How do I use freshness?

Load the skill into your AI agent, then ask it to audit pages, configure headers, or update dateModified. The agent needs access to the relevant files or URLs.

Does freshness support all web servers?

The skill focuses on setting up HTTP Last-Modified headers in a web server config. It does not list specific server support.

Can freshness automatically update dateModified?

The skill ensures Article JSON-LD dateModified is updated when CMS content changes. It works with your agent to make those updates.

Show content freshness signals

SkillDev tools

freshness is a skill for auditing content pages for freshness signals. It helps you check HTTP Last-Modified headers in a web server config and ensure Article JSON-LD dateModified is updated when CMS content changes. Use it when you need to verify that pages show accurate modification dates.

Use Show content freshness signals in Claude, ChatGPT or Ahel Desktop

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Then ask your AI: use the Show content freshness signals skill

Details

Instructions available. Your AI can read the instructions. Execution depends on the setup they require.

Account requirements not reviewed. Check the skill instructions before use; ahel provides instructions and does not run this skill.

No other account needed.

Have an AI agent that can load skills.

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What your AI can do with it

Audit web pages for freshness signals like Last-Modified headers
Check that Article JSON-LD dateModified is updated when CMS content changes
Set up HTTP Last-Modified headers in a web server config
Verify that dateModified in JSON-LD matches actual content changes

Getting started

Have an AI agent that can load skills.
Add the freshness skill to your agent's available skills.
Provide the agent with access to the web pages or server config you want to audit.
Ask the agent to check for freshness signals or update dateModified as needed.

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by thedaviddias/front-end-checklist in skills/freshness/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Google's Query Deserves Freshness (QDF) algorithm boosts recent or recently updated content for time-sensitive queries. Missing or stale freshness signals mean your updated content competes without the freshness advantage it deserves.

Quick Reference

Set the Last-Modified HTTP response header and include dateModified in Article JSON-LD on all content pages
Update dateModified only when content substantively changes — trivial edits should not alter the date
For time-sensitive topics (news, tutorials, product reviews), freshness directly influences Google's ranking of your content

Check

For each article or blog page: (1) Check the HTTP response Last-Modified header — is it set and recent? (2) Check the JSON-LD for a dateModified property in ISO 8601 format. (3) Is a visible 'Last updated' date shown to users? (4) Is the dateModified in JSON-LD consistent with the visible date and the Last-Modified header?

Fix

Configure your web server to send Last-Modified headers based on the file modification time:
- Nginx: add_header Last-Modified $date_gmt;
- Apache: ensure mod_headers is enabled; static files serve Last-Modified automatically.

Update Article JSON-LD to include dateModified:

{ "@type": "Article", "dateModified": "2024-11-20T14:30:00Z" }

Add a visible "Last updated" date to the article template.
Hook your CMS to update dateModified only when content is substantively changed (not on metadata-only saves).
If using a static site generator (Next.js, Astro), pass the frontmatter updatedAt field through to the JSON-LD and <time> elements.

Explain

Google's freshness algorithm (QDF — Query Deserves Freshness) actively boosts recently published or updated content for searches where recency matters. If your dateModified is stale or absent, Google may not credit your content with the freshness it deserves, ranking older competitors above you even after you have updated the article.

Code Review

Check that the Last-Modified response header is present on article pages. Verify Article JSON-LD includes dateModified in ISO 8601 format. Confirm that the build or deployment system updates dateModified only for content files that actually changed — not a blanket timestamp update on all pages during deploy.

For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance, see references/rule.md.

Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/seo/freshness

Signals

GitHub stars: 74k
Forks: 7k
Last commit: Oct 2026
Hacker News mentions: 8

Questions

What does freshness do?: It audits content pages for freshness signals, sets up HTTP Last-Modified headers in a web server config, and ensures Article JSON-LD dateModified is updated when CMS content changes.
How do I use freshness?: Load the skill into your AI agent, then ask it to audit pages, configure headers, or update dateModified. The agent needs access to the relevant files or URLs.
Does freshness support all web servers?: The skill focuses on setting up HTTP Last-Modified headers in a web server config. It does not list specific server support.
Can freshness automatically update dateModified?: The skill ensures Article JSON-LD dateModified is updated when CMS content changes. It works with your agent to make those updates.

Advanced

Item type: skill
Key: freshness
Source: github.com/thedaviddias/front-end-checklist

github.com/thedaviddias/front-end-checklist