diff --git a/lib/events/invalidation.ts b/lib/events/invalidation.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a1c439b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/events/invalidation.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+export const INVALIDATION_TYPES = [
+  "directory.updated",
+  "page.updated",
+  "data-source.updated",
+  "admin.updated",
+] as const;
+
+export type InvalidationType = (typeof INVALIDATION_TYPES)[number];
+
+export interface InvalidationEvent {
+  type: InvalidationType;
+  id: string;
+  version: number;
+}
+
+export interface OutboxEventLike {
+  aggregateId: string;
+  eventType: string;
+  payload: Record<string, unknown>;
+  topic: string;
+}
+
+function isInvalidationType(value: string): value is InvalidationType {
+  return INVALIDATION_TYPES.some((type) => type === value);
+}
+
+export function expectedTopic(event: InvalidationEvent): string {
+  switch (event.type) {
+    case "directory.updated":
+      return "directory";
+    case "page.updated":
+      return `page:${event.id}`;
+    case "data-source.updated":
+      return `data-source:${event.id}`;
+    case "admin.updated":
+      return "admin";
+  }
+}
+
+export function toInvalidationEvent(
+  record: OutboxEventLike,
+): InvalidationEvent | null {
+  if (!isInvalidationType(record.eventType)) return null;
+  const id = record.payload.id;
+  const version = record.payload.version;
+  if (
+    typeof id !== "string" ||
+    id !== record.aggregateId ||
+    typeof version !== "number" ||
+    !Number.isSafeInteger(version) ||
+    version < 0
+  ) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  const event: InvalidationEvent = {
+    type: record.eventType,
+    id,
+    version,
+  };
+  return expectedTopic(event) === record.topic ? event : null;
+}
+
+export function parseInvalidationEvent(value: string): InvalidationEvent | null {
+  try {
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(value) as Record<string, unknown>;
+    const type = parsed.type;
+    const id = parsed.id;
+    const version = parsed.version;
+    if (
+      typeof type !== "string" ||
+      !isInvalidationType(type) ||
+      typeof id !== "string" ||
+      typeof version !== "number" ||
+      !Number.isSafeInteger(version) ||
+      version < 0
+    ) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    return { type, id, version };
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/outbox/processor.test.ts b/lib/outbox/processor.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66b772b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/outbox/processor.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+import { processOutboxEvent, type OutboxTransport } from "./processor";
+
+function record(overrides: Partial<Parameters<typeof processOutboxEvent>[0]> = {}) {
+  return {
+    topic: "page:72df08ab-50dd-4cbd-9a69-70949d34cf9f",
+    aggregateId: "72df08ab-50dd-4cbd-9a69-70949d34cf9f",
+    eventType: "page.updated",
+    payload: {
+      id: "72df08ab-50dd-4cbd-9a69-70949d34cf9f",
+      version: 8,
+      privateContent: "must not leave PostgreSQL",
+    },
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+describe("transactional outbox processor", () => {
+  it("invalidates before publishing a privacy-safe event", async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    const transport: OutboxTransport = {
+      invalidate: vi.fn(async () => {
+        calls.push("invalidate");
+      }),
+      publish: vi.fn(async () => {
+        calls.push("publish");
+      }),
+    };
+
+    const event = await processOutboxEvent(record(), transport, 1234);
+
+    expect(calls).toEqual(["invalidate", "publish"]);
+    expect(transport.invalidate).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      ["buzz:page:72df08ab-50dd-4cbd-9a69-70949d34cf9f"],
+      1234,
+    );
+    expect(transport.publish).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "page:72df08ab-50dd-4cbd-9a69-70949d34cf9f",
+      {
+        type: "page.updated",
+        id: "72df08ab-50dd-4cbd-9a69-70949d34cf9f",
+        version: 8,
+      },
+    );
+    expect(event).not.toHaveProperty("privateContent");
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a mismatched topic or malformed version", async () => {
+    const transport: OutboxTransport = {
+      invalidate: vi.fn(),
+      publish: vi.fn(),
+    };
+    await expect(
+      processOutboxEvent(record({ topic: "admin" }), transport),
+    ).rejects.toThrow("invalid public envelope");
+    await expect(
+      processOutboxEvent(record({ payload: { id: record().aggregateId, version: "8" } }), transport),
+    ).rejects.toThrow("invalid public envelope");
+    expect(transport.invalidate).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/outbox/processor.ts b/lib/outbox/processor.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a3afbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/outbox/processor.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import type Redis from "ioredis";
+
+import { cacheTagsForOutboxEvent } from "@/lib/cache/tags";
