{"id":"sstable-writer-append-then-patch","text":"`SSTableWriter` writes a placeholder header, appends all entries and the sparse index, then seeks back to byte 0 to patch the final entry count — an unfinished SSTable has `entry_count=0` and appears empty.","truth_value":"IN","source":"entries/2026/05/28/sstable-and-compaction-sstable.md","source_url":"","source_hash":"","justifications":[],"dependents":[],"metadata":{},"explanation":{"steps":[{"node":"sstable-writer-append-then-patch","truth_value":"IN","reason":"premise"}]}}