diff --git a/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/buildMiddleware/applyUpdates.ts b/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/buildMiddleware/applyUpdates.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4caefcded0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/buildMiddleware/applyUpdates.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+import type { EndpointDefinitions } from '../../endpointDefinitions'
+import type {
+  AllQueryKeys,
+  DataFromAnyQueryDefinition,
+  QueryArgFromAnyQueryDefinition,
+  Recipe,
+} from '../buildThunks'
+
+export enum UpdateKind {
+  update = 'update',
+  upsert = 'upsert',
+}
+
+export enum UpdateMode {
+  optimistic = 'optimistic',
+  pessimistic = 'pessimistic',
+}
+
+export interface UpdateDescription<
+  Kind extends UpdateKind,
+  Mode extends UpdateMode,
+  EndpointName extends PropertyKey,
+  Arg,
+  Result,
+> {
+  kind: Kind
+  mode: Mode
+  endpointName: EndpointName
+  arg: Arg
+  update: Recipe<Result>
+}
+
+export type UpdateDescriptions<Mode extends UpdateMode> = ReadonlyArray<
+  UpdateDescription<UpdateKind, Mode, any, any, any>
+>
+
+export type UpdateDescriptionFactory<
+  Definitions extends EndpointDefinitions,
+  Kind extends UpdateKind,
+  Mode extends UpdateMode,
+> = <EndpointName extends AllQueryKeys<Definitions>>(
+  endpointName: EndpointName,
+  arg: QueryArgFromAnyQueryDefinition<Definitions, EndpointName>,
+  update: Recipe<DataFromAnyQueryDefinition<Definitions, EndpointName>>,
+) => UpdateDescription<
+  Kind,
+  Mode,
+  EndpointName,
+  QueryArgFromAnyQueryDefinition<Definitions, EndpointName>,
+  DataFromAnyQueryDefinition<Definitions, EndpointName>
+>
+
+export const buildUpdateFactory =
+  <Kind extends UpdateKind, Mode extends UpdateMode>(
+    kind: Kind,
+    mode: Mode,
+  ): UpdateDescriptionFactory<any, Kind, Mode> =>
+  (endpointName, arg, update) => {
+    return {
+      kind,
+      mode,
+      endpointName,
+      arg,
+      update,
+    }
+  }
diff --git a/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/module.ts b/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/module.ts
index e9bfa08b76..5e1bd52fa4 100644
--- a/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/module.ts
+++ b/packages/toolkit/src/query/core/module.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,12 @@ import { buildThunks } from './buildThunks'
 import { createSelector as _createSelector } from './rtkImports'
 import { onFocus, onFocusLost, onOffline, onOnline } from './setupListeners'
 import type { InternalMiddlewareState } from './buildMiddleware/types'
+import type { UpdateDescriptionFactory } from './buildMiddleware/applyUpdates'
+import {
+  UpdateKind,
+  UpdateMode,
+  buildUpdateFactory,
+} from './buildMiddleware/applyUpdates'
 
 /**
  * `ifOlderThan` - (default: `false` | `number`) - _number is value in seconds_
@@ -395,6 +401,29 @@ export interface ApiModules<
         state: RootState<Definitions, string, ReducerPath>,
         queryName: QueryName,
       ) => Array<QueryArgFromAnyQuery<Definitions[QueryName]>>
+
+      build: {
+        optimisticUpdate: UpdateDescriptionFactory<
+          Definitions,
+          UpdateKind.update,
+          UpdateMode.optimistic
+        >
+        pessimisticUpdate: UpdateDescriptionFactory<
+          Definitions,
+          UpdateKind.update,
+          UpdateMode.pessimistic
+        >
+        optimisticUpsert: UpdateDescriptionFactory<
+          Definitions,
+          UpdateKind.upsert,
+          UpdateMode.optimistic
+        >
+        pessimisticUpsert: UpdateDescriptionFactory<
+          Definitions,
+          UpdateKind.upsert,
+          UpdateMode.pessimistic
+        >
+      }
     }
     /**
      * Endpoints based on the input endpoints provided to `createApi`, containing `select` and `action matchers`.
@@ -616,6 +645,24 @@ export const coreModule = ({
       prefetch,
       resetApiState: sliceActions.resetApiState,
       upsertQueryEntries: sliceActions.cacheEntriesUpserted as any,
+      build: {
+        optimisticUpdate: buildUpdateFactory(
+          UpdateKind.update,
+          UpdateMode.optimistic,
+        ),
+        pessimisticUpdate: buildUpdateFactory(
+          UpdateKind.update,
+          UpdateMode.pessimistic,
+        ),
+        optimisticUpsert: buildUpdateFactory(
+          UpdateKind.upsert,
+          UpdateMode.optimistic,
+        ),
+        pessimisticUpsert: buildUpdateFactory(
+          UpdateKind.upsert,
+          UpdateMode.pessimistic,
+        ),
+      },
     })
     safeAssign(api.internalActions, sliceActions)