diff --git a/clams/app/__init__.py b/clams/app/__init__.py
index 1264cc3..564af67 100644
--- a/clams/app/__init__.py
+++ b/clams/app/__init__.py
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ def annotate(self, mmif: Union[str, dict, Mmif], **runtime_params: List[str]) ->
         """
         if not isinstance(mmif, Mmif):
             mmif = Mmif(mmif)
+        existing_view_ids = {view.id for view in mmif.views}
         issued_warnings = []
         for key in runtime_params:
             if key not in self.annotate_param_spec:
@@ -156,7 +157,8 @@ def annotate(self, mmif: Union[str, dict, Mmif], **runtime_params: List[str]) ->
             warnings_view = annotated.new_view()
             self.sign_view(warnings_view, refined)
             warnings_view.metadata.warnings = issued_warnings
-        td = datetime.now() - t
+        run_id = datetime.now()
+        td = run_id - t
         runningTime = refined.get('runningTime', False)
         hwFetch = refined.get('hwFetch', False)
         runtime_recs = {}
@@ -180,7 +182,8 @@ def annotate(self, mmif: Union[str, dict, Mmif], **runtime_params: List[str]) ->
                     name, mem = gpu.split(', ')
                     runtime_recs['cuda'].append(self._cuda_device_name_concat(name, mem))
         for annotated_view in annotated.views:
-            if annotated_view.metadata.app == self.metadata.identifier:
+            if annotated_view.id not in existing_view_ids and annotated_view.metadata.app == self.metadata.identifier:
+                annotated_view.metadata.timestamp = run_id
                 profiling_data = {}
                 if runningTime:
                     profiling_data['runningTime'] = str(td)
diff --git a/tests/metadata.py b/tests/metadata.py
index 454e2fa..05b9669 100644
--- a/tests/metadata.py
+++ b/tests/metadata.py
@@ -1,19 +1,17 @@
-from mmif import AnnotationTypes, DocumentTypes
-
-from clams import AppMetadata
 
+from clams.appmetadata import AppMetadata
+from mmif.vocabulary import DocumentTypes, AnnotationTypes
 
 def appmetadata() -> AppMetadata:
     metadata = AppMetadata(
-        name="Example CLAMS App for testing",
-        description="This app doesn't do anything",
+        name="Example Clams App",
+        description="An example app for testing.",
         app_license="MIT",
-        identifier=f"https://apps.clams.ai/example",
-        output=[{'@type': AnnotationTypes.TimeFrame}],
-        dependencies=['clams-python==develop-ver', 'mmif-pyhon==0.0.999'],
-        url="https://fakegithub.com/some/repository"
+        identifier="example-app",
+        url="http://example.com/example-app",
     )
     metadata.add_input(DocumentTypes.TextDocument)
-    metadata.add_input_oneof(DocumentTypes.AudioDocument, str(DocumentTypes.VideoDocument))
-    metadata.add_parameter(name='raise_error', description='force raise a ValueError', type='boolean', default='false')
+    metadata.add_input_oneof(DocumentTypes.VideoDocument, DocumentTypes.AudioDocument)
+    metadata.add_output(AnnotationTypes.TimeFrame)
+    metadata.add_parameter(name='raise_error', description='a dummy parameter', type='boolean', default=False)
     return metadata
diff --git a/tests/test_clamsapp.py b/tests/test_clamsapp.py
index 1c0af8f..6ac1072 100644
--- a/tests/test_clamsapp.py
+++ b/tests/test_clamsapp.py
@@ -282,7 +282,9 @@ def test_annotate(self):
         self.assertEqual(len(out_mmif.views), 4)
         views = list(out_mmif.views)
         # insertion order is kept
-        self.assertTrue(views[0].metadata.timestamp < views[1].metadata.timestamp)
+        self.assertEqual(views[0].metadata.timestamp, views[1].metadata.timestamp)
+        self.assertEqual(views[2].metadata.timestamp, views[3].metadata.timestamp)
+        self.assertTrue(views[1].metadata.timestamp < views[2].metadata.timestamp)
     
     def test_annotate_returns_invalid_mmif(self):
         m = Mmif(self.in_mmif)
@@ -409,6 +411,26 @@ def test_est_gpu_mem_typ_validation(self):
             # Should have auto-corrected
             self.assertEqual(metadata.est_gpu_mem_typ, metadata.est_gpu_mem_min)
 
+    def test_run_id(self):
+        # first run
+        out_mmif = Mmif(self.app.annotate(self.in_mmif))
+        app_views = [v for v in out_mmif.views if v.metadata.app == self.app.metadata.identifier]
+        self.assertTrue(len(app_views) > 0)
+        first_timestamp = app_views[0].metadata.timestamp
+        for view in app_views[1:]:
+            self.assertEqual(first_timestamp, view.metadata.timestamp)
+        # second run
+        out_mmif2 = Mmif(self.app.annotate(out_mmif))
+        app_views2 = [v for v in out_mmif2.views if v.metadata.app == self.app.metadata.identifier]
+        self.assertEqual(len(app_views2), len(app_views) * 2)
+        second_timestamp = app_views2[-1].metadata.timestamp
+        self.assertNotEqual(first_timestamp, second_timestamp)
+        for view in app_views2:
+            if view.id in [v.id for v in app_views]:
+                self.assertEqual(first_timestamp, view.metadata.timestamp)
+            else:
+                self.assertEqual(second_timestamp, view.metadata.timestamp)
+
 
 class TestRestifier(unittest.TestCase):