One of the most frustrating experiences in social apps is when you post something and it doesn't immediately appear in your feed. You refresh, wait, refresh again... and finally it shows up. This lag kills engagement and makes users question whether their action worked. Bluesky's Read-After-Write consistency solves this problem, and understanding how to leverage it will make your Bluesky client feel incredibly responsive.

What is Read-After-Write Consistency?

Read-After-Write (RAW) consistency guarantees that after you write data, any subsequent read will return that data. It sounds simple, but in distributed systems like Bluesky, achieving this is technically challenging and incredibly valuable for user experience.

Without RAW consistency, you might experience:

  • Ghost posts - You create a post but don't see it in your timeline
  • Missing likes - You like a post but the heart doesn't fill in
  • Invisible follows - You follow someone but they don't appear in your following list
  • Stale counts - Like/repost counts don't update after your interaction

Why This Matters for Bluesky Growth

If you're building a client to help users grow their Bluesky audience, responsiveness is critical. Users who want to increase their Bluesky followers and engagement are often power users who:

  • Post frequently and expect immediate feedback
  • Engage heavily with likes, reposts, and replies
  • Monitor their notifications closely
  • Track engagement metrics in real-time

A laggy experience will drive these users to other clients. A snappy, responsive experience will keep them coming back.

How Bluesky Implements Read-After-Write

Bluesky's ATProtocol architecture includes mechanisms to ensure RAW consistency. Here's how it works at a high level:

The Rev (Revision) System

Every record in Bluesky has a rev (revision) identifier. When you create or update a record, you receive a new rev. This rev can be used to ensure subsequent reads reflect your changes:

// When you create a post, the response includes a rev
POST https://bsky.social/xrpc/com.atproto.repo.createRecord
{
    "repo": "did:plc:yourDID",
    "collection": "app.bsky.feed.post",
    "record": {
        "text": "Hello Bluesky!",
        "createdAt": "2025-12-16T10:00:00Z"
    }
}

// Response
{
    "uri": "at://did:plc:yourDID/app.bsky.feed.post/abc123",
    "cid": "bafyrei...",
    "commit": {
        "cid": "bafyrei...",
        "rev": "3k5ht7gxabc"  // This is the revision
    }
}

Using Rev for Consistent Reads

After performing a write operation, you can pass the rev to subsequent read requests to ensure consistency:

// Fetch timeline with consistency guarantee
GET https://bsky.social/xrpc/app.bsky.feed.getTimeline
Authorization: Bearer {accessJwt}

// The AppView will ensure it returns data that includes
// changes up to your most recent write

Implementing RAW in Your Bluesky Client

Here's a practical approach to leveraging Read-After-Write in your app:

1. Track the Latest Rev

After any write operation, store the returned rev:

// Pseudocode for tracking revisions
class BlueskyClient {
    private latestRev: string | null = null;

    async createPost(text: string) {
        const response = await this.api.createRecord({
            collection: 'app.bsky.feed.post',
            record: { text, createdAt: new Date().toISOString() }
        });

        // Store the latest revision
        this.latestRev = response.commit.rev;

        return response;
    }

    async getTimeline() {
        // The API will use session context to ensure
        // consistency with recent writes
        return await this.api.getTimeline();
    }
}

2. Optimistic UI Updates

Don't wait for the server - update your UI immediately and reconcile later:

// Optimistic like implementation
async function likePost(postUri: string) {
    // 1. Immediately update UI
    updateUIWithLike(postUri);

    try {
        // 2. Send request to server
        const result = await api.like(postUri);

        // 3. Update with confirmed data
        confirmLike(postUri, result);
    } catch (error) {
        // 4. Rollback on failure
        rollbackLike(postUri);
        showError("Couldn't like post. Please try again.");
    }
}

3. Handle the Consistency Window

Even with RAW guarantees, there's a brief window where cached data might be stale. Handle this gracefully:

// Refresh strategy after posting
async function postAndRefresh(text: string) {
    // Create the post
    const newPost = await createPost(text);

    // Option 1: Inject the post directly into local state
    prependToTimeline(newPost);

    // Option 2: Refresh timeline with slight delay
    // (gives backend time to propagate)
    setTimeout(() => refreshTimeline(), 500);

    // Option 3: Use the post URI to fetch and verify
    const verified = await getPost(newPost.uri);
    updateTimelineWithPost(verified);
}

