> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.creatoraudit.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Data freshness

> How often CreatorAudit refreshes data, and how to tell when a tracked account or video is ready

CreatorAudit collects data on a recurring schedule, not in real time. When you start tracking an account or a video, CreatorAudit fetches it and then refreshes it periodically — so values reflect the most recent collection, not the live platform.

<Note>
  Treat the API as a stream of eventually-consistent snapshots. A value won't appear the
  instant you create a resource, and it may lag the platform by a refresh cycle. Build
  on the timestamps the API gives you rather than assuming "now".
</Note>

## The first refresh

A newly tracked account or video has no metrics until its first collection completes.

* In the **API**, the account or video's `last_scrape_time` is `null` until its first refresh; `added_at` records when you started tracking it.
* In the **dashboard**, a new account shows a **Scraping…** state, and metrics appear once the first refresh lands.

To tell when data is ready, poll the resource and wait for `last_scrape_time` to become non-null:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the resource">
    `POST /v2/accounts` (or `POST /v2/videos`). The response includes the new `id` and
    `added_at`, with `last_scrape_time` still `null`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Poll until the first refresh lands">
    Re-fetch `GET /v2/accounts/{id}` on a sensible interval (seconds to minutes, not a
    tight loop) until `last_scrape_time` is set. Then its metrics and videos are
    populated.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Refresh cadence

Tracked accounts — and the videos discovered in their feeds — are refreshed on a recurring cycle. For an **individually tracked video**, you can set `scrape_interval_hours` to control how often CreatorAudit re-fetches that specific video.

<Warning>
  Don't hardcode a fixed refresh frequency. The exact cadence depends on your plan and
  your per-account and organization scraping settings (see [Usage &
  billing](/dashboard/usage)). Read `last_scrape_time` to know how current a value is.
</Warning>

## Time series fill in over time

Daily [analytics](/dashboard/analytics) accrue across successive refreshes. A brand-new account or video has little history, and its time series fills in over the following days as more snapshots are collected. Expect a short window after you start tracking before a 7-, 30-, or 90-day chart is meaningful.

## Guidance for integrations and agents

* **Poll, don't busy-wait.** After a write, check back on an interval; don't expect data immediately. There are no webhooks — polling is the supported pattern; see [Realtime & webhooks](/realtime-webhooks).
* **Anchor on timestamps.** Use `last_scrape_time` and the timestamps in time-series responses to reason about staleness, and cache accordingly.
* **Be patient with new resources.** Give a newly tracked account or video time to complete its first refresh before reporting on it.

<Card title="Read analytics" icon="chart-line" href="/dashboard/analytics">
  What each metric means and how windows and time series work.
</Card>