Some of the most well-celebrated constructions of metastable de Sitter vacua from string theory, such as the KKLT construction, involve the interplay of gaugino condensation on a D7-brane stack and an uplift by a positive tension object. These constructions have recently been challenged using arguments that rely on the trace-reversed and integrated 10d Einstein equation. We give a critical assessment of such criticisms. We first relate this integrated 10d Einstein equation to the extremizing condition for a 10d-derived 4d effective potential. Then we argue how to obtain the latter from a 10d action which incorporates gaugino condensation in a (recently proposed) manifestly finite, perfect- square form. This effective potential is consistent with 4d supergravity and does not present obstacles for an uplifted minimum. Our conclusion is that de Sitter constructions such as KKLT cannot be dismissed simply based on the integrated 10d equations.