Common Patterns for Responsive Bluesky Clients

Pattern 1: Local-First Timeline

Maintain a local timeline state that merges server data with pending actions:

interface TimelineState {
    posts: Post[];
    pendingPosts: Post[];      // Posts being created
    pendingLikes: Set; // Post URIs with pending likes
    pendingReposts: Set;
}

function mergeTimeline(state: TimelineState): Post[] {
    // Combine pending and confirmed posts
    const merged = [...state.pendingPosts, ...state.posts];

    // Apply pending interactions
    return merged.map(post => ({
        ...post,
        viewer: {
            like: state.pendingLikes.has(post.uri)
                ? 'pending'
                : post.viewer?.like,
            repost: state.pendingReposts.has(post.uri)
                ? 'pending'
                : post.viewer?.repost
        }
    }));
}

Pattern 2: Retry with Exponential Backoff

When reads don't reflect recent writes, retry intelligently:

async function fetchWithConsistency(
    fetchFn: () => Promise,
    validateFn: (result: T) => boolean,
    maxRetries = 3
): Promise {
    let delay = 100; // Start with 100ms

    for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
        const result = await fetchFn();

        if (validateFn(result)) {
            return result;
        }

        // Wait before retrying
        await sleep(delay);
        delay *= 2; // Exponential backoff
    }

    // Return last result even if validation failed
    return fetchFn();
}

Pattern 3: Subscription-Based Updates

For real-time consistency, subscribe to updates rather than polling:

// Subscribe to your own actions for immediate confirmation
function subscribeToUserActions(did: string) {
    const firehose = connectToFirehose();

    firehose.on('commit', (event) => {
        if (event.repo === did) {
            // Your action was confirmed
            handleConfirmedAction(event);
        }
    });
}

Debugging Consistency Issues

When things aren't appearing as expected, here's how to diagnose:

Check the Response

// Always log write responses during development
const result = await createPost(text);
console.log('Post created:', {
    uri: result.uri,
    cid: result.cid,
    rev: result.commit.rev
});

// Then check if it appears in subsequent reads
const timeline = await getTimeline();
const postExists = timeline.feed.some(
    item => item.post.uri === result.uri
);
console.log('Post in timeline:', postExists);

Verify Record Existence

// Directly fetch the record to confirm it exists
GET https://bsky.social/xrpc/com.atproto.repo.getRecord
    ?repo=did:plc:yourDID
    &collection=app.bsky.feed.post
    &rkey=abc123

// If this returns the record but it's not in your timeline,
// it's a propagation delay, not a write failure

Performance Tips for Responsive Clients

Building a client that feels instant requires more than just RAW consistency:

  • Prefetch aggressively - Load data before users need it
  • Cache smartly - Store timeline data locally with timestamps
  • Batch requests - Combine multiple reads into single requests where possible
  • Use skeleton screens - Show UI structure immediately while data loads
  • Animate transitions - Smooth animations mask small delays
  • Background sync - Update data when the app is idle

Testing Read-After-Write in Your App

Add these tests to ensure your RAW implementation works correctly:

describe('Read-After-Write Consistency', () => {
    it('should show new post in timeline immediately', async () => {
        const postText = `Test post ${Date.now()}`;

        // Create post
        const created = await client.createPost(postText);
        expect(created.uri).toBeDefined();

        // Fetch timeline
        const timeline = await client.getTimeline();

        // Verify post appears
        const found = timeline.feed.find(
            item => item.post.uri === created.uri
        );
        expect(found).toBeDefined();
        expect(found.post.record.text).toBe(postText);
    });

    it('should reflect like state after liking', async () => {
        const postUri = 'at://did:plc:test/app.bsky.feed.post/123';

        // Like the post
        await client.like(postUri);

        // Fetch post details
        const post = await client.getPost(postUri);

        // Verify like is reflected
        expect(post.viewer.like).toBeDefined();
    });
});

Build Better Bluesky Experiences

Read-After-Write consistency is just one piece of building a great Bluesky client. When combined with optimistic updates and smart caching, you can create an experience that feels instant and keeps users engaged.

Want to stay on top of what's happening on Bluesky while you build? Check out our tools:

A responsive client helps users post more, engage more, and ultimately grow their Bluesky presence faster. That's a win for everyone.