diff --git a/src/workos/entities.ts b/src/workos/entities.ts
index 512d111..c70560e 100644
--- a/src/workos/entities.ts
+++ b/src/workos/entities.ts
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ export interface WorkOSDirectory extends Entity {
   domain: string | null;
   type: string;
   state: 'linked' | 'unlinked' | 'deleting' | 'invalid_credentials';
-  external_key: string | null;
+  external_key: string;
 }
 
 export interface WorkOSDirectoryUser extends Entity {
diff --git a/src/workos/helpers.ts b/src/workos/helpers.ts
index 97f6585..0f5beef 100644
--- a/src/workos/helpers.ts
+++ b/src/workos/helpers.ts
@@ -1060,6 +1060,44 @@ export function formatDirectory(d: WorkOSDirectory): Record<string, unknown> {
   return formatEntity(d);
 }
 
+/**
+ * The directory states the event catalog uses. `GET /directories` reports `linked` and
+ * `unlinked`, but `dsync.*` event payloads keep the older `active` / `inactive` names
+ * (the Node SDK maps between them for the REST shape and passes the event state through).
+ */
+const DIRECTORY_EVENT_STATES: Record<WorkOSDirectory['state'], string> = {
+  linked: 'active',
+  unlinked: 'inactive',
+  deleting: 'deleting',
+  invalid_credentials: 'invalid_credentials',
+};
+
+/**
+ * The `data` of a `dsync.activated` event. Production documents it as the Directory object
+ * with the singular `domain` replaced by a `domains` array of Organization Domains
+ * (`object`, `id`, `domain`), and requires a string `external_key`. Strict SDK
+ * deserializers (e.g. workos-python's `DsyncActivatedData.from_dict`) raise on a missing
+ * `domains`, which fails the whole `GET /events` page it appears on.
+ */
+export function formatDirectoryActivatedEvent(d: WorkOSDirectory, ws: WorkOSStore): Record<string, unknown> {
+  const { domain: _domain, ...rest } = formatEntity(d);
+  const domains = d.organization_id
+    ? ws.organizationDomains
+        .findBy('organization_id', d.organization_id)
+        .map((od) => ({ object: 'organization_domain', id: od.id, domain: od.domain }))
+    : [];
+  return { ...rest, state: DIRECTORY_EVENT_STATES[d.state] ?? d.state, domains };
+}
+
+/**
+ * The `data` of a `dsync.deleted` event: the Directory object without `domain`, `domains`
+ * or `external_key`, in the `deleting` state the directory is in when the event fires.
+ */
+export function formatDirectoryDeletedEvent(d: WorkOSDirectory): Record<string, unknown> {
+  const { domain: _domain, external_key: _externalKey, ...rest } = formatEntity(d);
+  return { ...rest, state: 'deleting' };
+}
+
 export function formatDirectoryUser(u: WorkOSDirectoryUser): Record<string, unknown> {
   return formatEntity(u);
 }
diff --git a/src/workos/index.ts b/src/workos/index.ts
index 45262b4..6090f4d 100644
--- a/src/workos/index.ts
+++ b/src/workos/index.ts
@@ -62,7 +62,8 @@ import {
   formatInvitation,
   formatRole,
   formatPermission,
-  formatDirectory,
+  formatDirectoryActivatedEvent,
+  formatDirectoryDeletedEvent,
   formatDirectoryUser,
   formatDirectoryGroup,
   formatDomain,
@@ -676,7 +677,9 @@ export function seedFromConfig(store: Store, _baseUrl: string, config: WorkOSSee
         domain: dirConfig.domain ?? null,
         type: dirConfig.type ?? 'generic scim v2.0',
         state: dirConfig.state ?? 'linked',
-        external_key: dirConfig.external_key ?? null,
+        // Production always assigns an external key, and the spec marks it required on both
+        // the Directory object and the dsync.activated payload.
+        external_key: dirConfig.external_key ?? randomBytes(12).toString('base64url'),
       });
 
