@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ is a page on the site.
 
 The [website](https://tmhsdigital.github.io/Free-Game-Dev-Assets/) searches all 418 entries
 and filters them by category, licence, format, engine, commercial use, attribution, review
-status and 2D camera view, sorted as you choose. Press `/` to search, and keep the sources you
+status, 2D camera view and how recently the licence was read, sorted as you choose. Press `/` to search, and keep the sources you
 are weighing on a shortlist. Filtered views and individual entries have their own URLs, so you can send
 someone exactly what you are looking at.
 
 
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@ eq("url: switch off written as 0", stateQuery({ ...URL_DEF, active: false }, URL
 eq("url: blank q not written", stateQuery({ ...URL_DEF, q: "   " }, URL_DEF), "");
 {
   // #223: every choice and switch survives a round trip through the URL.
-  const other = { category: "3d", sort: "verified", perspective: "top_down", license: "cc0", format: "image", engine: "godot" };
+  const other = { category: "3d", sort: "verified", perspective: "top_down", license: "cc0", format: "image", engine: "godot", fresh: "6m" };
   const allowed = Object.fromEntries(URL_CHOICES.map(([, f]) => [f, [URL_DEF[f], other[f]]]));
   const changed = { ...URL_DEF, q: "pixel art" };
   for (const [, f] of URL_CHOICES) {
@@ -2207,6 +2207,42 @@ eq("search: q from the URL is capped", readState(`?q=${"a".repeat(5000)}`, { q:
   has("thumbs report: one failure gives a Failed section", reportMarkdown({ ...empty, failed: [{ id: "a", reason: "HTTP 500" }] }), "## Failed\n\n- a: HTTP 500");
 }
 
+/* one filter table (#252) and the freshness filter (#271) ----------------- */
+{
+  const { FILTERS, FILTER_DEFAULTS, CHOICES, SWITCHES, readState, stateQuery, passesFilters, FRESH_DAYS } = await import("./search.mjs");
+  const fsm = (await import("node:fs")).default;
+  const indexHtml = fsm.readFileSync(new URL("../public/index.html", import.meta.url), "utf8");
+  for (const f of FILTERS) {
+    eq(`filters table: ${f.field} has a default`, f.field in FILTER_DEFAULTS && FILTER_DEFAULTS[f.field] === f.default, true);
+    eq(`filters table: ${f.field} has a URL key`, typeof f.urlKey === "string" && f.urlKey.length > 0, true);
+    if (f.control) has(`filters table: ${f.field} control exists in index.html`, indexHtml, `id="${f.control.slice(1)}"`);
+    if (f.kind === "choice") eq(`filters table: ${f.field} has a chip label`, typeof f.chip === "string", true);
+    else eq(`filters table: ${f.field} has a chip for its non-default state`, Boolean(f.default ? f.chipOff : f.chipOn), true);
+  }
+  eq("filters table: URL keys are unique", new Set(FILTERS.map((f) => f.urlKey)).size, FILTERS.length);
+  eq("filters table: URL order is unchanged", CHOICES.map(([k]) => k).join(), "cat,sort,view,licence,format,engine,fresh");
+  eq("filters table: switches", SWITCHES.map(([k]) => k).join(), "active,review,deprecated,commercial,noattr");
+
+  // Every field flipped from its default survives a trip through the URL.
+  const changed = { ...FILTER_DEFAULTS, q: "tiles", category: "2d", sort: "added", perspective: "top-down", license: "cc0", format: "gltf", engine: "godot", fresh: "6m" };
+  for (const [, field] of SWITCHES) changed[field] = !FILTER_DEFAULTS[field];
+  const allowed = Object.fromEntries(CHOICES.map(([, field]) => [field, [changed[field]]]));
+  const back = readState(stateQuery(changed, FILTER_DEFAULTS), FILTER_DEFAULTS, allowed);
+  eq("filters: readState(stateQuery(s)) round-trips every field", JSON.stringify(back), JSON.stringify(changed));
+  has("fresh: written to the URL", stateQuery(changed, FILTER_DEFAULTS), "fresh=6m");
+
+  const now = Date.parse("2026-11-06T12:00:00Z");
+  const at = (days) => new Date(now - days * 86400000).toISOString().slice(0, 10);
+  const open = { ...FILTER_DEFAULTS, deprecated: true };
+  const pass = (verified, fresh) => passesFilters({ status: "active", verified }, { ...open, fresh }, {}, now);
+  eq("fresh: 6m keeps a licence read on the last allowed day", pass(at(FRESH_DAYS["6m"]), "6m"), true);
+  eq("fresh: 6m drops one read a day earlier", pass(at(FRESH_DAYS["6m"] + 1), "6m"), false);
+  eq("fresh: 12m keeps that one", pass(at(FRESH_DAYS["6m"] + 1), "12m"), true);
+  eq("fresh: 12m drops past the aging band", pass(at(FRESH_DAYS["12m"] + 1), "12m"), false);
+  eq("fresh: an entry with no date is dropped", pass(undefined, "6m"), false);
+  eq("fresh: any keeps everything", pass(undefined, "any"), true);
+}
+
 /* report (keep last) ------------------------------------------------------ */
 if (failures.length) {
   console.error(`lib.test failed (${failures.length}):`);
 
