Hi everyone, I'd like to start a discussion on *KIP-1259: Add configuration to wipe local state on startup*. Problem
Currently, Kafka Streams can encounter a "zombie data" issue when an instance restarts using stale local files after a period exceeding the changelog topic's delete.retention.ms. If the local checkpoint offset is still within the broker's available log range (due to long-lived entities), an automatic reset isn't triggered. However, since the broker has already purged deletion tombstones, the state store is rehydrated without the "delete" instructions, causing previously deleted entities to unexpectedly reappear in the local RocksDB. Proposed Solution I propose introducing a new configuration, state.cleanup.on.start (Boolean, default: false). When enabled, this property forces the deletion of all local state directories and checkpoint files during application initialization. This ensures the state is rebuilt entirely from the changelog—the broker's "source of truth"—effectively purging any expired zombie records. This is particularly useful for environments with persistent volumes where instances might remain dormant for long periods (e.g., multi-region failover). *KIP Link: * https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/KAFKA/KIP-1259%3A+Add+configuration+to+wipe+Kafka+Streams+local+state+on+startup I look forward to your feedback and suggestions. Best regards, Uladzislau Blok
