diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 4f86d12..f09c650 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -6,5 +6,6 @@ web/static/build/
 node_modules/
 tmp/
 .air/
+.commandcode/
 *.db
 .DS_Store
diff --git a/web/src/components/CatalogCharts.svelte b/web/src/components/CatalogCharts.svelte
index 5f4aca3..2cc0241 100644
--- a/web/src/components/CatalogCharts.svelte
+++ b/web/src/components/CatalogCharts.svelte
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
     pulseBars,
     quietStarsRank,
     rankTraffic,
+    trafficFreshness,
     trafficRepos,
     uniqueVisitorsByLanguage,
   } from "../lib/trafficCharts.js";
@@ -18,7 +19,9 @@
   $: totals = catalogTrafficTotals(repos);
   $: visitors = rankTraffic(repos, "view_uniques", 10);
   $: cloners = rankTraffic(repos, "clone_uniques", 10);
-  $: pulse = pulseBars(cutUnsettledDays(dailyCatalogPulse(repos)));
+  $: pulseDays = dailyCatalogPulse(repos);
+  $: freshness = trafficFreshness(pulseDays);
+  $: pulse = pulseBars(cutUnsettledDays(pulseDays));
   $: languages = uniqueVisitorsByLanguage(repos);
   $: quiet = quietStarsRank(repos).map((row) => ({
     ...row,
@@ -64,6 +67,15 @@
         <header class="chart-head">
           <h3 id="chart-pulse">Last 14 days</h3>
           <p>Unique visitors and cloners summed across this catalog. GitHub settles traffic with a ~1–2 day delay, so the newest days appear once they are final.</p>
+          <p class="chart-freshness" class:is-stale={freshness.stale} class:is-empty={!freshness.lastDay}>
+            {#if !freshness.lastDay}
+              No traffic recorded in this window yet.
+            {:else if freshness.stale}
+              GitHub has not published new traffic since {freshness.label} ({freshness.daysBehind} days behind).
+            {:else}
+              Data through {freshness.label}.
+            {/if}
+          </p>
         </header>
         <div class="pulse-chart">
           {#each pulse as day}
diff --git a/web/src/components/CatalogCharts.test.js b/web/src/components/CatalogCharts.test.js
index 9336c31..a105d03 100644
--- a/web/src/components/CatalogCharts.test.js
+++ b/web/src/components/CatalogCharts.test.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { render, screen, within } from "@testing-library/svelte";
-import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, test, vi } from "vitest";
 import CatalogCharts from "./CatalogCharts.svelte";
 
 const repos = [
@@ -68,3 +68,25 @@ describe("CatalogCharts", () => {
     expect(within(pulse).getByTitle("1 unique cloner")).toBeInTheDocument();
   });
 });
+
+describe("CatalogCharts freshness", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+  });
+
+  test("reports the newest traffic day in the pulse", () => {
+    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-08-29T12:00:00Z"));
+    render(CatalogCharts, { props: { repos } });
+    expect(screen.getByText("Data through Aug 27.")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  test("warns when GitHub lags past the settle delay", () => {
+    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-08-30T12:00:00Z"));
+    render(CatalogCharts, { props: { repos } });
+    expect(screen.getByText("GitHub has not published new traffic since Aug 27 (3 days behind).")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/web/src/lib/trafficCharts.js b/web/src/lib/trafficCharts.js
index a292e5d..4504018 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/trafficCharts.js
+++ b/web/src/lib/trafficCharts.js
@@ -89,17 +89,34 @@ function pulseHeight(value, peak) {
   return `${Math.max(6, Math.round((value / peak) * 100))}%`;
 }
 
