diff --git a/packages/core/src/core/queue-manager.ts b/packages/core/src/core/queue-manager.ts
index 5b5caa4..f83467e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/core/queue-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/core/queue-manager.ts
@@ -39,13 +39,18 @@ export class QueueManager {
     max: 100, // Max 100 entries
     ttl: 1000 * 60, // Default 1 minute TTL
     allowStale: false, // Don't return stale entries
-    updateAgeOnGet: true, // Reset TTL on access
+    // Do NOT reset TTL on read. These entries back continuously-polled views
+    // (overview, queue list, metrics). With updateAgeOnGet enabled, an open
+    // dashboard re-read each entry before its TTL elapsed, so the age kept
+    // resetting and the entry never expired — the overview showed stale data
+    // indefinitely, even across hard refreshes (see #25).
+    updateAgeOnGet: false,
   });
 
   private readonly CACHE_TTL = {
     metrics: 5 * 60 * 1000, // 5 minutes - metrics are expensive
-    overview: 2 * 60 * 1000, // 2 minutes
-    queues: 2 * 60 * 1000, // 2 minutes
+    overview: 5 * 1000, // 5s - backs the live overview (frontend polls every 5s)
+    queues: 5 * 1000, // 5s - backs the live queue list (frontend polls every 5s)
     flows: 2 * 60 * 1000, // 2 minutes
     activity: 5 * 60 * 1000, // 5 minutes - activity timeline
   };
@@ -220,12 +225,24 @@ export class QueueManager {
 
     // Invalidate main cache entries that might be affected
     // These are expensive to recompute, so we invalidate them
-    // to ensure accuracy after mutations
+    // to ensure accuracy after mutations. "overview" is derived from "queues",
+    // so both must be cleared together.
     this.cache.delete("metrics");
+    this.cache.delete("queues");
     this.cache.delete("overview");
     this.cache.delete("activity");
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Invalidate caches that reflect queue-level state (pause status).
+   * Called after pause/resume so the queue list and overview update
+   * immediately instead of waiting for the cache TTL.
+   */
+  private invalidateQueueStateCache(): void {
+    this.cache.delete("queues");
+    this.cache.delete("overview");
+  }
+
   /**
    * Clear cache (useful after mutations)
    */
@@ -414,6 +431,7 @@ export class QueueManager {
       throw new Error(`Queue "${queueName}" not found`);
     }
     await queue.pause();
+    this.invalidateQueueStateCache();
   }
 
   /**
@@ -425,6 +443,7 @@ export class QueueManager {
       throw new Error(`Queue "${queueName}" not found`);
     }
     await queue.resume();
+    this.invalidateQueueStateCache();
   }
 
   /**