diff --git a/.changeset/distinct-getkey-error-message.md b/.changeset/distinct-getkey-error-message.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..324f757aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/distinct-getkey-error-message.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@tanstack/db': patch
+---
+
+Improve DuplicateKeySyncError message when using `.distinct()` with custom `getKey`. The error now explains that `.distinct()` deduplicates by the entire selected object, and provides actionable guidance to fix the issue.
diff --git a/packages/db/src/collection/sync.ts b/packages/db/src/collection/sync.ts
index 841e76c1f..8684f6982 100644
--- a/packages/db/src/collection/sync.ts
+++ b/packages/db/src/collection/sync.ts
@@ -149,6 +149,7 @@ export class CollectionSyncManager<
                   throw new DuplicateKeySyncError(key, this.id, {
                     hasCustomGetKey: internal?.hasCustomGetKey ?? false,
                     hasJoins: internal?.hasJoins ?? false,
+                    hasDistinct: internal?.hasDistinct ?? false,
                   })
                 }
               }
diff --git a/packages/db/src/errors.ts b/packages/db/src/errors.ts
index b6d8b385a..dc1c7b900 100644
--- a/packages/db/src/errors.ts
+++ b/packages/db/src/errors.ts
@@ -172,12 +172,28 @@ export class DuplicateKeySyncError extends CollectionOperationError {
   constructor(
     key: string | number,
     collectionId: string,
-    options?: { hasCustomGetKey?: boolean; hasJoins?: boolean },
+    options?: {
+      hasCustomGetKey?: boolean
+      hasJoins?: boolean
+      hasDistinct?: boolean
+    },
   ) {
     const baseMessage = `Cannot insert document with key "${key}" from sync because it already exists in the collection "${collectionId}"`
 
-    // Provide enhanced guidance when custom getKey is used with joins
-    if (options?.hasCustomGetKey && options.hasJoins) {
+    // Provide enhanced guidance when custom getKey is used with distinct
+    if (options?.hasCustomGetKey && options.hasDistinct) {
+      super(
+        `${baseMessage}. ` +
+          `This collection uses a custom getKey with .distinct(). ` +
+          `The .distinct() operator deduplicates by the ENTIRE selected object (standard SQL behavior), ` +
+          `but your custom getKey extracts only a subset of fields. This causes multiple distinct rows ` +
+          `(with different values in non-key fields) to receive the same key. ` +
+          `To fix this, either: (1) ensure your SELECT only includes fields that uniquely identify each row, ` +
+          `(2) use .groupBy() with min()/max() aggregates to select one value per group, or ` +
+          `(3) remove the custom getKey to use the default key behavior.`,
+      )
+    } else if (options?.hasCustomGetKey && options.hasJoins) {
+      // Provide enhanced guidance when custom getKey is used with joins
       super(
         `${baseMessage}. ` +
           `This collection uses a custom getKey with joined queries. ` +
diff --git a/packages/db/src/query/live/collection-config-builder.ts b/packages/db/src/query/live/collection-config-builder.ts
index 59efff818..5262afa6e 100644
--- a/packages/db/src/query/live/collection-config-builder.ts
+++ b/packages/db/src/query/live/collection-config-builder.ts
@@ -227,6 +227,7 @@ export class CollectionConfigBuilder<
           getBuilder: () => this,
           hasCustomGetKey: !!this.config.getKey,
           hasJoins: this.hasJoins(this.query),
+          hasDistinct: !!this.query.distinct,
         },
       },
     }
diff --git a/packages/db/src/query/live/internal.ts b/packages/db/src/query/live/internal.ts
index 7ec206f20..3c6a706f4 100644
--- a/packages/db/src/query/live/internal.ts
+++ b/packages/db/src/query/live/internal.ts
@@ -12,4 +12,5 @@ export type LiveQueryInternalUtils = {
   getBuilder: () => CollectionConfigBuilder<any, any>
   hasCustomGetKey: boolean
   hasJoins: boolean
+  hasDistinct: boolean
 }