referenceJune 16, 2026· 3 min read

How to use CSTALE: serve slightly-old, refresh behind it

CSTALE returns a cached answer even past its TTL, flagged as stale — so an expired entry is a snappy answer plus a refresh signal, not a cold miss.

Hard expiry turns a one-second-old answer into a full model call. CSTALE hands back the cached value with a stale flag, and you decide whether to use it as-is or refresh.

crowkis cli

> CSTALE "today's status page summary" TENANT acme
1) "All systems operational."
2) "stale"         # past TTL -> refresh in the background if it matters

Ignore the flag for tolerant answers; treat it as a trigger to recompute for prices and balances.