A method for committing an incomplete transaction in a distributed file system, the method comprising: in response to a request to perform a new file system operation, identifying a first set of file system objects to be accessed in performing the requested new file system operation, wherein each file system object of the first set of file system objects is associated with a different respective inode and the different respective inodes of the first set of file system objects are included in a first set of inodes; determining whether a first inode in the first set of inodes contains an update intent for a previous incomplete file system operation, wherein the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation specifies an ordered sequence of a second set of inodes associated with the previous incomplete file system operation; in an event it is determined that the first inode included in the first set of inodes contains the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation: identifying a second inode included in the second set of inodes in a position of the ordered sequence preceding the first inode that is also included in the second set of inodes, determining (715, 720) whether the second inode contains the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation, in an event it is determined that the second inode in the position of the ordered sequence preceding the first inode does not contain the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation, completing a not completed operation of the incomplete file system operation for the file system object associated with the first inode; and removing the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation from the first inode. in response to a request to perform a new file system operation, identifying a first set of file system objects to be accessed in performing the requested new file system operation, wherein each file system object of the first set of file system objects is associated with a different respective inode and the different respective inodes of the first set of file system objects are included in a first set of inodes; determining whether a first inode in the first set of inodes contains an update intent for a previous incomplete file system operation, wherein the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation specifies an ordered sequence of a second set of inodes associated with the previous incomplete file system operation; in an event it is determined that the first inode included in the first set of inodes contains the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation: identifying a second inode included in the second set of inodes in a position of the ordered sequence preceding the first inode that is also included in the second set of inodes, determining (715, 720) whether the second inode contains the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation, in an event it is determined that the second inode in the position of the ordered sequence preceding the first inode does not contain the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation, completing a not completed operation of the incomplete file system operation for the file system object associated with the first inode; and removing the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation from the first inode. identifying a second inode included in the second set of inodes in a position of the ordered sequence preceding the first inode that is also included in the second set of inodes, determining (715, 720) whether the second inode contains the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation, in an event it is determined that the second inode in the position of the ordered sequence preceding the first inode does not contain the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation, completing a not completed operation of the incomplete file system operation for the file system object associated with the first inode; and removing the update intent for the previous incomplete file system operation from the first inode.