diff --git a/docs/backend/ARCHITECTURE.md b/docs/backend/ARCHITECTURE.md
index baffb0e9..a863094f 100644
--- a/docs/backend/ARCHITECTURE.md
+++ b/docs/backend/ARCHITECTURE.md
@@ -403,6 +403,24 @@ Rules:
   browser on its own.
 - Unauthenticated requests get a JSON 401 (not a redirect to `/login`), so `fetch` callers can handle them.
 
+### Caching the metadata endpoints
+
+View descriptors, entity metadata and navigation (`GET /apps/api/metadata/views/{id}`, `/entities`, `/entities/{id}`,
+`/entities/{id}/views[/{view}]`, `/entities/by-path`, `/navigation`) are practically static, but not always: texts depend
+on the request locale (`Messages.getDefaultLocale()`, which an application resolves per request through its
+`LocaleProvider`), and an application may build descriptors dynamically or vary them per user. The framework therefore
+adds nothing by default and leaves the decision to the application through `MetadataHttpCachePolicy`:
+
+- **Default:** no cache headers, exactly as before.
+- **`dynamia.app.metadata.http-cache=etag`:** the included `ContentEtagMetadataHttpCachePolicy`. A strong ETag from the
+  content and the locale, `Cache-Control: private, no-cache` and `Vary: Accept-Language`. The client revalidates on every
+  use and gets a `304` with no body when nothing changed, and never a stale descriptor after a deployment or a hot-reload.
+- **Your own policy:** register a `MetadataHttpCachePolicy` bean (for example an ETag from the application version, or a
+  `Vary` that includes the user). It replaces the included one.
+
+Only the read-only endpoints above take part; actions, entity data (`/entities/ref/**`) and executions are never cached,
+and neither are `/apps/api/dashboard` or `/apps/api/reports`.
+
 ---
 
 ## Dependency Injection & Spring Integration
diff --git a/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/ContentEtagMetadataHttpCachePolicy.java b/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/ContentEtagMetadataHttpCachePolicy.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..309802ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/ContentEtagMetadataHttpCachePolicy.java
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+package tools.dynamia.app.controllers.cache;
+
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.security.MessageDigest;
+import java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException;
+import java.util.HexFormat;
+import java.util.Locale;
+
+/**
+ * Included policy, enabled with {@code dynamia.app.metadata.http-cache=etag}: a strong ETag derived from the content
+ * and the locale, {@code Cache-Control: private, no-cache} and {@code Vary: Accept-Language}.
+ * <p>
+ * {@code no-cache} makes the client revalidate on every use, which costs a {@code 304} with no body instead of the
+ * whole descriptor, and never serves a stale one after a deployment or a descriptor hot-reload: the ETag is the hash of
+ * what would be sent, so it changes with it.
+ */
+public class ContentEtagMetadataHttpCachePolicy implements MetadataHttpCachePolicy {
+
+    @Override
+    public MetadataCacheDirectives directives(String path, Locale locale, byte[] content) {
+        MessageDigest digest = sha256();
+        digest.update(locale.toLanguageTag().getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
+        digest.update((byte) 0);
+        digest.update(content);
+        String eTag = "\"" + HexFormat.of().formatHex(digest.digest(), 0, 16) + "\"";
+        return new MetadataCacheDirectives(eTag, "private, no-cache", "Accept-Language");
+    }
+
+    private static MessageDigest sha256() {
+        try {
+            return MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA-256");
+        } catch (NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException(e);
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataCacheDirectives.java b/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataCacheDirectives.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..072aea6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataCacheDirectives.java
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+package tools.dynamia.app.controllers.cache;
+
+/**
+ * HTTP cache headers for one metadata response.
+ *
+ * @param eTag         the validator, quoted ({@code "abc"}); when present a matching {@code If-None-Match} is answered with
+ *                     {@code 304 Not Modified} and no body. May be {@code null}.
