DocumentationExperience Cloud KCS

Replication metadata not updating in AEM publish

Last update: June 27, 2026

Publish instances show missing, outdated, or incorrect replication metadata such as cq:lastReplicated, cq:lastReplicationAction, or Last Published timestamps. This occurs because replication metadata is filtered from publish instances or the replication agent uses a configuration that blocks status updates. This article explains how to identify the behavior and apply the correct fix.

Description description

Environment

  • Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS)
  • AEM 6.5
  • AEM Managed Services
  • On-premise deployments

Issue/Symptoms

  • Published timestamp does not update on author after replication.
  • cq:lastReplicated,cq:lastReplicatedBy, or cq:lastReplicationAction missing on publish.
  • New pages appear as already published immediately after creation.
  • Metadata differs between author and publish instances.
  • Application code returns null for replication properties on publish.
  • jcr:created on publish reflects replication time instead of author value.

Cause

Replication metadata is filtered from publish instances by design in some environments. Replication agent configuration may disable status updates on author. Templates or packages can include replication properties that new content inherits. During replication, nodes are recreated on publish, which updates jcr:created.

Resolution resolution

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Identify the observed scenario: missing metadata, timestamp issues, inherited properties, or publish timestamp differences.
  2. For author timestamp issues, open replication agent settings and disable the No status update option.
  3. For missing metadata on publish, accept expected behavior where replication properties are intentionally not available.
  4. Update application logic to use jcr:lastModified or jcr:created instead of replication properties.
  5. Remove replication-related properties from templates to prevent inheritance in new pages.
  6. Exclude replication properties from content packages by updating filter rules.
  7. Validate that jcr:created on publish reflects replication time and not author values.
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