In an era of increasingly frequent and severe interconnected shocks, particularly climate-related, it is paramount to identify the most vulnerable populations in a timely manner. Dynamic social registries play a vital role in the delivery of adaptive social protection programs in environments where household welfare can change dramatically and abruptly due to shocks. This technical paper explores the role of dynamic social registries in shock-prone contexts, including the Sahel. It outlines their operationalization through direct and indirect data collection, a combination of various intake modalities, and modular questionnaires. Additionally, the paper discusses relevant trade-offs involved in the design of dynamic social registries, such as balancing the need for high-quality data, the costs of expanding coverage, and the associated privacy risks. Key recommendations for operationalizing dynamic social registries, include: (i) establishing a permanent client interface between households and the social registry for on-demand data collection
(ii) adopting a modular structure for socioeconomic questionnaires
(iii) ensuring interoperability with other data sources and delivery systems
and (iv) promoting systematic peer-to-peer learning on social registries.