diff --git a/docs/dynamic-consistency-boundary.md b/docs/dynamic-consistency-boundary.md
index 0605d0695..ceeb8827a 100644
--- a/docs/dynamic-consistency-boundary.md
+++ b/docs/dynamic-consistency-boundary.md
@@ -265,6 +265,47 @@ final class GuestAlreadyCheckedIn extends BasicProjection
     }
 }
 ```
+### Access the message
+
+If a projection needs metadata like the time an event was recorded,
+the apply method can take the `Message` as a third parameter.
+
+```php
+use DateTimeImmutable;
+use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Attribute\Apply;
+use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Identifier\Uuid;
+use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Message\Message;
+use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Projection\BasicProjection;
+use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Store\Header\RecordedOnHeader;
+
+final class LastCheckIn extends BasicProjection
+{
+    public function __construct(
+        private readonly Uuid $hotelId,
+    ) {
+    }
+
+    public function initialState(): DateTimeImmutable|null
+    {
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    /** @return list<string> */
+    protected function tagFilter(): array
+    {
+        return ["hotel:{$this->hotelId->toString()}"];
+    }
+
+    #[Apply]
+    public function applyGuestIsCheckedIn(
+        DateTimeImmutable|null $state,
+        GuestIsCheckedIn $event,
+        Message $message,
+    ): DateTimeImmutable {
+        return $message->header(RecordedOnHeader::class)->recordedOn;
+    }
+}
+```
 ## Define handlers
 
 We’ll implement three command handlers corresponding to our commands.
diff --git a/src/Projection/ApplyMethodDetectionError.php b/src/Projection/ApplyMethodDetectionError.php
index 76512951f..8033b0d2d 100644
--- a/src/Projection/ApplyMethodDetectionError.php
+++ b/src/Projection/ApplyMethodDetectionError.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 namespace Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Projection;
 
+use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Message\Message;
 use RuntimeException;
 
 use function get_debug_type;
@@ -80,4 +81,15 @@ public static function argumentTypeIsMissing(string $methodName): self
             ),
         );
     }
+
+    public static function messageParameterHasWrongType(string $methodName): self
+    {
+        return new self(
+            sprintf(
+                'The method "%s" has an #[Apply] attribute, but its third parameter is not of type "%s".',
+                $methodName,
+                Message::class,
+            ),
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Projection/BasicProjection.php b/src/Projection/BasicProjection.php
index 8a9d0b5c8..eb277a978 100644
--- a/src/Projection/BasicProjection.php
+++ b/src/Projection/BasicProjection.php
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ public function apply(mixed $state, Message $message): mixed
 
         if (array_key_exists($event::class, $applyMethods)) {
             /* @phpstan-ignore return.type */
-            return $this->{$applyMethods[$event::class]}($state, $event);
+            return $this->{$applyMethods[$event::class]}($state, $event, $message);
         }
 
         return $state;
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ private function applyMethods(): array
 
         $reflector = new ReflectionClass($this);
 
-        $this->applyMethods = [];
+        $applyMethods = [];
 
         foreach ($reflector->getMethods() as $method) {
             $attributes = $method->getAttributes(Apply::class);
@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@ private function applyMethods(): array
                 );
             }
 
+            self::validateMessageParameter($method);
+
             foreach ($eventClasses as $eventClass) {
                 if (!class_exists($eventClass)) {
                     throw ApplyMethodDetectionError::argumentTypeIsNotAClass(
@@ -130,22 +132,41 @@ private function applyMethods(): array
                     );
                 }
 
-                if (array_key_exists($eventClass, $this->applyMethods)) {
+                if (array_key_exists($eventClass, $applyMethods)) {
                     throw ApplyMethodDetectionError::duplicateApplyMethod(
                         static::class,
                         $eventClass,
-                        $this->applyMethods[$eventClass],
+                        $applyMethods[$eventClass],
                         $method->getName(),
                     );
                 }
 
-                $this->applyMethods[$eventClass] = $method->getName();
+                $applyMethods[$eventClass] = $method->getName();
             }
         }
 
+        $this->applyMethods = $applyMethods;
+
         return $this->applyMethods;
     }
 
+    private static function validateMessageParameter(ReflectionMethod $method): void
