feldera · abhizer · Mar 12, 2026 · Mar 9, 2026 · Mar 10, 2026 · Mar 10, 2026
diff --git a/crates/feldera-types/src/config.rs b/crates/feldera-types/src/config.rs
@@ -581,6 +581,19 @@ pub struct SyncConfig {
     #[schema(default = default_retention_min_age)]
     #[serde(default = "default_retention_min_age")]
     pub retention_min_age: u32,
+
+    /// A read-only bucket used as a fallback checkpoint source.
+    ///
+    /// When the pipeline has no local checkpoint and `bucket` contains no
+    /// checkpoint either, it will attempt to fetch the checkpoint from this
+    /// location instead.  All connection settings (`endpoint`, `region`,
+    /// `provider`, `access_key`, `secret_key`) are shared with `bucket`.
+    ///
+    /// The pipeline **never writes** to `read_bucket`.
+    ///
+    /// Must point to a different location than `bucket`.
+    #[serde(default)]
+    pub read_bucket: Option<String>,
 }
 
 fn default_pull_interval() -> u64 {
@@ -603,6 +616,15 @@ Standby mode requires `start_from_checkpoint` to be set.
 Consider setting `start_from_checkpoint` to `"latest"`."#.to_owned());
         }
 
+        if let Some(ref rb) = self.read_bucket
+            && rb == &self.bucket
+        {
+            return Err(
+                "invalid sync config: `read_bucket` and `bucket` must point to different locations"
+                    .to_owned(),
+            );
+        }
+
         Ok(())
     }
 }

diff --git a/docs.feldera.com/docs/changelog.md b/docs.feldera.com/docs/changelog.md
@@ -8,19 +8,35 @@ import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
 
 # Changelog
 
-
 <Tabs>
     <TabItem className="changelogItem" value="enterprise"
         label="Enterprise">
 
-
         ## Unreleased
 
         Backward-incompatible Delta Lake output connector change. The new `max_retries` setting configures
         the number of times the connector retries failed Delta Lake operations like writing Parquet files
         and committing transactions. The setting is unset by default, causing the connector to retry
         indefinitely.  This behavior prevents data loss due to transient or permanent write errors.
 
+        ### Checkpoint sync: `read_bucket` and checkpoint loading priority
+
+        The checkpoint sync configuration now supports a `read_bucket` field — a read-only
+        fallback bucket used to seed a pipeline's initial state. The pipeline **never writes**
+        to `read_bucket`.
+
+        Checkpoint sources are now resolved in priority order:
+        1. **Local checkpoint** — if the pipeline already has a local checkpoint, it resumes
+           from that without contacting any remote bucket.
+        2. **`bucket`** — the pipeline's own S3-compatible bucket. If a checkpoint is found
+           here, it is used and `read_bucket` is ignored.
+        3. **`read_bucket`** — consulted only when both local storage and `bucket` are empty.
+           This allows a new pipeline to seed from another pipeline's checkpoint, avoiding
+           a full backfill. `read_bucket` must point to a different location than `bucket`.
+
+        Refer to the [checkpoint sync documentation](/pipelines/checkpoint-sync#checkpoint-resolution-priority) for details.
+
+
         ## v0.263.0
 
         Added connector error list to input/output connector stats.
@@ -334,4 +350,5 @@ import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';
     <TabItem className="changelogItem" value="oss" label="Open Source">
      [Release notes](https://github.com/feldera/feldera/releases/) for the Open Source edition can be found on github.
     </TabItem>
+
 </Tabs>