diff --git a/include/proto/sink.h b/include/proto/sink.h
index 0d8dd7d..2947536 100644
--- a/include/proto/sink.h
+++ b/include/proto/sink.h
@@ -29,7 +29,46 @@
 
 struct sink *sink_find(const char *name);
 struct sink *sink_new_fd(const char *name, const char *desc, enum sink_fmt fmt, int fd);
-void sink_write(struct sink *sink, const struct ist msg[], size_t nmsg);
+ssize_t __sink_write(struct sink *sink, const struct ist msg[], size_t nmsg);
+int sink_announce_dropped(struct sink *sink);
+
+
+/* tries to send <nmsg> message parts (up to 8, ignored above) from message
+ * array <msg> to sink <sink>. Formating according to the sink's preference is
+ * done here. Lost messages are accounted for in the sink's counter. If there
+ * were lost messages, an attempt is first made to indicate it.
+ */
+static inline void sink_write(struct sink *sink, const struct ist msg[], size_t nmsg)
+{
+	ssize_t sent;
+
+	if (unlikely(sink->ctx.dropped > 0)) {
+		/* We need to take an exclusive lock so that other producers
+		 * don't do the same thing at the same time and above all we
+		 * want to be sure others have finished sending their messages
+		 * so that the dropped event arrives exactly at the right
+		 * position.
+		 */
+		HA_RWLOCK_WRLOCK(LOGSRV_LOCK, &sink->ctx.lock);
+		sent = sink_announce_dropped(sink);
+		HA_RWLOCK_WRUNLOCK(LOGSRV_LOCK, &sink->ctx.lock);
+
+		if (!sent) {
+			/* we failed, we don't try to send our log as if it
+			 * would pass by chance, we'd get disordered events.
+			 */
+			goto fail;
+		}
+	}
+
+	HA_RWLOCK_RDLOCK(LOGSRV_LOCK, &sink->ctx.lock);
+	sent = __sink_write(sink, msg, nmsg);
+	HA_RWLOCK_RDUNLOCK(LOGSRV_LOCK, &sink->ctx.lock);
+
+ fail:
+	if (unlikely(sent <= 0))
+		HA_ATOMIC_ADD(&sink->ctx.dropped, 1);
+}
 
 #endif /* _PROTO_SINK_H */