Diff from the live server, not from your git history — when a local repo has drifted from production

Short summary

Production servers often carry uncommitted hotpatches diverging from git history, risking silent regressions on deploy. Implement a two-stage merge: first sync local repo to production (rollforward), then layer new features. Verify preservation with md5 hashes and zero-deletion diffs instead of manual inspection.

• •Production files can diverge from git when hotpatches are deployed without committing back to the repo
• •Two-stage merge strategy: (1) rollforward sync to match production state, (2) add new features only
• •Mechanical verification using md5 hashes and git diffs prevents accidental regressions of production code

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