diff --git a/scripts/fetch-github-data.js b/scripts/fetch-github-data.js
index 9747d90..9955a23 100644
--- a/scripts/fetch-github-data.js
+++ b/scripts/fetch-github-data.js
@@ -21,6 +21,17 @@ const AUTOMATION_LOGIN_PATTERNS = [
 const isAutomationAccount = (login) =>
   AUTOMATION_LOGIN_PATTERNS.some((pattern) => pattern.test(login));
 
+// A snapshot older than this gets a loud build warning. It is not a build
+// failure on purpose: a transient API or rate-limit failure must not block a
+// deploy. Visibility is the fix — the community section renders updatedAt.
+const STALE_AFTER_DAYS = 7;
+
+const ageInDays = (isoDate) => {
+  const then = new Date(isoDate).getTime();
+  if (Number.isNaN(then)) return null;
+  return Math.floor((Date.now() - then) / 86400000);
+};
+
 async function fetchGitHubData() {
   console.log('Fetching GitHub repository data at build time...');
 
@@ -38,6 +49,13 @@ async function fetchGitHubData() {
     openIssues: '5+',
     closedIssues: '20+'
   };
+  // Timestamp of the data itself. Advanced only when this run really refreshes
+  // it, so a failed fetch cannot make a stale snapshot look fresh.
+  let updatedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+  // Whether this run replaced the preserved snapshot with fresh API data.
+  let contributorsOk = false;
+  let statsOk = false;
+  let refreshed = false;
 
   // Preserve existing data if available
   if (fs.existsSync(OUTPUT_FILE)) {
@@ -49,6 +67,9 @@ async function fetchGitHubData() {
       if (existing.stats) {
         stats = existing.stats;
       }
+      if (existing.updatedAt) {
+        updatedAt = existing.updatedAt;
+      }
     } catch (e) {
       // Ignore read errors
     }
@@ -68,6 +89,7 @@ async function fetchGitHubData() {
             avatar_url: user.avatar_url,
             html_url: user.html_url
           }));
+        contributorsOk = true;
       }
     } else {
       console.warn(`Contributors API returned ${contribRes.status}`);
@@ -92,14 +114,35 @@ async function fetchGitHubData() {
       const closedIssues = await closedIssuesRes.json();
       if (closedIssues.total_count !== undefined) stats.closedIssues = String(closedIssues.total_count);
     }
+
+    statsOk = prsRes.ok && openIssuesRes.ok && closedIssuesRes.ok;
   } catch (error) {
     console.warn('Warning: Error fetching GitHub data at build time, using fallback values:', error.message);
   }
 
+  refreshed = contributorsOk && statsOk;
+  if (refreshed) {
+    updatedAt = new Date().toISOString();
+  } else {
+    const age = ageInDays(updatedAt);
+    console.warn(
+      `[github-data] Refresh failed — the site will render the snapshot from ${updatedAt}` +
+        (age === null ? '.' : age > 0 ? ` (${age} day(s) old).` : ' (today).')
+    );
+    if (age !== null && age > STALE_AFTER_DAYS) {
+      console.warn(
+        `[github-data] That snapshot is past the ${STALE_AFTER_DAYS}-day threshold. ` +
+          'The community section shows its date, so the staleness is visible on the site.'
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
   const payload = {
     contributors,
     stats,
-    updatedAt: new Date().toISOString()
+    updatedAt,
+    // true when the numbers above come from a previous run instead of this one
+    stale: !refreshed
   };
 
   fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(OUTPUT_FILE), { recursive: true });
diff --git a/website/src/components/CommunitySection/MonthlyPulse.module.css b/website/src/components/CommunitySection/MonthlyPulse.module.css
index 19bc0e9..42fb5cc 100644
--- a/website/src/components/CommunitySection/MonthlyPulse.module.css
+++ b/website/src/components/CommunitySection/MonthlyPulse.module.css
@@ -116,6 +116,16 @@
   letter-spacing: 0.5px;
 }
 
+/* Timestamp of the snapshot the numbers come from — pulls up into the space
+   the grid reserves below itself so it reads as a caption to the stats. */
+.dataAge {
+  margin: -1.5rem 0 0;
+  font-size: 0.75rem;
+  color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.65);
+  position: relative;
+  z-index: 2;
+}
+
 @media (max-width: 480px) {
   .pulseGrid {
     gap: 1rem;
diff --git a/website/src/components/CommunitySection/MonthlyPulse.tsx b/website/src/components/CommunitySection/MonthlyPulse.tsx
index db2ebd9..1b6145a 100644
--- a/website/src/components/CommunitySection/MonthlyPulse.tsx
+++ b/website/src/components/CommunitySection/MonthlyPulse.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,23 @@ import React from 'react';
 import styles from './MonthlyPulse.module.css';
 import githubData from '@site/src/data/githubData.json';
 
+const MONTHS = [
+  'Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar', 'Apr', 'May', 'Jun',
+  'Jul', 'Aug', 'Sep', 'Oct', 'Nov', 'Dec'
+];
+
+/**
+ * Format the snapshot timestamp in UTC from the ISO string.
+ * Doing it by hand instead of toLocaleDateString keeps the server-rendered and
+ * client-rendered output identical, so the date can never mismatch on hydration.
+ */
+function formatSnapshotDate(updatedAt?: string): string | null {
+  if (!updatedAt) return null;
+  const snapshot = new Date(updatedAt);
+  if (Number.isNaN(snapshot.getTime())) return null;
+  return `${snapshot.getUTCDate()} ${MONTHS[snapshot.getUTCMonth()]} ${snapshot.getUTCFullYear()}`;
+}
+
 export default function MonthlyPulse() {
   const stats = {
     mergedPRs: githubData.stats?.mergedPRs || '15+',
@@ -9,6 +26,10 @@ export default function MonthlyPulse() {
     closedIssues: githubData.stats?.closedIssues || '20+'
   };
 
+  const snapshotDate = formatSnapshotDate(githubData.updatedAt);
+  // The committed snapshot predates the `stale` field, so read it defensively.
+  const isStale = (githubData as { stale?: boolean }).stale === true;
+
   return (
     <div className={styles.pulseCard}>
       <div className={styles.pulseHeader}>
@@ -30,6 +51,13 @@ export default function MonthlyPulse() {
           <span className={styles.statLabel}>New Issues</span>
         </div>
       </div>
+
+      {snapshotDate && (
+        <p className={styles.dataAge}>
+          Data as of {snapshotDate}
+          {isStale ? ' — GitHub API unavailable at build time' : ''}
+        </p>
+      )}
     </div>
   );
 }