The precision time protocol (PTP) runs on the peer switches in an MLAG domain. PTP messages received by one peer switch on an MLAG interface is selectively peer-forwarded to the other peer switch on the same MLAG interface in order to coordinate a synchronization session with a PTP node. The peer-forwarded messages inform one peer switch to be an active peer and the other peer switch to be an inactive peer so that timestamped messages during the synchronization session are exchanged only between the PTP node and the active peer, and hence take the same data path.