcessor(db DB, source string) (func(item Item) Item, error) {
+func getSourceBatcher(db DB, source string) (func(createdTime time.Time) (tts int), error) {
+	row := db.QueryRow(`
+		select value
+		from envs
+		where source = ?
+		and name = 'INTAKE_BATCH'
+	`, source)
+	var batchSpec string
+	if err := row.Scan(&batchSpec); err != nil {
+		if errors.Is(err, sql.ErrNoRows) {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get batch spec: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	var hour, minute int
+	if _, err := fmt.Sscanf(batchSpec, "%d:%d", &hour, &minute); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse batch spec: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	log.Printf("%s batch %d %d", source, hour, minute)
+
+	return func(createdTime time.Time) (tts int) {
+		// There is a trivial inaccuracy in using time.Now() instead of item.Created, but
+		// the latter isn't populated for new items when postprocessing occurs.
+		// Since postprocessing is only applied to new items post-fetch, this is close enough.
+		// Ideally: createdTime := time.Unix(int64(created), 0).UTC()
+		batchCutoff := time.Date(createdTime.Year(), createdTime.Month(), createdTime.Day(), hour, minute, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+		if createdTime.After(batchCutoff) {
+			batchCutoff = batchCutoff.AddDate(0, 0, 1)
+		}
+		tts = int(batchCutoff.Sub(createdTime).Seconds())
+		return
+	}, nil
+}
+
+func GetSourcePostProcessor(db DB, source string) (func(item Item, now time.Time) Item, error) {
 	ttl, err := getSourceTtx(db, source, "INTAKE_TTL")
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -116,14 +152,20 @@ func GetSourcePostProcessor(db DB, source string) (func(item Item) Item, error)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return func(item Item) Item {
+	batchTts, err := getSourceBatcher(db, source)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return func(item Item, now time.Time) Item {
 		if ttl != 0 {
 			item.Ttl = ttl
 		}
 		if ttd != 0 {
 			item.Ttd = ttd
 		}
-		if tts != 0 {
+		if batchTts != nil {
+			item.Tts = batchTts(now)
+		} else if tts != 0 {
 			item.Tts = tts
 		}
 		return item
@@ -226,7 +268,7 @@ func updateWithFetchedItemsTx(
 	// Apply post-processing to the new items
 	if postProcess != nil {
 		for i := range newItems {
-			newItems[i] = postProcess(newItems[i])
+			newItems[i] = postProcess(newItems[i], now)
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/core/source_test.go b/core/source_test.go
index f395f23..bb90ba7 100644
--- a/core/source_test.go
+++ b/core/source_test.go
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ func TestSourcePostProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 	before := Item{Source: "s", Id: "i"}
-	after := postProcess(before)
+	after := postProcess(before, time.Now())
 	if after.Ttl != 30 || after.Ttd != 60 || after.Tts != 90 {
 		t.Fatalf("Missing value after postProcess: ttl = %d, ttd = %d, tts = %d", after.Ttl, after.Ttd, after.Tts)
 	}
@@ -351,6 +351,46 @@ func TestSourceUpdateAppliesPostProcess(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSourceBatching(t *testing.T) {
+	db := EphemeralDb(t)
+	if err := AddSource(db, "s"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := SetEnvs(db, "s", []string{
+		"INTAKE_BATCH=00:00",
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	now := time.Now().Add(-1 * time.Second)
+
+	item1 := Item{Source: "s", Id: "i"}
+	add, del, err := UpdateWithFetchedItems(db, "s", nil, []Item{item1}, now)
+	if add != 1 || del != 0 || err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 add, got %d and err %v", add, err)
+	}
+
+	item2 := Item{Source: "s", Id: "j"}
+	add, del, err = UpdateWithFetchedItems(db, "s", nil, []Item{item2}, now.Add(time.Second))
+	if add != 1 || del != 0 || err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 1 add, got %d and err %v", add, err)
+	}
+
+	items, err := GetAllItemsForSource(db, "s", 0, 100)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if items[0].Id == "i" {
+		item1 = items[0]
+		item2 = items[1]
+	} else {
+		item1 = items[1]
+		item2 = items[0]
+	}
+	if item2.Tts != item1.Tts-1 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected different tts based on batch time, for %d and %d", item1.Tts, item2.Tts)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSourceLastUpdated(t *testing.T) {
 	db := EphemeralDb(t)
 	if err := AddSource(db, "s"); err != nil {
diff --git a/test/test_items.sh b/test/test_items.sh
index 3b2a4c2..311397e 100755
--- a/test/test_items.sh
+++ b/test/test_items.sh
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ tmp/intake source env -s nothing --set "INTAKE_FETCH=every 5m"
 tmp/intake source add -s hello
 tmp/intake action add -s hello -a fetch -- sh -c "cat /dev/random | base32 | head -c8 | jq -cR '{id: ., title: \"Hello\"}'"
 tmp/intake source env -s hello --set "INTAKE_FETCH=every 1m"
+# and batch
+tmp/intake source env -s hello --set "INTAKE_BATCH=00:00"
 
 # default password, comment out to test no password
 echo "hello" | tmp/intake passwd --stdin