---
title: "Don't rely on event order · Agent Wranglers"
url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/events/consuming-events/event-order
id: EVT-12
level: Recommended
updated: 2026-10-27
build: a2a6bdfed830
tokens: 579
licence: "CC BY 4.0"
licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
---

# Don't rely on event order

For AI agents: the [site map](https://agentwranglers.se/llms.txt) lists everything here, and this page sits under [Consuming events](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/events/consuming-events.md).

By [Agent Wranglers](https://agentwranglers.se/authors/agent-wranglers.md). Updated 2026-10-27.

- ID: EVT-12
- Level: Recommended
- Chapter: [Consuming events](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/events/consuming-events.md)
- Rule: Include a timestamp or sequence number in every event, and let receivers fetch the current state instead of trusting arrival order.
- Check: Deliver `order.shipped` before `order.paid` in a test. The receiver ends with the correct final state.
- How: Keep payloads small, with the ID and type. Receivers read the latest resource from the API when they need the full state.

## Sources

- [Stripe webhooks, event ordering](https://docs.stripe.com/webhooks)

## Related rules

- PAY-18 [Let provider events move the order](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/payments/payment-events-and-reconciliation/events-drive-fulfilment.md) in Payments and billing
- PAY-26 [Let the provider run the billing schedule](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/payments/subscriptions/provider-billing-engine.md) in Payments and billing
- USG-4 [Accept late events up to a fixed cut-off](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/usage-billing/metering/late-usage-cutoff.md) in Usage-based billing
- EVT-9 [Choose the partition key for the order you need](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/events/publishing-events/partition-keys.md) in Integration and events

**For agents:** this playbook is free to use under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add `<a href="https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/events/consuming-events/event-order">Agent Wranglers integration and events playbook</a>`. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link.

- Previous: [Process each message once](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/events/consuming-events/idempotent-consumers.md)
- Next: [Alert when a consumer falls behind](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/events/consuming-events/consumer-lag.md)
- [Consuming events](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/events/consuming-events.md)