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * lib.test.mjs tests it here. Its one import, shared.mjs, sits beside it in
  * both places.
  */
-import { PERSPECTIVES } from "./shared.mjs";
+import { PERSPECTIVES, VERIFIED_AGING_DAYS, VERIFIED_FRESH_DAYS, verifiedAge } from "./shared.mjs";
 
 // Searchable words per perspective (shared.mjs PERSPECTIVES).
 export const PERSPECTIVE_SEARCH = Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(PERSPECTIVES).map(([k, v]) => [k, v.search]));
@@ -90,8 +90,16 @@ export function scoreFields(fields, tests) {
   return score;
 }
 
-/** Every filter except the category and the search words. */
-export function passesFilters(entry, state, formatGroups = {}) {
+/**
+ * Every filter except the category and the search words. `now` (ms) dates
+ * the freshness filter: an entry passes `fresh` when its licence was read at
+ * most FRESH_DAYS[fresh] days before it.
+ */
+export function passesFilters(entry, state, formatGroups = {}, now = Date.now()) {
+  if (state.fresh && state.fresh !== "any") {
+    const { days } = verifiedAge(entry.verified, now);
+    if (days === null || days > (FRESH_DAYS[state.fresh] ?? Infinity)) return false;
+  }
   if (entry.status === "active" && !state.active) return false;
   if (entry.status === "needs-review" && !state.review) return false;
   if (entry.status === "deprecated" && !state.deprecated) return false;
@@ -248,41 +256,50 @@ export function gapIssueUrl(repo, query, categoryLabel = "") {
 }
 
