diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 024e00f..3981f0b 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## Unreleased
+
+- Call the `user.deleted` handler even when the component never stored the user (#82)
+
 ## 0.2.10
 
 - Fix deleted user handling and drop the unused `additionalEventTypes` option (#77)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 06fa7c9..882fd29 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -129,6 +129,16 @@ By default the component will handle the following events:
 - `user.updated`
 - `user.deleted`
 
+The `user.deleted` handler also runs when the component never stored the user, for
+example when WorkOS delivers the deletion before the creation. `event.data` is then
+the webhook payload as sent, so only `id` is guaranteed, even though it is typed as
+a full user. When the component has the user stored, its fields fill any gaps.
+
+**If your app has no record of the user, be sure to return rather than throw.**
+Throwing fails the webhook and rolls back the component's record of the deletion,
+so a `user.created` that arrives before WorkOS retries recreates the user in the
+component and your app.
+
 ```ts
 // convex/auth.ts
 import { AuthKit, type AuthFunctions } from "@convex-dev/workos-authkit";
diff --git a/example/convex/auth.test.ts b/example/convex/auth.test.ts
index 5459ff9..2f1fbfc 100644
--- a/example/convex/auth.test.ts
+++ b/example/convex/auth.test.ts
@@ -135,17 +135,29 @@ describe("authKitEvent", () => {
     expect(appUsers).toHaveLength(0);
   });
 
-  test("events for a deleted user do not reach the callback", async () => {
+  test("user.deleted removes an app user without a stored component user", async () => {
     const t = initConvexTest();
     const onEventHandle = await t.run(async () =>
       createFunctionHandle(internal.auth.authKitEvent)
     );
     const user = makeUser();
+    await t.run(async (ctx) => {
+      await ctx.db.insert("users", {
+        authId: user.id,
+        email: user.email,
+        name: "Alice Smith",
+      });
+    });
 
     await t.mutation(components.workOSAuthKit.lib.onWebhookEvent, {
       event: makeEvent("user.deleted", user),
       onEventHandle,
     });
+    const afterDelete = await t.run(async (ctx) => {
+      return ctx.db.query("users").collect();
+    });
+    expect(afterDelete).toHaveLength(0);
+
     await t.mutation(components.workOSAuthKit.lib.onWebhookEvent, {
       event: makeEvent("user.created", user),
       onEventHandle,
diff --git a/src/component/lib.test.ts b/src/component/lib.test.ts
index 22ddee7..4adce1b 100644
--- a/src/component/lib.test.ts
+++ b/src/component/lib.test.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 /// <reference types="vite/client" />
 import { convexTest } from "convex-test";
-import { describe, test, expect } from "vitest";
+import { createFunctionHandle, makeFunctionReference } from "convex/server";
+import { describe, test, expect, vi } from "vitest";
 import { modules } from "./setup.test.js";
 import schema from "./schema.js";
 import workflow from "@convex-dev/workflow/test";
 import { api } from "./_generated/api.js";
+import { mutation } from "./_generated/server.js";
+import { vEvent } from "./lib.js";
+import { v } from "convex/values";
 
 /** Default test user values. */
 const defaultUser = {
@@ -285,6 +289,58 @@ describe("onWebhookEvent", () => {
     expect(dbDeletedUsers[0].id).toBe(user.id);
   });
 
+  test.each([
+    { payload: "a full user", data: { object: "user", ...makeUser() } },
+    { payload: "only an id", data: { id: defaultUser.id } },
+  ])(
+    "user.deleted forwards $payload without a stored user",
+    async ({ data }) => {
+      const onEvent = vi.fn();
+      const t = convexTest(schema, {
+        ...modules,
+        "./callbacks.ts": async () => ({
+          onEvent: mutation({
+            args: { event: vEvent.fields.event, data: vEvent.fields.data },
+            returns: v.null(),
+            handler: async (_ctx, args) => {
+              onEvent(args);
+              return null;
+            },
+          }),
+        }),
+      });
+      const onEventHandle = await t.run(async () =>
+        createFunctionHandle(
+          makeFunctionReference<"mutation">("callbacks:onEvent")
+        )
+      );
+      const event = makeRawEvent("user.deleted", data);
+
+      await t.mutation(api.lib.onWebhookEvent, { event, onEventHandle });
+
+      expect(onEvent).toHaveBeenCalledExactlyOnceWith({
+        event: "user.deleted",
+        data,
+      });
+
+      await t.mutation(api.lib.onWebhookEvent, { event, onEventHandle });
+      for (const eventType of ["user.created", "user.updated"]) {
+        await t.mutation(api.lib.onWebhookEvent, {
+          event: makeEvent(eventType, makeUser()),
+          onEventHandle,
+        });
+      }
+
+      expect(onEvent).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      const { dbUsers, dbDeletedUsers } = await t.run(async (ctx) => ({
+        dbUsers: await ctx.db.query("users").collect(),
+        dbDeletedUsers: await ctx.db.query("deletedUsers").collect(),
+      }));
+      expect(dbUsers).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect(dbDeletedUsers).toMatchObject([{ id: data.id }]);
+    }
+  );
+
   test("user.created after user.deleted is skipped", async () => {
     const t = initConvexTest();
     const user = makeUser();
diff --git a/src/component/lib.ts b/src/component/lib.ts
index 1741c23..625f6bf 100644
--- a/src/component/lib.ts
+++ b/src/component/lib.ts
@@ -119,8 +119,8 @@ async function processEventHandler(
         .withIndex("id", (q) => q.eq("id", id))
         .unique();
       if (!user) {
-        console.warn("user not found, skipping deletion", id);
-        return;
+        console.warn("user not found, forwarding deletion", id);
+        break;
       }
       await ctx.db.delete("users", user._id);
       // The callback data is typed as a whole user, so fill anything the