+import {
+  expectedTopic,
+  toInvalidationEvent,
+  type InvalidationEvent,
+  type OutboxEventLike,
+} from "@/lib/events/invalidation";
+import {
+  redisCacheTagStateKey,
+  redisEventChannel,
+} from "@/lib/redis/client";
+
+export interface OutboxTransport {
+  invalidate(tags: string[], timestamp: number): Promise<void>;
+  publish(topic: string, event: InvalidationEvent): Promise<void>;
+}
+
+export function createRedisOutboxTransport(client: Redis): OutboxTransport {
+  return {
+    async invalidate(tags, timestamp) {
+      if (tags.length === 0) return;
+      const pipeline = client.pipeline();
+      for (const tag of tags) {
+        pipeline.hset(
+          redisCacheTagStateKey(),
+          tag,
+          JSON.stringify({ expired: timestamp }),
+        );
+      }
+      const results = await pipeline.exec();
+      const failure = results?.find(([cause]) => cause);
+      if (failure?.[0]) throw failure[0];
+    },
+    async publish(topic, event) {
+      await client.publish(redisEventChannel(topic), JSON.stringify(event));
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+export async function processOutboxEvent(
+  record: OutboxEventLike,
+  transport: OutboxTransport,
+  timestamp = Date.now(),
+): Promise<InvalidationEvent> {
+  const event = toInvalidationEvent(record);
+  if (!event) throw new Error("Outbox event has an invalid public envelope or topic.");
+  const tags = cacheTagsForOutboxEvent(record);
+  await transport.invalidate(tags, timestamp);
+  await transport.publish(expectedTopic(event), event);
+  return event;
+}
diff --git a/lib/outbox/repository.test.ts b/lib/outbox/repository.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8bc92bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/outbox/repository.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+import { retryDelayMs } from "./repository";
+
+describe("outbox retry policy", () => {
+  it("uses capped exponential backoff", () => {
+    expect(retryDelayMs(1)).toBe(500);
+    expect(retryDelayMs(4)).toBe(4_000);
+    expect(retryDelayMs(30)).toBe(60_000);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/outbox/repository.ts b/lib/outbox/repository.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb6acc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/outbox/repository.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+import { and, asc, eq, inArray, lte, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+
+import { getDb } from "@/db/client";
+import { outboxEvents } from "@/db/schema";
+
+export type ClaimedOutboxEvent = Pick<
+  typeof outboxEvents.$inferSelect,
+  "id" | "topic" | "aggregateId" | "eventType" | "payload" | "attempts"
+>;
+
+const CLAIMABLE_STATUSES = ["pending", "processing"] as const;
+
+export async function claimOutboxEvents(
+  batchSize = 20,
+  leaseMs = 30_000,
+  now = new Date(),
+): Promise<ClaimedOutboxEvent[]> {
+  const size = Math.max(1, Math.min(100, Math.floor(batchSize)));
+  const leaseUntil = new Date(now.getTime() + Math.max(5_000, leaseMs));
+
+  return getDb().transaction(async (tx) => {
+    const candidates = await tx
+      .select({ id: outboxEvents.id })
+      .from(outboxEvents)
+      .where(
+        and(
+          inArray(outboxEvents.status, [...CLAIMABLE_STATUSES]),
+          lte(outboxEvents.availableAt, now),
+        ),
+      )
+      .orderBy(asc(outboxEvents.id))
+      .limit(size)
+      .for("update", { skipLocked: true });
+
+    const ids = candidates.map(({ id }) => id);
+    if (ids.length === 0) return [];
+    return tx
+      .update(outboxEvents)
+      .set({
+        status: "processing",
+        attempts: sql<number>`${outboxEvents.attempts} + 1`,
+        availableAt: leaseUntil,
+      })
+      .where(inArray(outboxEvents.id, ids))
+      .returning({
+        id: outboxEvents.id,
+        topic: outboxEvents.topic,
+        aggregateId: outboxEvents.aggregateId,
+        eventType: outboxEvents.eventType,
+        payload: outboxEvents.payload,
+        attempts: outboxEvents.attempts,
+      });
+  });
+}
+
+export async function markOutboxProcessed(
+  id: number,
+  now = new Date(),
+): Promise<void> {
+  await getDb()
+    .update(outboxEvents)
+    .set({
+      status: "processed",
+      processedAt: now,
+      lastError: null,
+    })
+    .where(and(eq(outboxEvents.id, id), eq(outboxEvents.status, "processing")));
+}
+
+export function retryDelayMs(attempts: number): number {
+  return Math.min(60_000, 500 * 2 ** Math.max(0, Math.min(attempts - 1, 16)));
+}
+
+export async function releaseOutboxEvent(
+  id: number,
+  attempts: number,
+  cause: unknown,
+  now = new Date(),
+): Promise<void> {
+  const message = cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : String(cause);
+  await getDb()
+    .update(outboxEvents)
+    .set({
+      status: "pending",
+      availableAt: new Date(now.getTime() + retryDelayMs(attempts)),
+      lastError: message.slice(0, 2_000),
+    })
+    .where(and(eq(outboxEvents.id, id), eq(outboxEvents.status, "processing")));
+}
