diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/support/MessageBuilder.java b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/support/MessageBuilder.java
index d63d69c7b7..e8709bf2a6 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/support/MessageBuilder.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/support/MessageBuilder.java
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ public final class MessageBuilder<T> {
 	 * Set the value for the given header name. If the provided value is <code>null</code>, the header will be removed.
 	 */
 	public MessageBuilder<T> setHeader(String headerName, Object headerValue) {
+		Assert.isTrue(!this.isReadOnly(headerName), "The '" + headerName + "' header is read-only.");
 		if (StringUtils.hasLength(headerName) && !headerName.equals(MessageHeaders.ID)
 				&& !headerName.equals(MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP)) {
 			this.verifyType(headerName, headerValue);
@@ -135,7 +136,9 @@ public final class MessageBuilder<T> {
 	public MessageBuilder<T> copyHeaders(Map<String, ?> headersToCopy) {
 		Set<String> keys = headersToCopy.keySet();
 		for (String key : keys) {
-			this.setHeader(key, headersToCopy.get(key));
+			if (!this.isReadOnly(key)) {
+				this.setHeader(key, headersToCopy.get(key));
+			}
 		}
 		return this;
 	}
@@ -146,7 +149,9 @@ public final class MessageBuilder<T> {
 	public MessageBuilder<T> copyHeadersIfAbsent(Map<String, Object> headersToCopy) {
 		Set<String> keys = headersToCopy.keySet();
 		for (String key : keys) {
-			this.setHeaderIfAbsent(key, headersToCopy.get(key));
+			if (!this.isReadOnly(key)) {
+				this.setHeaderIfAbsent(key, headersToCopy.get(key));
+			}
 		}
 		return this;
 	}
@@ -251,6 +256,10 @@ public final class MessageBuilder<T> {
 		return new GenericMessage<T>(this.payload, this.headers);
 	}
 
+	private boolean isReadOnly(String headerName) {
+		return MessageHeaders.ID.equals(headerName) || MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP.equals(headerName);
+	}
+
 	private void verifyType(String headerName, Object headerValue) {
 		if (headerName != null && headerValue != null) {
 			if (MessageHeaders.ID.equals(headerName)) {
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/json/JsonInboundMessageMapperTests.java b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/json/JsonInboundMessageMapperTests.java
index 403f3b6107..33c2fc51c9 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/json/JsonInboundMessageMapperTests.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/json/JsonInboundMessageMapperTests.java
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ import org.hamcrest.Factory;
 import org.hamcrest.Matcher;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.springframework.integration.Message;
-import org.springframework.integration.MessageHeaders;
 import org.springframework.integration.message.MessageMatcher;
 import org.springframework.integration.support.MessageBuilder;
 