+ * @param cacheControl the {@code Cache-Control} value, or {@code null} to not set it
+ * @param vary         the {@code Vary} header names, comma separated, or {@code null} to not set it
+ */
+public record MetadataCacheDirectives(String eTag, String cacheControl, String vary) {
+}
diff --git a/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCacheAdvice.java b/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCacheAdvice.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..39e6a673
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCacheAdvice.java
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+package tools.dynamia.app.controllers.cache;
+
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.ObjectProvider;
+import org.springframework.core.MethodParameter;
+import org.springframework.core.env.Environment;
+import org.springframework.http.HttpMethod;
+import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
+import org.springframework.http.converter.HttpMessageConverter;
+import org.springframework.http.server.ServerHttpRequest;
+import org.springframework.http.server.ServerHttpResponse;
+import org.springframework.http.server.ServletServerHttpRequest;
+import org.springframework.http.server.ServletServerHttpResponse;
+import org.springframework.util.AntPathMatcher;
+import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestControllerAdvice;
+import org.springframework.web.context.request.ServletWebRequest;
+import org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ResponseBodyAdvice;
+import tools.dynamia.app.controllers.ApplicationMetadataController;
+import tools.dynamia.commons.Messages;
+import tools.dynamia.commons.StringPojoParser;
+import tools.jackson.databind.json.JsonMapper;
+
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * Applies the {@link MetadataHttpCachePolicy} to the read-only metadata endpoints of
+ * {@link ApplicationMetadataController}: view descriptors, entity metadata and navigation. Nothing else is touched
+ * (actions, entity data and executions are never cached).
+ * <p>
+ * The policy is the application's bean if there is one; otherwise {@link ContentEtagMetadataHttpCachePolicy} when
+ * {@code dynamia.app.metadata.http-cache=etag}; otherwise none, and responses are exactly as before.
+ */
+@RestControllerAdvice(assignableTypes = ApplicationMetadataController.class)
+public class MetadataHttpCacheAdvice implements ResponseBodyAdvice<Object> {
+
+    /** Property that enables the included ETag policy. */
+    public static final String PROPERTY = "dynamia.app.metadata.http-cache";
+
+    private static final List<String> CACHEABLE = List.of(
+            "/views/*", "/navigation", "/entities", "/entities/by-path", "/entities/*", "/entities/*/views", "/entities/*/views/*");
+
+    private final AntPathMatcher matcher = new AntPathMatcher();
+    private final MetadataHttpCachePolicy policy;
+    private final JsonMapper mapper;
+
+    public MetadataHttpCacheAdvice(ObjectProvider<MetadataHttpCachePolicy> custom, ObjectProvider<JsonMapper> mapper, Environment environment) {
+        MetadataHttpCachePolicy configured = custom.getIfAvailable();
+        if (configured == null && "etag".equalsIgnoreCase(environment.getProperty(PROPERTY))) {
+            configured = new ContentEtagMetadataHttpCachePolicy();
+        }
+        this.policy = configured;
+        this.mapper = mapper.getIfAvailable(StringPojoParser::createJsonMapper);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean supports(MethodParameter returnType, Class<? extends HttpMessageConverter<?>> converterType) {
+        return policy != null;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public Object beforeBodyWrite(Object body, MethodParameter returnType, MediaType selectedContentType,
+                                  Class<? extends HttpMessageConverter<?>> selectedConverterType,
+                                  ServerHttpRequest request, ServerHttpResponse response) {
+        if (policy == null || body == null || request.getMethod() != HttpMethod.GET
+                || !(request instanceof ServletServerHttpRequest servletRequest)
+                || !(response instanceof ServletServerHttpResponse servletResponse)) {
+            return body;
+        }
+        String path = relativePath(servletRequest);
+        if (!isCacheable(path)) {
+            return body;
+        }
+
+        MetadataCacheDirectives directives = policy.directives(path, Messages.getDefaultLocale(), mapper.writeValueAsBytes(body));
+        if (directives == null) {
+            return body;
+        }
+        if (directives.cacheControl() != null) {
+            response.getHeaders().set("Cache-Control", directives.cacheControl());
+        }
+        if (directives.vary() != null) {
+            response.getHeaders().set("Vary", directives.vary());
+        }
+        if (directives.eTag() != null) {
+            var webRequest = new ServletWebRequest(servletRequest.getServletRequest(), servletResponse.getServletResponse());
+            if (webRequest.checkNotModified(directives.eTag())) {
+                return null; // 304: the validator matched, no body
+            }
+        }
+        return body;
+    }
+
+    private static String relativePath(ServletServerHttpRequest request) {
+        String uri = request.getServletRequest().getRequestURI();
+        String context = request.getServletRequest().getContextPath();
+        String path = context != null && !context.isEmpty() && uri.startsWith(context) ? uri.substring(context.length()) : uri;
+        return path.startsWith(ApplicationMetadataController.PATH) ? path.substring(ApplicationMetadataController.PATH.length()) : path;
+    }
+
+    private boolean isCacheable(String path) {
+        return CACHEABLE.stream().anyMatch(pattern -> matcher.match(pattern, path));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCachePolicy.java b/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCachePolicy.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..65dfe130
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/app/src/main/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCachePolicy.java
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package tools.dynamia.app.controllers.cache;
+
+import java.util.Locale;
+
+/**
+ * Decides how the clients may cache what {@code /apps/api/metadata/**} serves (view descriptors, entity metadata and
+ * navigation). Those responses are practically static, but not always: texts depend on the request locale and an
+ * application may build descriptors dynamically or vary them per user. The framework therefore does not impose a
+ * policy: the application registers a bean of this type, or enables the included one with
+ * {@code dynamia.app.metadata.http-cache=etag}. Without either, nothing is added to the responses.
