diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4765703..50f39ef 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -100,6 +100,12 @@ than once, is refused with 400.
 - `<format>`: one of `orig`, `png`, `jpeg`, `webp`
 - `<size>`: `orig` or `<width>x<height>` (e.g. `800x600`)
 
+An image is served with `Cache-Control: public, max-age=<seconds>, immutable`.
+When the URL has an expiry (an `exp`, or the TTL of an encrypted URL),
+`max-age` is the whole seconds left until then, so no browser or proxy cache
+keeps the image after pixa would refuse the URL. A URL with no expiry gets one
+year. `immutable` only stops a client revalidating while its copy is fresh.
+
 The login form (`POST /`) is limited to 5 attempts per minute per client
 address, counting an IPv6 client by its /64; an attempt over the limit is
 refused with 429 and a `Retry-After` header. Behind a reverse proxy the client
diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 56d0745..c10609b 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -30,6 +30,13 @@ exhaustion
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-29 `max-age` never outlives an expiring URL (closes #63): both image
+  routes build `Cache-Control` from the request's `Expires`, which an encrypted
+  URL's expiry now fills too; `max-age` is one year, or the whole seconds left
+  until the `exp` of a `/v1/image/` URL or the expiry of an encrypted URL when
+  that is sooner, never negative; an allowlisted host's URL that has an `exp`
+  follows it too; `immutable` stays, as freshness now ends at the expiry;
+  documented in `README.md`.
 - 2026-09-28 strip metadata from processed images (closes #82): every output is
   exported with govips' `StripMetadata`, so it carries no EXIF, XMP, IPTC or ICC
   profile; the image is first turned upright with `AutoRotate` (before sizes are
diff --git a/internal/encurl/encurl.go b/internal/encurl/encurl.go
index 5c8819c..8815bf0 100644
--- a/internal/encurl/encurl.go
+++ b/internal/encurl/encurl.go
@@ -103,7 +103,8 @@ func (g *Generator) Parse(token string) (*Payload, error) {
 }
 
 // ToImageRequest converts the payload to an ImageRequest.
-// Applies default values for omitted optional fields.
+// Applies default values for omitted optional fields. An ExpiresAt of 0, a URL
+// that never expires, gives the zero Expires.
 func (p *Payload) ToImageRequest() *imgcache.ImageRequest {
 	format := p.Format
 	if format == "" {
@@ -120,6 +121,11 @@ func (p *Payload) ToImageRequest() *imgcache.ImageRequest {
 		fitMode = DefaultFitMode
 	}
 
+	var expires time.Time
+	if p.ExpiresAt != 0 {
+		expires = time.Unix(p.ExpiresAt, 0)
+	}
+
 	return &imgcache.ImageRequest{
 		SourceHost:  p.SourceHost,
 		SourcePath:  p.SourcePath,
@@ -131,6 +137,7 @@ func (p *Payload) ToImageRequest() *imgcache.ImageRequest {
 		Format:  format,
 		Quality: quality,
 		FitMode: fitMode,
+		Expires: expires,
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/handlers/image.go b/internal/handlers/image.go
index 00b271e..561ca1d 100644
--- a/internal/handlers/image.go
+++ b/internal/handlers/image.go
@@ -220,6 +220,24 @@ func (s *Handlers) respondImageError(
 	s.respondError(w, "internal error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
 }
 
+// cacheControl returns the Cache-Control header for an image served through a
+// URL that expires at expires, or never when expires is the zero time. A cache
+// may keep the image for a year, but not past the URL's expiry, after which
+// pixa refuses the URL. The seconds left are rounded down and never negative.
+// immutable only stops revalidation while the image is fresh, so it also ends
+// at the expiry.
+func cacheControl(expires time.Time) string {
+	const oneYear = 365 * 24 * time.Hour
+
+	maxAge := oneYear
+
+	if !expires.IsZero() {
+		maxAge = min(maxAge, max(time.Until(expires), 0))
+	}
+
+	return fmt.Sprintf("public, max-age=%d, immutable", int64(maxAge/time.Second))
+}
+
 // writeImageResponse writes headers and streams the image content,
 // handling conditional and HEAD requests.
 func (s *Handlers) writeImageResponse(
@@ -235,7 +253,7 @@ func (s *Handlers) writeImageResponse(
 	}
 
 	// Cache control headers
-	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=31536000, immutable")
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", cacheControl(req.Expires))
 	w.Header().Set("X-Pixa-Cache", string(resp.CacheStatus))
 
 	if resp.ETag != "" {
diff --git a/internal/handlers/imageenc.go b/internal/handlers/imageenc.go
index 8089f64..5effd8b 100644
--- a/internal/handlers/imageenc.go
+++ b/internal/handlers/imageenc.go
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@ func (s *Handlers) HandleImageEnc() http.HandlerFunc {
 			w.Header().Set("Content-Length", strconv.FormatInt(resp.ContentLength, 10))
 		}
 
-		// Cache headers - encrypted URLs can be cached since they're immutable
-		w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=31536000, immutable")
+		// Cache headers: max-age ends at the URL's expiry
+		w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", cacheControl(req.Expires))
 		w.Header().Set("X-Pixa-Cache", string(resp.CacheStatus))
 
 		// Stream the response
diff --git a/internal/imgcache/imgcache.go b/internal/imgcache/imgcache.go
index 7fb069b..a6a591e 100644
--- a/internal/imgcache/imgcache.go
+++ b/internal/imgcache/imgcache.go
@@ -95,7 +95,8 @@ type ImageRequest struct {
 	FitMode FitMode
 	// Signature is the HMAC signature for non-allowlisted hosts
 	Signature string
-	// Expires is the signature expiration timestamp
+	// Expires is when the URL expires: the exp of a signed URL, or the expiry
+	// of an encrypted URL; the zero time if it has none
 	Expires time.Time
 	// AllowHTTP indicates whether HTTP (non-TLS) is allowed for this request
 	AllowHTTP bool