@@ -59,8 +58,8 @@ public class JsonInboundMessageMapperTests {
 	@Test
 	public void testToMessageWithHeadersAndStringPayload() throws Exception {
 		UUID id = UUID.randomUUID();
-		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\"},\"payload\":\"myPayloadStuff\"}";
-		Message<String> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload("myPayloadStuff").setHeader(MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP, new Long(1)).setHeader(MessageHeaders.ID, id).build();
+		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\",\"foo\":123,\"bar\":\"abc\"},\"payload\":\"myPayloadStuff\"}";
+		Message<String> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload("myPayloadStuff").setHeader("foo", 123).setHeader("bar", "abc").build();
 		JsonInboundMessageMapper mapper = new JsonInboundMessageMapper(String.class);
 		Message<?> result = mapper.toMessage(jsonMessage);
 		assertThat(result, sameExceptImmutableHeaders(expected));
@@ -80,8 +79,8 @@ public class JsonInboundMessageMapperTests {
 	public void testToMessageWithHeadersAndBeanPayload() throws Exception {
 		TestBean bean = new TestBean();
 		UUID id = UUID.randomUUID();
-		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\"},\"payload\":" + getBeanAsJson(bean) + "}";
-		Message<TestBean> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload(bean).setHeader(MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP, new Long(1)).setHeader(MessageHeaders.ID, id).build();
+		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\",\"foo\":123,\"bar\":\"abc\"},\"payload\":" + getBeanAsJson(bean) + "}";
+		Message<TestBean> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload(bean).setHeader("foo", 123).setHeader("bar", "abc").build();
 		JsonInboundMessageMapper mapper = new JsonInboundMessageMapper(TestBean.class);
 		Message<?> result = mapper.toMessage(jsonMessage);
 		assertThat(result, sameExceptImmutableHeaders(expected));
@@ -102,8 +101,7 @@ public class JsonInboundMessageMapperTests {
 		TestBean bean = new TestBean();
 		UUID id = UUID.randomUUID();
 		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\", \"myHeader\":" + getBeanAsJson(bean) + "},\"payload\":\"myPayloadStuff\"}";
-		Message<String> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload("myPayloadStuff").
-			setHeader(MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP, new Long(1)).setHeader(MessageHeaders.ID, id).setHeader("myHeader", bean).build();
+		Message<String> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload("myPayloadStuff").setHeader("myHeader", bean).build();
 		JsonInboundMessageMapper mapper = new JsonInboundMessageMapper(String.class);
 		Map<String, Class<?>> headerTypes = new HashMap<String, Class<?>>();
 		headerTypes.put("myHeader", TestBean.class);
@@ -115,9 +113,9 @@ public class JsonInboundMessageMapperTests {
 	@Test 
 	public void testToMessageWithHeadersAndListOfStringsPayload() throws Exception {
 		UUID id = UUID.randomUUID();
-		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\"},\"payload\":[\"myPayloadStuff1\",\"myPayloadStuff2\",\"myPayloadStuff3\"]}";
+		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\",\"foo\":123,\"bar\":\"abc\"},\"payload\":[\"myPayloadStuff1\",\"myPayloadStuff2\",\"myPayloadStuff3\"]}";
 		List<String> expectedList = Arrays.asList(new String[]{"myPayloadStuff1", "myPayloadStuff2", "myPayloadStuff3"});
-		Message<List<String>> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload(expectedList).setHeader(MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP, new Long(1)).setHeader(MessageHeaders.ID, id).build();
+		Message<List<String>> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload(expectedList).setHeader("foo", 123).setHeader("bar", "abc").build();
 		JsonInboundMessageMapper mapper = new JsonInboundMessageMapper(new TypeReference<List<String>>(){});
 		Message<?> result = mapper.toMessage(jsonMessage);
 		assertThat(result, sameExceptImmutableHeaders(expected));
@@ -128,9 +126,9 @@ public class JsonInboundMessageMapperTests {
 		TestBean bean1 = new TestBean();
 		TestBean bean2 = new TestBean();
 		UUID id = UUID.randomUUID();
-		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\"},\"payload\":[" + getBeanAsJson(bean1) + "," + getBeanAsJson(bean2) + "]}";
+		String jsonMessage = "{\"headers\":{\"timestamp\":1,\"id\":\"" + id + "\",\"foo\":123,\"bar\":\"abc\"},\"payload\":[" + getBeanAsJson(bean1) + "," + getBeanAsJson(bean2) + "]}";
 		List<TestBean> expectedList = Arrays.asList(new TestBean[]{bean1, bean2});
-		Message<List<TestBean>> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload(expectedList).setHeader(MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP, new Long(1)).setHeader(MessageHeaders.ID, id).build();
+		Message<List<TestBean>> expected = MessageBuilder.withPayload(expectedList).setHeader("foo", 123).setHeader("bar", "abc").build();
 		JsonInboundMessageMapper mapper = new JsonInboundMessageMapper(new TypeReference<List<TestBean>>(){});
 		Message<?> result = mapper.toMessage(jsonMessage);
 		assertThat(result, sameExceptImmutableHeaders(expected));
diff --git a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/message/MessageBuilderTests.java b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/message/MessageBuilderTests.java
index 9a3b492b0c..40b43a440e 100644
--- a/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/message/MessageBuilderTests.java
+++ b/spring-integration-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/message/MessageBuilderTests.java
@@ -69,22 +69,16 @@ public class MessageBuilderTests {
 		assertEquals("2", message2.getHeaders().get("bar"));
 	}
 
-	@Test
-	public void testIdHeaderValues() {
+	@Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
+	public void testIdHeaderValueReadOnly() {
 		UUID id = UUID.randomUUID();
-		Message<String> message = MessageBuilder.withPayload("test")
-				.setHeader(MessageHeaders.ID, id)
-				.build();
-		assertNotSame(id, message.getHeaders().getId());
+		MessageBuilder.withPayload("test").setHeader(MessageHeaders.ID, id);
 	}
 
-	@Test
-	public void testTimestampHeaderValues() {
+	@Test(expected = IllegalArgumentException.class)
+	public void testTimestampValueReadOnly() {
 		Long timestamp = 12345L;
-		Message<String> message = MessageBuilder.withPayload("test")
-				.setHeader(MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP, timestamp)
-				.build();
-		assertNotSame(timestamp, message.getHeaders().getTimestamp());
+		MessageBuilder.withPayload("test").setHeader(MessageHeaders.TIMESTAMP, timestamp).build();
 	}
 
 	@Test