Give each nonempty finite set the discrete topology. The product space is compact by the Tychonoff theorem. For each , the compatibility condition defines a closed subset .
These sets have the finite intersection property. Indeed, for finitely many conditions choose an index above every index occurring in them, choose any , and use the transition maps from to define all required coordinates; choose the remaining coordinates arbitrarily. Compactness therefore givesThis is the nonemptiness theorem for inverse limits of finite sets.