+function utcDayLabel(date) {
+  return new Date(`${date}T00:00:00Z`).toLocaleDateString("en-US", {
+    month: "short",
+    day: "numeric",
+    timeZone: "UTC",
+  });
+}
+
 export function pulseBars(days) {
   const peak = Math.max(1, ...(days || []).flatMap((day) => [day.viewUniques, day.cloneUniques]));
-  return (days || []).map((day) => {
-    const utc = new Date(`${day.date}T00:00:00Z`);
-    return {
-      ...day,
-      label: utc.toLocaleDateString("en-US", { month: "short", day: "numeric", timeZone: "UTC" }),
-      viewHeight: pulseHeight(day.viewUniques, peak),
-      cloneHeight: pulseHeight(day.cloneUniques, peak),
-    };
-  });
+  return (days || []).map((day) => ({
+    ...day,
+    label: utcDayLabel(day.date),
+    viewHeight: pulseHeight(day.viewUniques, peak),
+    cloneHeight: pulseHeight(day.cloneUniques, peak),
+  }));
+}
+
+// GitHub can lag beyond its usual ~1-2 day settle, and the pulse then freezes
+// silently; report the newest active day so the chart can show the real delay.
+const FRESHNESS_LAG_DAYS = 2;
+
+export function trafficFreshness(days, now = new Date(), lagDays = FRESHNESS_LAG_DAYS) {
+  const lastDay = (days || []).findLast((day) => (day.viewUniques || 0) + (day.cloneUniques || 0) > 0);
+  if (!lastDay) return { lastDay: null, label: "", daysBehind: null, stale: false };
+  const today = Date.parse(`${now.toISOString().slice(0, 10)}T00:00:00Z`);
+  const daysBehind = Math.round((today - Date.parse(`${lastDay.date}T00:00:00Z`)) / 864e5);
+  return { lastDay: lastDay.date, label: utcDayLabel(lastDay.date), daysBehind, stale: daysBehind > lagDays };
 }
 
 export function uniqueVisitorsByLanguage(repos, limit = 8) {
diff --git a/web/src/lib/trafficCharts.test.js b/web/src/lib/trafficCharts.test.js
index 8d8f375..a8ceafd 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/trafficCharts.test.js
+++ b/web/src/lib/trafficCharts.test.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
   pulseBars,
   quietStarsRank,
   rankTraffic,
+  trafficFreshness,
   trafficRepos,
   uniqueVisitorsByLanguage,
 } from "./trafficCharts.js";
@@ -148,6 +149,41 @@ describe("cutUnsettledDays", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("trafficFreshness", () => {
+  const pulse = [
+    { date: "2026-09-21", viewUniques: 4, cloneUniques: 3 },
+    { date: "2026-09-22", viewUniques: 0, cloneUniques: 0 },
+    { date: "2026-09-23", viewUniques: 2, cloneUniques: 0 },
+    { date: "2026-09-24", viewUniques: 0, cloneUniques: 0 },
+    { date: "2026-09-25", viewUniques: 0, cloneUniques: 0 },
+  ];
+
+  test("reports the newest day with recorded traffic", () => {
+    expect(trafficFreshness(pulse, new Date("2026-09-25T12:00:00Z"))).toEqual({
+      lastDay: "2026-09-23",
+      label: "Sep 23",
+      daysBehind: 2,
+      stale: false,
+    });
+  });
+
+  test("flags a lagging feed once the gap passes the settle delay", () => {
+    const report = trafficFreshness(pulse, new Date("2026-09-28T12:00:00Z"));
+    expect(report.daysBehind).toBe(5);
+    expect(report.stale).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test("reports no active day when the window is all zeroes", () => {
+    const quiet = [{ date: "2026-09-25", viewUniques: 0, cloneUniques: 0 }];
+    expect(trafficFreshness(quiet, new Date("2026-09-26T12:00:00Z"))).toEqual({
+      lastDay: null,
+      label: "",
+      daysBehind: null,
+      stale: false,
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 describe("pulseBars", () => {
   test("labels UTC days and scales both series to the same peak", () => {
     const bars = pulseBars(dailyCatalogPulse(catalog));
diff --git a/web/static/css/atlas.css b/web/static/css/atlas.css
index 1db576b..b7ecd95 100644
--- a/web/static/css/atlas.css
+++ b/web/static/css/atlas.css
@@ -1340,6 +1340,32 @@ a.stat:hover {
   color: var(--ink-mute);
 }
 
+.chart-freshness {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.4rem;
+}
+
+.chart-freshness::before {
+  content: "";
+  width: 0.4rem;
+  height: 0.4rem;
+  border-radius: 999px;
+  background: var(--moss);
+}
+
+.chart-freshness.is-stale {
+  color: var(--copper-hot);
+}
+
+.chart-freshness.is-stale::before {
+  background: var(--copper);
+}
+
+.chart-freshness.is-empty::before {
+  background: var(--ink-mute);
+}
+
 .rank-list {
   list-style: none;
   margin: 0;