+    {
+        $parameters = $method->getParameters();
+
+        if (!array_key_exists(2, $parameters)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $type = $parameters[2]->getType();
+
+        if ($type instanceof ReflectionNamedType && $type->getName() === Message::class) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        throw ApplyMethodDetectionError::messageParameterHasWrongType($method->getName());
+    }
+
     /** @return array<string> */
     private function getEventClassesByPropertyTypes(ReflectionMethod $method): array
     {
diff --git a/tests/Unit/Projection/ApplyMethodDetectionErrorTest.php b/tests/Unit/Projection/ApplyMethodDetectionErrorTest.php
index 2ef4dfcb9..a49dde506 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/Projection/ApplyMethodDetectionErrorTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/Projection/ApplyMethodDetectionErrorTest.php
@@ -89,4 +89,15 @@ public function testArgumentTypeIsMissing(): void
         );
         self::assertSame(0, $exception->getCode());
     }
+
+    public function testMessageParameterHasWrongType(): void
+    {
+        $exception = ApplyMethodDetectionError::messageParameterHasWrongType('applyEvent');
+
+        self::assertSame(
+            'The method "applyEvent" has an #[Apply] attribute, but its third parameter is not of type "Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Message\Message".',
+            $exception->getMessage(),
+        );
+        self::assertSame(0, $exception->getCode());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/Unit/Projection/BasicProjectionTest.php b/tests/Unit/Projection/BasicProjectionTest.php
index 12e41ca46..2c8e6d644 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/Projection/BasicProjectionTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/Projection/BasicProjectionTest.php
@@ -5,10 +5,12 @@
 namespace Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Tests\Unit\Projection;
 
 use Countable;
+use DateTimeImmutable;
 use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Attribute\Apply;
 use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Message\Message;
 use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Projection\ApplyMethodDetectionError;
 use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Projection\BasicProjection;
+use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Store\Header\RecordedOnHeader;
 use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Store\Header\TagsHeader;
 use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Store\SubQuery;
 use Patchlevel\EventSourcing\Tests\Unit\Fixture\Email;
@@ -53,6 +55,71 @@ public function applyProfileCreated(int $state, ProfileCreated $event): int
         self::assertSame($projection->subQuery(), $projection->subQuery());
     }
 
+    public function testApplyWithMessage(): void
+    {
+        $projection = new class extends BasicProjection {
+            public function initialState(): DateTimeImmutable|null
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            /** @return list<string> */
+            protected function tagFilter(): array
+            {
+                return ['match'];
+            }
+
+            #[Apply]
+            public function applyProfileCreated(
+                DateTimeImmutable|null $state,
+                ProfileCreated $event,
+                Message $message,
+            ): DateTimeImmutable {
+                return $message->header(RecordedOnHeader::class)->recordedOn;
+            }
+        };
+
+        $recordedOn = new DateTimeImmutable('2020-01-01 00:00:00');
+
+        $state = $projection->apply(
+            null,
+            $this->message(['match'])->withHeader(new RecordedOnHeader($recordedOn)),
+        );
+
+        self::assertSame($recordedOn, $state);
+        self::assertEquals(
+            new SubQuery(['match'], [ProfileCreated::class]),
+            $projection->subQuery(),
+        );
+    }
+
+    public function testMessageParameterWithWrongType(): void
+    {
+        $projection = new class extends BasicProjection {
+            public function initialState(): int
+            {
+                return 0;
+            }
+
+            /** @return list<string> */
+            protected function tagFilter(): array
+            {
+                return [];
+            }
+
+            #[Apply]
+            public function applyProfileCreated(int $state, ProfileCreated $event, DateTimeImmutable $recordedOn): int
+            {
+                return $state;
+            }
+        };
+
+        $this->expectException(ApplyMethodDetectionError::class);
+        $this->expectExceptionMessage('third parameter is not of type');
+
+        $projection->subQuery();
+    }
+
     public function testApplyWithNonMatchingMessage(): void
     {
         $projection = new class extends BasicProjection {