+ *
+ * <pre>{@code
+ * @Component
+ * class VersionedMetadataCache implements MetadataHttpCachePolicy {
+ *     public MetadataCacheDirectives directives(String path, Locale locale, byte[] content) {
+ *         return new MetadataCacheDirectives("\"" + version + "-" + locale + "\"", "private, no-cache", "Accept-Language");
+ *     }
+ * }
+ * }</pre>
+ */
+public interface MetadataHttpCachePolicy {
+
+    /**
+     * Cache directives for one response.
+     *
+     * @param path    the request path relative to {@code /apps/api/metadata}, e.g. {@code /views/clientesWidget}
+     * @param locale  the locale the response was produced with ({@code Messages.getDefaultLocale()})
+     * @param content the serialized JSON body
+     * @return the directives, or {@code null} to leave the response untouched
+     */
+    MetadataCacheDirectives directives(String path, Locale locale, byte[] content);
+}
diff --git a/platform/app/src/test/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCacheAdviceTest.java b/platform/app/src/test/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCacheAdviceTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f97c5e37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/platform/app/src/test/java/tools/dynamia/app/controllers/cache/MetadataHttpCacheAdviceTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+package tools.dynamia.app.controllers.cache;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory;
+import org.springframework.http.HttpStatus;
+import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
+import org.springframework.http.server.ServletServerHttpRequest;
+import org.springframework.http.server.ServletServerHttpResponse;
+import org.springframework.mock.env.MockEnvironment;
+import org.springframework.mock.web.MockHttpServletRequest;
+import org.springframework.mock.web.MockHttpServletResponse;
+import tools.jackson.databind.json.JsonMapper;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Locale;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertSame;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
+
+/**
+ * Verifies the HTTP cache of the metadata endpoints: nothing changes by default, the included ETag policy validates by
+ * content, and only the read-only metadata endpoints take part.
+ */
+class MetadataHttpCacheAdviceTest {
+
+    private static final String PATH = "/apps/api/metadata";
+    private final Map<String, Object> descriptor = Map.of("id", "clientesWidget", "view", "table");
+
+    private MetadataHttpCacheAdvice advice(MetadataHttpCachePolicy custom, String property) {
+        var factory = new DefaultListableBeanFactory();
+        if (custom != null) {
+            factory.registerSingleton("policy", custom);
+        }
+        var environment = new MockEnvironment();
+        if (property != null) {
+            environment.setProperty(MetadataHttpCacheAdvice.PROPERTY, property);
+        }
+        return new MetadataHttpCacheAdvice(factory.getBeanProvider(MetadataHttpCachePolicy.class), factory.getBeanProvider(JsonMapper.class), environment);
+    }
+
+    private record Exchange(MockHttpServletRequest request, MockHttpServletResponse response, Object body) {
+    }
+
+    private Exchange get(MetadataHttpCacheAdvice advice, String method, String path, String ifNoneMatch, Object body) {
+        var request = new MockHttpServletRequest(method, PATH + path);
+        if (ifNoneMatch != null) {
+            request.addHeader("If-None-Match", ifNoneMatch);
+        }
+        var response = new MockHttpServletResponse();
+        Object result = advice.beforeBodyWrite(body, null, MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON, null,
+                new ServletServerHttpRequest(request), new ServletServerHttpResponse(response));
+        return new Exchange(request, response, result);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void doesNothingByDefault() {
+        var advice = advice(null, null);
+
+        assertFalse(advice.supports(null, null));
+        var exchange = get(advice, "GET", "/views/clientesWidget", null, descriptor);
+        assertSame(descriptor, exchange.body());
