An apparatus in one embodiment comprises at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory. The processing device is configured to receive a request to write a given data object to a write buffer of at least one storage system, to allocate an entry in the write buffer, to generate a header for the given data object comprising a first portion indicating a validation status, to write the header to the allocated entry of the write buffer with the first portion of the header comprising a value indicating invalid status, to write the given data object to the allocated entry of the write buffer, and to update the header of the allocated entry by modifying the value of the first portion of the header to indicate valid status responsive to a successful write of the given data object to the allocated entry of the write buffer.