 /**
- * The filter state of the catalog page and its defaults: the one list. The
- * page starts from it, and the URL holds only what differs from it.
+ * Every catalog filter, in the order the URL writes them (#252). The page's
+ * defaults, the URL keys, the controls it binds and syncs, and the chips
+ * that show an active filter all come from here, so a new filter is one row
+ * plus its control in index.html.
+ * - `kind: "choice"`: a <select> (`control`); the chip reads `${chip}: label`.
+ *   `options` lists fixed choices; without it app.js supplies them from data.
+ * - `kind: "switch"`: a checkbox; written to the URL as 1 or 0. The chip
+ *   shows `chipOn` when it is on, `chipOff` when it is off, where set.
+ * `category` has chips of its own instead of a control.
+ */
+export const FILTERS = Object.freeze([
+  { field: "category", urlKey: "cat", kind: "choice", default: "all", chip: "category" },
+  { field: "sort", urlKey: "sort", kind: "choice", default: "name", control: "#sort", chip: "sort" },
+  { field: "perspective", urlKey: "view", kind: "choice", default: "any", control: "#perspective", chip: "view" },
+  { field: "license", urlKey: "licence", kind: "choice", default: "any", control: "#license-family", chip: "licence" },
+  { field: "format", urlKey: "format", kind: "choice", default: "any", control: "#format-group", chip: "format" },
+  { field: "engine", urlKey: "engine", kind: "choice", default: "any", control: "#engine", chip: "engine" },
+  {
+    field: "fresh", urlKey: "fresh", kind: "choice", default: "any", control: "#fresh", chip: "licence read",
+    options: { "6m": `in the last ${VERIFIED_FRESH_DAYS} days`, "12m": `in the last ${VERIFIED_AGING_DAYS} days` },
+  },
+  { field: "active", urlKey: "active", kind: "switch", default: true, control: "#filter-active", chipOff: "hiding active" },
+  { field: "review", urlKey: "review", kind: "switch", default: true, control: "#filter-review", chipOff: "hiding needs-review" },
+  { field: "deprecated", urlKey: "deprecated", kind: "switch", default: false, control: "#filter-deprecated", chipOn: "showing deprecated" },
+  { field: "commercialOnly", urlKey: "commercial", kind: "switch", default: false, control: "#filter-commercial", chipOn: "commercial OK or per-file review" },
+  { field: "noAttr", urlKey: "noattr", kind: "switch", default: false, control: "#filter-no-attr", chipOn: "no attribution only" },
+]);
+
+/** Days since `verified` each `fresh` choice allows: the freshness page's bands. */
+export const FRESH_DAYS = Object.freeze({ "6m": VERIFIED_FRESH_DAYS, "12m": VERIFIED_AGING_DAYS });
+
+/**
+ * The filter state of the catalog page and its defaults. The page starts
+ * from it, and the URL holds only what differs from it.
  */
 export const FILTER_DEFAULTS = Object.freeze({
-  category: "all",
   q: "",
-  active: true,
-  review: true,
-  deprecated: false,
-  commercialOnly: false,
-  noAttr: false,
-  perspective: "any",
-  license: "any",
-  format: "any",
-  engine: "any",
-  sort: "name",
+  ...Object.fromEntries(FILTERS.map((f) => [f.field, f.default])),
 });
 
 /** Choice params: URL key -> state field, in the order the URL writes them (after q). */
-export const CHOICES = [
-  ["cat", "category"],
-  ["sort", "sort"],
-  ["view", "perspective"],
-  ["licence", "license"],
-  ["format", "format"],
-  ["engine", "engine"],
-];
+export const CHOICES = FILTERS.filter((f) => f.kind === "choice").map((f) => [f.urlKey, f.field]);
 /** On/off params: URL key -> state field, written as 1 or 0. */
-export const SWITCHES = [
-  ["active", "active"],
-  ["review", "review"],
-  ["deprecated", "deprecated"],
-  ["commercial", "commercialOnly"],
-  ["noattr", "noAttr"],
-];
+export const SWITCHES = FILTERS.filter((f) => f.kind === "switch").map((f) => [f.urlKey, f.field]);
 
 /** Longest search query kept from a URL or the search box. */
 export const MAX_QUERY = 200;
 
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { FILTER_DEFAULTS, gapIssueUrl, closestEntries, computeResults as computeResultsFor, passesFilters as passes, placementKey, queryTests as compileQuery, readState, scoreFields, searchFields, shouldGroup as shouldGroupFor, slugOf, sorterFor, SORTS, stateQuery, ENGINES } from "./search.js";
+import { FILTER_DEFAULTS, FILTERS, gapIssueUrl, closestEntries, computeResults as computeResultsFor, passesFilters as passes, placementKey, queryTests as compileQuery, readState, scoreFields, searchFields, shouldGroup as shouldGroupFor, slugOf, sorterFor, SORTS, stateQuery, ENGINES } from "./search.js";
 import { CARD_LIMIT, LIST_LIMIT, commercialLabel, entryCardHtml, escapeHtml, groupHeadingHtml, groupMoreHtml, PERSPECTIVE_LABELS } from "./cards.mjs";
 import { installViewToggles } from "./views.js";
 import { isListed, PERSPECTIVES } from "./shared.mjs";
@@ -26,6 +26,20 @@ import { isListed, PERSPECTIVES } from "./shared.mjs";
   const FORMAT_GROUPS = data.filters?.formatGroups || {};
 
