diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 3d56a19c..1054ba06 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -1937,9 +1937,9 @@ module.exports = class Autobase extends ReadyResource {
   }
 
   // triggered from apply
-  async addWriter (key, { indexer = true, isIndexer = indexer } = {}) { // just compat for old version
+  async addWriter (key, { indexer = true, isIndexer = indexer, isBlind = false } = {}) { // just compat for old version
     assert(this._applying !== null, 'System changes are only allowed in apply')
-    await this.system.add(key, { isIndexer })
+    await this.system.add(key, { isIndexer, isBlind })
 
     const writer = (await this._getWriterByKey(key, -1, 0, false, true, null)) || this._makeWriter(key, 0, true, false)
     await writer.ready()
diff --git a/lib/messages.js b/lib/messages.js
index 298ac098..6ba5b268 100644
--- a/lib/messages.js
+++ b/lib/messages.js
@@ -495,7 +495,7 @@ const Member = {
     c.uint.preencode(state, m.length)
   },
   encode (state, m) {
-    c.uint.encode(state, (m.isIndexer ? 1 : 0) | (m.isRemoved ? 2 : 0))
+    c.uint.encode(state, (m.isIndexer ? 1 : 0) | (m.isRemoved ? 2 : 0) | (m.isBlind ? 4 : 0))
     c.uint.encode(state, m.length)
   },
   decode (state) {
@@ -503,6 +503,7 @@ const Member = {
     return {
       isIndexer: (flags & 1) !== 0,
       isRemoved: (flags & 2) !== 0,
+      isBlind: (flags & 4) !== 0,
       length: c.uint.decode(state)
     }
   }
diff --git a/lib/system.js b/lib/system.js
index c713a892..a955fdd6 100644
--- a/lib/system.js
+++ b/lib/system.js
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ module.exports = class SystemView extends ReadyResource {
     return this._clockUpdates.get(b4a.toString(key, 'hex')) || 0
   }
 
-  async add (key, { isIndexer = false, length = this._seenLength(key) } = {}) {
+  async add (key, { isIndexer = false, isBlind = false, length = this._seenLength(key) } = {}) {
     let wasTracked = false
     let wasIndexer = false
 
@@ -300,6 +300,7 @@ module.exports = class SystemView extends ReadyResource {
     await this._batch.put(key, {
       isIndexer,
       isRemoved: false,
+      isBlind,
       length
     }, {
       valueEncoding: Member,
@@ -315,7 +316,7 @@ module.exports = class SystemView extends ReadyResource {
 
         if (length === 0 && o.length) length = o.length
 
-        return o.isRemoved !== n.isRemoved || o.isIndexer !== n.isIndexer || o.length !== n.length
+        return o.isRemoved !== n.isRemoved || o.isIndexer !== n.isIndexer || o.length !== n.length || o.isBlind !== n.isBlind
       }
     })
 
@@ -337,11 +338,13 @@ module.exports = class SystemView extends ReadyResource {
     let wasTracked = false
 
     const node = await this._batch.get(key, { valueEncoding: Member, keyEncoding: MEMBERS })
+    const isBlind = node.value.isBlind
     const length = node ? node.value.length : 0
 
     await this._batch.put(key, {
       isIndexer: false,
       isRemoved: true,
+      isBlind,
       length
     }, {
       valueEncoding: Member,