diff --git a/goodnews/api.py b/goodnews/api.py
index 2b82025..954edab 100644
--- a/goodnews/api.py
+++ b/goodnews/api.py
@@ -45,6 +45,16 @@ from .lanes import build_lane_pool
 from .paywall import is_paywalled
 from .taxonomy import FAMILIES, FLAVORS, TOPICS
 
+# Edge-cache directives for GLOBAL endpoints — responses that depend only on the
+# URL, never the session/user, so Cloudflare may safely serve one visitor's copy
+# to another (this is what makes "Gathering the good news…" resolve from the edge
+# instead of a round-trip to the residential origin). The personalization
+# boundary is hard: anything session- or filter-specific stays private/no-store.
+_EDGE_CONFIG = "public, max-age=0, s-maxage=900, stale-while-revalidate=600"    # static config (moods/categories)
+_EDGE_DERIVED = "public, max-age=0, s-maxage=120, stale-while-revalidate=120"   # global, data-derived (lanes/families)
+_EDGE_FEED = "public, max-age=0, s-maxage=45, stale-while-revalidate=30"        # global feed (URL-keyed, shareable only)
+_PRIVATE = "private, no-store"                                                  # never share across users
+
 ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
 DEFAULT_DB = ROOT / "data" / "goodnews.sqlite3"
 # Prefer the built SvelteKit site; fall back to the legacy single-page harness.
@@ -1410,23 +1420,26 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
         return {"ok": True}
 
     @app.get("/api/categories", response_model=CategoriesResponse)
-    def categories() -> CategoriesResponse:
+    def categories(response: Response) -> CategoriesResponse:
+        response.headers["Cache-Control"] = _EDGE_CONFIG  # static taxonomy, identical for everyone
         return CategoriesResponse(
             topics=[Category(key=k, description=v) for k, v in TOPICS.items()],
             flavors=[Category(key=k, description=v) for k, v in FLAVORS.items()],
         )
 
     @app.get("/api/moods")
-    def moods() -> list[dict]:
+    def moods(response: Response) -> list[dict]:
         # The humane front door: each mood resolves to a filter preset the
         # client merges with the user's own Calm Filters.
+        response.headers["Cache-Control"] = _EDGE_CONFIG  # static presets, identical for everyone
         return MOODS
 
     @app.get("/api/lanes")
-    def lanes() -> dict:
+    def lanes(response: Response) -> dict:
         # The customizable quick-access rail: 'today' is always pinned, and the
         # reader pins any subset of these moods / topics / Discovery tags. Live
         # counts let the client gate empty lanes and show volume.
+        response.headers["Cache-Control"] = _EDGE_DERIVED  # global counts, no per-user data
         with get_conn() as conn:
             tagc = queries.tag_counts(conn)
             topicc: dict[str, int] = {}
@@ -1435,8 +1448,9 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
         return build_lane_pool(topicc, tagc)
 
     @app.get("/api/families")
-    def families() -> list[dict]:
+    def families(response: Response) -> list[dict]:
         # Grouping vocabulary organised into calm families for the Explore UI.
+        response.headers["Cache-Control"] = _EDGE_DERIVED  # global vocab + counts, no per-user data
         with get_conn() as conn:
             counts = queries.tag_counts(conn)
         return [
@@ -1468,6 +1482,7 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
 
     @app.get("/api/feed", response_model=FeedResponse)
     def feed(
+        response: Response,
         topic: str | None = Query(None),
         flavor: str | None = Query(None),
         accepted_only: bool = True,
@@ -1481,6 +1496,13 @@ def create_app() -> FastAPI:
         following: bool = Query(False, description="restrict to the signed-in user's followed sources/tags"),
         request: Request = None,
     ) -> FeedResponse:
+        # Edge-cacheable ONLY when the response depends purely on the URL: not the
+        # following feed (reads the session's follows) and not personal filters
+        # (prefs/dismissals are per-reader). The shareable cases — the default
+        # home feed, topic/flavor/tag/source browse — are identical for everyone,
+        # so the edge can serve one copy to all. Everything else stays private.
+        shareable = not following and not prefs and not exclude.strip()
+        response.headers["Cache-Control"] = _EDGE_FEED if shareable else _PRIVATE
         if topic and topic.lower() not in TOPICS:
             raise HTTPException(400, f"unknown topic: {topic}")
         if flavor and flavor.lower() not in FLAVORS:
diff --git a/tests/test_api.py b/tests/test_api.py
index 47ae984..f977e3b 100644
--- a/tests/test_api.py
+++ b/tests/test_api.py
@@ -87,3 +87,23 @@ def test_families_endpoint(client):
     names = [f["name"] for f in fams]
     assert "Discovery & Wonder" in names
     assert all("tags" in f and isinstance(f["tags"], list) for f in fams)
+
+
+def test_global_endpoints_are_edge_cacheable(client):
+    # The startup endpoints are identical for every visitor → publicly cacheable
+    # so "Gathering the good news…" resolves from the edge, not the origin.
+    for path in ("/api/moods", "/api/categories", "/api/lanes", "/api/families"):
+        cc = client.get(path).headers.get("cache-control", "")
+        assert "public" in cc and "s-maxage" in cc, f"{path}: {cc!r}"
+
+
+def test_feed_cache_boundary(client):
+    # Shareable (URL-determined) feeds are public; personalized ones are private.
+    public_cc = client.get("/api/feed").headers.get("cache-control", "")
+    assert "public" in public_cc and "s-maxage" in public_cc
+    # topic/tag browse is still shareable (same for everyone)
+    assert "public" in client.get("/api/feed", params={"topic": "science"}).headers.get("cache-control", "")
+    # personal filters + the following feed must never be shared across users
+    assert client.get("/api/feed", params={"following": "true"}).headers.get("cache-control") == "private, no-store"
+    assert client.get("/api/feed", params={"prefs": json.dumps({"mute_topics": ["science"]})}).headers.get("cache-control") == "private, no-store"
+    assert client.get("/api/feed", params={"exclude": "1,2"}).headers.get("cache-control") == "private, no-store"