Data-freshness tiers

Data-freshness tiers with caveat language

Also called agent data freshness.

In short: Add a “Data freshness” section saying how often volatile facts change, plus a “Never confirm …” rule for facts agents must not state as current.

• Category: Agent Readiness · weight 20 of 100 within the category
• Agent Readiness is worth 30 in technical, 25 in generic and commerce, 20 in regulated (points of 100, by scoring profile)
• Audit ID A2 (as shown on reports) · rubric v2.1

What it checks

Whether volatile facts are labelled with how fresh they are, and how to caveat them.

Why it matters

Prices, stock and rates change. Without freshness tiers an agent repeats yesterday’s number as fact; with them it knows to caveat or to check.

When it applies

Applies when the file itself suggests volatile data: freshness wording, a never-confirm rule, or a documented API (wording such as “endpoint”, “OpenAPI”, “API reference”, GET / or POST /). So a file that documents an API but says nothing about freshness is scored, and scores 0. Otherwise it’s Not applicable.

An audit that doesn't apply, or that we couldn't verify, is removed from your score and its weight shared among the Agent Readiness audits that do apply. It is never scored as a zero.

How it's scored

0.7 for data-freshness wording (“data freshness”, “freshness tier”, “near real-time”, “content volatility” or “volatile”) · 1.0 when the file also has a never-confirm rule (“never confirm”, “do not confirm”, “must not state / assert / confirm”) · 0 with no freshness wording.

How to fix

1. Add a section headed “Data freshness” listing each kind of volatile data and how often it changes.
2. For each, give caveat language the agent should use, and where to check the live value.
3. Say plainly which facts an agent must never confirm on your behalf, in those words: “Never confirm …”.

Example

## Data freshness

- Prices: change weekly. Say “prices from our site as of <date>”; confirm at https://acme.com/pricing
- Never confirm a price, fee or availability as current; link the page that states it.