   const categoryLabels = data.categories || {};
+
+  // The choices of each filter whose options come from data, value -> chip
+  // label; a FILTERS row with fixed `options` needs nothing here (#252).
+  const CHOICE_LABELS = {
+    category: Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(categoryLabels).map(([k, c]) => [k, c.label || k])),
+    sort: Object.fromEntries(Object.keys(SORTS).map((k) => [k, k])),
+    perspective: PERSPECTIVE_LABELS,
+    license: LICENSE_FAMILIES,
+    engine: Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(ENGINES).map(([k, e]) => [k, e.label])),
+    format: Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(FORMAT_GROUPS).map(([k, g]) => [k, g.label])),
+  };
+  const choicesOf = (f) => f.options || CHOICE_LABELS[f.field] || {};
+  // Where a <select> option reads differently from the chip.
+  const OPTION_TEXT = { perspective: Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(PERSPECTIVES).map(([k, p]) => [k, p.option])) };
   const repo = data.site?.repo || "https://github.com/TMHSDigital/Free-Game-Dev-Assets";
   // No prototype: "#entry-constructor" must not look like an entry.
   const byId = Object.assign(Object.create(null), Object.fromEntries(data.entries.map((e) => [e.id, e])));
@@ -60,14 +74,11 @@ import { isListed, PERSPECTIVES } from "./shared.mjs";
   function readUrl() {
     Object.assign(
       state,
-      readState(location.search, DEFAULTS, {
-        category: ["all", ...Object.keys(categoryLabels)],
-        sort: Object.keys(SORTS),
-        perspective: ["any", ...Object.keys(PERSPECTIVE_LABELS)],
-        license: ["any", ...Object.keys(LICENSE_FAMILIES)],
-        engine: ["any", ...Object.keys(ENGINES)],
-        format: ["any", ...Object.keys(FORMAT_GROUPS)],
-      })
+      readState(
+        location.search,
+        DEFAULTS,
+        Object.fromEntries(FILTERS.filter((f) => f.kind === "choice").map((f) => [f.field, [f.default, ...Object.keys(choicesOf(f))]]))
+      )
     );
   }
 
@@ -215,23 +226,15 @@ import { isListed, PERSPECTIVES } from "./shared.mjs";
       });
     }
     if (state.q.trim()) chips.push({ key: "q", label: `search: ${state.q.trim()}` });
-    if (state.sort !== DEFAULTS.sort) chips.push({ key: "sort", label: `sort: ${state.sort}` });
-    if (state.perspective !== DEFAULTS.perspective)
-      chips.push({
-        key: "perspective",
-        label: `view: ${PERSPECTIVE_LABELS[state.perspective] || state.perspective}`,
-      });
-    if (state.license !== DEFAULTS.license)
-      chips.push({ key: "license", label: `licence: ${LICENSE_FAMILIES[state.license] || state.license}` });
-    if (state.engine !== DEFAULTS.engine) chips.push({ key: "engine", label: `engine: ${ENGINES[state.engine]?.label || state.engine}` });
-    if (state.format !== DEFAULTS.format)
-      chips.push({ key: "format", label: `format: ${FORMAT_GROUPS[state.format]?.label || state.format}` });
-    if (!state.active) chips.push({ key: "active", label: "hiding active" });
-    if (!state.review) chips.push({ key: "review", label: "hiding needs-review" });
-    if (state.deprecated) chips.push({ key: "deprecated", label: "showing deprecated" });
-    if (state.commercialOnly)
-      chips.push({ key: "commercialOnly", label: "commercial OK or per-file review" });
-    if (state.noAttr) chips.push({ key: "noAttr", label: "no attribution only" });
+    // One chip per filter that differs from its default, from the FILTERS table (#252).
+    for (const f of FILTERS) {
+      if (f.field === "category") continue;
+      const v = state[f.field];
+      if (f.kind === "choice") {
+        if (v !== f.default) chips.push({ key: f.field, label: `${f.chip}: ${choicesOf(f)[v] || v}` });
+      } else if (v && f.chipOn && v !== f.default) chips.push({ key: f.field, label: f.chipOn });
+      else if (!v && f.chipOff && v !== f.default) chips.push({ key: f.field, label: f.chipOff });
+    }
 
     // The filter keeps aggregators whose files differ, which a reader
     // filtering for "safe to ship" must see, not find in a tooltip.
@@ -633,62 +636,35 @@ import { isListed, PERSPECTIVES } from "./shared.mjs";
       searchTimer = setTimeout(apply, SEARCH_DELAY);
     });
 