+        assertNull(exchange.response().getHeader("ETag"));
+        assertNull(exchange.response().getHeader("Cache-Control"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void etagPropertyEnablesContentValidation() {
+        var advice = advice(null, "etag");
+
+        assertTrue(advice.supports(null, null));
+        var exchange = get(advice, "GET", "/views/clientesWidget", null, descriptor);
+
+        assertSame(descriptor, exchange.body());
+        assertNotNull(exchange.response().getHeader("ETag"));
+        assertEquals("private, no-cache", exchange.response().getHeader("Cache-Control"));
+        assertEquals("Accept-Language", exchange.response().getHeader("Vary"));
+        assertEquals(200, exchange.response().getStatus());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aMatchingIfNoneMatchAnswers304WithNoBody() {
+        var advice = advice(null, "etag");
+        String eTag = get(advice, "GET", "/views/clientesWidget", null, descriptor).response().getHeader("ETag");
+
+        var exchange = get(advice, "GET", "/views/clientesWidget", eTag, descriptor);
+
+        assertNull(exchange.body());
+        assertEquals(HttpStatus.NOT_MODIFIED.value(), exchange.response().getStatus());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aChangedDescriptorGetsAnotherEtagAndAStaleValidatorGetsTheBody() {
+        var advice = advice(null, "etag");
+        String old = get(advice, "GET", "/views/clientesWidget", null, descriptor).response().getHeader("ETag");
+        var changed = Map.of("id", "clientesWidget", "view", "table", "fields", List.of("alias"));
+
+        var exchange = get(advice, "GET", "/views/clientesWidget", old, changed);
+
+        assertSame(changed, exchange.body());
+        assertEquals(200, exchange.response().getStatus());
+        assertNotEquals(old, exchange.response().getHeader("ETag"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void theLocaleIsPartOfTheValidator() {
+        var policy = new ContentEtagMetadataHttpCachePolicy();
+        byte[] content = "{}".getBytes();
+
+        var es = policy.directives("/views/x", Locale.forLanguageTag("es-CO"), content).eTag();
+        var en = policy.directives("/views/x", Locale.ENGLISH, content).eTag();
+
+        assertNotEquals(es, en);
+        assertEquals(es, policy.directives("/views/x", Locale.forLanguageTag("es-CO"), content).eTag());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void onlyTheReadOnlyMetadataEndpointsTakePart() {
+        var advice = advice(null, "etag");
+
+        for (String path : List.of("/views/a", "/navigation", "/entities", "/entities/Book", "/entities/by-path", "/entities/Book/views", "/entities/Book/views/table")) {
+            assertNotNull(get(advice, "GET", path, null, descriptor).response().getHeader("ETag"), path);
+        }
+        for (String path : List.of("", "/actions", "/entities/ref/Book/1", "/entities/ref/Book/search", "/entities/Book/action/save")) {
+            assertNull(get(advice, "GET", path, null, descriptor).response().getHeader("ETag"), path);
+        }
+        assertNull(get(advice, "POST", "/views/a", null, descriptor).response().getHeader("ETag"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void anApplicationPolicyReplacesTheIncludedOne() {
+        MetadataHttpCachePolicy custom = (path, locale, content) -> new MetadataCacheDirectives("\"v1\"", "max-age=60", null);
+        var advice = advice(custom, "etag");
+
+        var exchange = get(advice, "GET", "/views/a", null, descriptor);
+
+        assertEquals("\"v1\"", exchange.response().getHeader("ETag"));
+        assertEquals("max-age=60", exchange.response().getHeader("Cache-Control"));
+        assertNull(exchange.response().getHeader("Vary"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void aPolicyThatReturnsNothingLeavesTheResponseUntouched() {
+        var advice = advice((path, locale, content) -> null, null);
+
+        var exchange = get(advice, "GET", "/views/a", null, descriptor);
+
+        assertSame(descriptor, exchange.body());
+        assertNull(exchange.response().getHeader("ETag"));
+    }
+}