diff --git a/lib/redis/client.ts b/lib/redis/client.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad490c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/redis/client.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import Redis from "ioredis";
+
+let sharedClient: Redis | undefined;
+let sharedConnection: Promise<Redis> | undefined;
+
+function redisUrl(): string {
+  const value = process.env.REDIS_URL;
+  if (!value) throw new Error("REDIS_URL is required for Redis-backed features.");
+  return value;
+}
+
+export function createRedisClient(connectionName: string): Redis {
+  const client = new Redis(redisUrl(), {
+    connectionName,
+    enableOfflineQueue: false,
+    lazyConnect: true,
+    maxRetriesPerRequest: 2,
+  });
+  client.on("error", () => undefined);
+  return client;
+}
+
+export async function connectRedisClient(client: Redis): Promise<Redis> {
+  if (client.status === "ready") return client;
+  if (client.status === "wait") {
+    await client.connect();
+    return client;
+  }
+
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+    const ready = () => {
+      cleanup();
+      resolve();
+    };
+    const error = (cause: Error) => {
+      cleanup();
+      reject(cause);
+    };
+    const cleanup = () => {
+      client.off("ready", ready);
+      client.off("error", error);
+    };
+    client.once("ready", ready);
+    client.once("error", error);
+  });
+  return client;
+}
+
+export async function getRedisClient(): Promise<Redis> {
+  if (!sharedClient) {
+    sharedClient = createRedisClient("buzz-sheet-shared");
+  }
+  if (!sharedConnection) {
+    sharedConnection = connectRedisClient(sharedClient).catch((cause) => {
+      sharedClient?.disconnect();
+      sharedClient = undefined;
+      sharedConnection = undefined;
+      throw cause;
+    });
+  }
+  return sharedConnection;
+}
+
+export async function closeRedisClient(): Promise<void> {
+  const client = sharedClient;
+  sharedClient = undefined;
+  sharedConnection = undefined;
+  if (!client) return;
+  if (client.status === "wait" || client.status === "end") {
+    client.disconnect();
+    return;
+  }
+  await client.quit().catch(() => client.disconnect());
+}
+
+export function redisCachePrefix(): string {
+  return process.env.REDIS_CACHE_PREFIX || "buzz:next-cache";
+}
+
+export function redisCacheTagStateKey(): string {
+  return `${redisCachePrefix()}:tag-timestamps`;
+}
+
+export function redisEventPrefix(): string {
+  return process.env.REDIS_EVENT_PREFIX || "buzz:events";
+}
+
+export function redisEventChannel(topic: string): string {
+  return `${redisEventPrefix()}:${topic}`;
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index fde0f44..19d158d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@
     "db:generate": "drizzle-kit generate",
     "db:migrate": "bun scripts/migrate.ts",
     "db:studio": "drizzle-kit studio",
-    "db:seed": "bun scripts/seed-templates.ts"
+    "db:seed": "bun scripts/seed-templates.ts",
+    "worker:outbox": "bun scripts/outbox-worker.ts"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@base-ui/react": "^1.7.0",
diff --git a/scripts/outbox-worker.ts b/scripts/outbox-worker.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8798a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/outbox-worker.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+import { closeDb } from "@/db/client";
+import {
+  claimOutboxEvents,
+  markOutboxProcessed,
+  releaseOutboxEvent,
+} from "@/lib/outbox/repository";
+import {
+  createRedisOutboxTransport,
+  processOutboxEvent,
+} from "@/lib/outbox/processor";
+import { closeRedisClient, getRedisClient } from "@/lib/redis/client";
+
+let stopping = false;
+const stop = () => {
+  stopping = true;
+};
+process.once("SIGINT", stop);
+process.once("SIGTERM", stop);
+
+function wait(milliseconds: number): Promise<void> {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, milliseconds));
+}
+
+function positiveInteger(
+  name: string,
+  fallback: number,
+  maximum: number,
+): number {
+  const parsed = Number(process.env[name]);
+  return Number.isSafeInteger(parsed) && parsed > 0
+    ? Math.min(parsed, maximum)
+    : fallback;
+}
+
+async function run(): Promise<void> {
+  const redis = await getRedisClient();
+  const transport = createRedisOutboxTransport(redis);
+  const batchSize = positiveInteger("OUTBOX_BATCH_SIZE", 20, 100);
+  const pollMs = positiveInteger("OUTBOX_POLL_MS", 1_000, 60_000);
+  const leaseMs = positiveInteger("OUTBOX_LEASE_MS", 30_000, 300_000);
+
+  while (!stopping) {
+    const events = await claimOutboxEvents(batchSize, leaseMs);
+    if (events.length === 0) {
+      await wait(pollMs);
+      continue;
+    }
+    await Promise.all(
+      events.map(async (event) => {
+        try {
+          await processOutboxEvent(event, transport);
+          await markOutboxProcessed(event.id);
+        } catch (cause) {
+          await releaseOutboxEvent(event.id, event.attempts, cause);
+        }
+      }),
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+try {
+  await run();
+} finally {
+  await Promise.all([closeDb(), closeRedisClient()]);
+}