-    const toggles = [
-      ["#filter-active", "active"],
-      ["#filter-review", "review"],
-      ["#filter-deprecated", "deprecated"],
-      ["#filter-commercial", "commercialOnly"],
-      ["#filter-no-attr", "noAttr"],
-    ];
-    for (const [sel, field] of toggles) {
-      const el = $(sel);
-      el.checked = state[field];
-      el.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
-        state[field] = e.target.checked;
-        apply();
-      });
-    }
-
-    const view = $("#perspective");
-    view.insertAdjacentHTML(
-      "beforeend",
-      Object.entries(PERSPECTIVES)
-        .map(([value, p]) => `<option value="${escapeHtml(value)}">${escapeHtml(p.option)}</option>`)
-        .join("")
-    );
-    view.value = state.perspective;
-    view.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
-      state.perspective = e.target.value;
-      apply();
-    });
-
-    const selects = [
-      ["#license-family", "license", LICENSE_FAMILIES],
-      ["#engine", "engine", Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(ENGINES).map(([k, e]) => [k, e.label]))],
-      ["#format-group", "format", Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(FORMAT_GROUPS).map(([k, g]) => [k, g.label]))],
-    ];
-    for (const [sel, field, choices] of selects) {
-      const el = $(sel);
-      el.insertAdjacentHTML(
-        "beforeend",
-        Object.entries(choices)
-          .map(([value, label]) => `<option value="${escapeHtml(value)}">${escapeHtml(label)}</option>`)
-          .join("")
-      );
-      el.value = state[field];
+    // Every filter control, from the FILTERS table (#252). A select whose
+    // markup holds only its default option is filled from its choices.
+    for (const f of FILTERS) {
+      if (!f.control) continue;
+      const el = $(f.control);
+      if (f.kind === "switch") {
+        el.checked = state[f.field];
+        el.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
+          state[f.field] = e.target.checked;
+          apply();
+        });
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (el.options.length <= 1) {
+        el.insertAdjacentHTML(
+          "beforeend",
+          Object.entries(OPTION_TEXT[f.field] || choicesOf(f))
+            .map(([value, label]) => `<option value="${escapeHtml(value)}">${escapeHtml(label)}</option>`)
+            .join("")
+        );
+      }
+      el.value = state[f.field];
       el.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
-        state[field] = e.target.value;
-        apply();
+        state[f.field] = e.target.value;
+        // A new sort is a new view worth a Back step; a narrowed list is not.
+        apply(f.field === "sort" ? { push: true } : undefined);
       });
     }
 
-    const sort = $("#sort");
-    sort.value = state.sort;
-    sort.addEventListener("change", (e) => {
-      state.sort = e.target.value;
-      apply({ push: true });
-    });
-
     // Back and Forward step through the pushed views.
     window.addEventListener("popstate", () => {
       // A hash-only move (#stacks, #catalog) also fires popstate; the
@@ -857,16 +833,11 @@ import { isListed, PERSPECTIVES } from "./shared.mjs";
 
   function syncControls() {
     $("#search").value = state.q;
-    $("#filter-active").checked = state.active;
-    $("#filter-review").checked = state.review;
-    $("#filter-deprecated").checked = state.deprecated;
-    $("#filter-commercial").checked = state.commercialOnly;
-    $("#filter-no-attr").checked = state.noAttr;
-    $("#sort").value = state.sort;
-    $("#perspective").value = state.perspective;
-    $("#license-family").value = state.license;
-    $("#engine").value = state.engine;
-    $("#format-group").value = state.format;
+    for (const f of FILTERS) {
+      if (!f.control) continue;
+      if (f.kind === "switch") $(f.control).checked = state[f.field];
+      else $(f.control).value = state[f.field];
+    }
   }
 
   /* --------------------------------------------------------------- init */
 
@@ -144,6 +144,12 @@ <h2 id="catalog-title">Catalog</h2>
                 <option value="any">Any</option>
               </select>
             </label>
+            <label class="check sort-field" title="How recently someone re-read the licence at the source (each entry's verified date)">
+              <span>Licence read</span>
+              <select id="fresh">
+                <option value="any">Any time</option>
+              </select>
+            </label>
             <label class="check sort-field" title="Hides projects, addons and plugins for another engine and assets licensed for one engine only, and lists ones made for this engine first">
               <span>Engine</span>
               <select id="engine">