# Eventual Consistency Playbook
AI-readable version of this post.
Path: /systems/eventual-consistency-playbook
Category: Systems
Date: 2023-01-10
Author: Distributed Systems
Reading time: 1 min
Description: How to design user flows when data converges asynchronously.
## Expose state clearly

Show syncing / pending status instead of pretending writes are instantly global.

## Use idempotency keys

Retries are inevitable; idempotency prevents duplicate side effects.

## Resolve conflicts deterministically

Choose domain rules for merges and keep conflict outcomes predictable.