       // Groups are inserted first: a seeded user embeds the groups it belongs to, and the
@@ -1263,9 +1266,10 @@ export const workosPlugin: ServicePlugin = {
       // `linked` means: a directory seeded `unlinked` or `invalid_credentials` has not
       // activated, the same way an inactive connection does not announce itself.
       onInsert: (d) => {
-        if (d.state === 'linked') eventBus.emit({ event: EVENTS.dsyncActivated, data: formatDirectory(d) });
+        if (d.state === 'linked')
+          eventBus.emit({ event: EVENTS.dsyncActivated, data: formatDirectoryActivatedEvent(d, ws) });
       },
-      onDelete: (d) => eventBus.emit({ event: EVENTS.dsyncDeleted, data: formatDirectory(d) }),
+      onDelete: (d) => eventBus.emit({ event: EVENTS.dsyncDeleted, data: formatDirectoryDeletedEvent(d) }),
     });
     const emitDirectoryGroupMembership = (user: WorkOSDirectoryUser, groupId: string, added: boolean) => {
       const group = ws.directoryGroups.get(groupId);
diff --git a/src/workos/seed-directories.spec.ts b/src/workos/seed-directories.spec.ts
index 8e86f97..aebfdc7 100644
--- a/src/workos/seed-directories.spec.ts
+++ b/src/workos/seed-directories.spec.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'bun:test';
 import { createEmulator, type Emulator } from '../index.js';
 import { validateSeedConfig } from './config-validator.js';
+import { EVENT_DATA_REQUIREMENTS } from './generated/events.js';
 
 describe('Seeding directories', () => {
   let emulator: Emulator | undefined;
@@ -112,6 +113,34 @@ describe('Seeding directories', () => {
     expect(names).toContain('dsync.user.created');
   });
 
+  it('shapes dsync.activated as the spec event payload, with domains instead of domain', async () => {
+    emulator = await createEmulator({
+      port: 0,
+      seed: {
+        organizations: [{ name: 'Acme Local', domains: [{ domain: 'acme.test', state: 'verified' }] }],
+        directories: [{ name: 'Acme SCIM', organization: 'Acme Local', domain: 'acme.test' }],
+      },
+    });
+
+    const evts = await get(`${emulator.url}/events?events[]=dsync.activated`, emulator.apiKey);
+    expect(evts.data).toHaveLength(1);
+    const data = evts.data[0].data;
+    for (const field of EVENT_DATA_REQUIREMENTS['dsync.activated'].required) expect(data).toHaveProperty(field);
+    expect(data).not.toHaveProperty('domain');
+    expect(typeof data.external_key).toBe('string');
+    // Event payloads keep the legacy state names; `linked` is `active` there.
+    expect(data.state).toBe('active');
+
+    const org = (await get(`${emulator.url}/organizations`, emulator.apiKey)).data[0];
+    expect(data.domains).toEqual([{ object: 'organization_domain', id: org.domains[0].id, domain: 'acme.test' }]);
+
+    // The REST Directory object keeps its own shape.
+    const directory = (await get(`${emulator.url}/directories`, emulator.apiKey)).data[0];
+    expect(directory.domain).toBe('acme.test');
+    expect(directory.state).toBe('linked');
+    expect(directory.external_key).toBe(data.external_key);
+  });
+
   it('emits dsync.activated only for a linked directory', async () => {
     emulator = await createEmulator({
       port: 0,
@@ -483,6 +512,13 @@ describe('Seeding directories', () => {
 
     const evts = await get(`${emulator.url}/events?events[]=dsync.deleted`, emulator.apiKey);
     expect(evts.data.map((e: any) => e.event)).toContain('dsync.deleted');
+    const data = evts.data[0].data;
+    for (const field of EVENT_DATA_REQUIREMENTS['dsync.deleted'].required) expect(data).toHaveProperty(field);
+    expect(data.id).toBe(directory.id);
+    expect(data.state).toBe('deleting');
+    expect(data).not.toHaveProperty('domain');
+    expect(data).not.toHaveProperty('domains');
+    expect(data).not.toHaveProperty('external_key');
   });
 
   it('maps a role for a directory user with no AuthKit membership', async () => {