[cb1kenobi]

⊙ Problem

Publish every restore_backup through one crash-safe protocol (harper#3920) changes what restore_backup does in 5.4, and the backup docs still describe the old behavior. They say blob files are never checked, that online target_database is refused, that verify_backup does not open table files, and that a saved localhost login blocks an offline restore. The replicated-cluster runbook would also now fail, because a restore refuses to run while the node lists peers.

❓ Your call: is a runbook step that removes the node's peers the right guidance?

harper#3920 refuses a restore while system.hdb_nodes or replication.routes names a peer, even one the network has isolated. The runbook now says to remove the node's peers before restoring and add them back at re-entry. The alternative is to document an override, which the code does not have.

💡 Solution

• restore_backup gets a parameter table, including accept_incompatible_backup, accept_unverified_blobs, immutable_source and online target_database.
• New subsections explain the proof, what a crash leaves, and the replication-peer refusal.
• verify_backup now reads every table, and one restore or verification runs per instance.
• The CLI section, overview Limitations, the backup-and-recovery guide and the 5.4 release notes match.

✅ Verification

• Every new claim was checked against harper#3920's code: the fence, startup recovery, the proof, pins and the child slot.
• Two review rounds (Codex, Gemini and the Harper domain pass) converged; their findings are fixed.
• npx prettier --check passes on all four changed files.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Related PRs: #788 overlaps (also edits reference/backups/operations.md and overview.md)
Complexity: easy

_{Review-Coverage: authored=claude; ran=gemini,codex; adjudicated=domain; blocked=cursor-composer(auth); declined=cursor-grok,muse; rounds=2; full=1 @ 96a2c23}

_{Review-Attention: skim ~2m (decisions: peer-refusal-guidance, restore-option-scope) @ 96a2c23}

[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request updates the documentation for database backup and recovery operations to align with the v5.4.0 release. The changes cover online restores using target_database, replication peer restrictions, pre-copy verification checks, crash survival behaviors, and new parameters like accept_incompatible_backup. The review feedback recommends formatting adjustments for the <VersionBadge> component, advising against its mid-sentence usage in prose and correcting its type attribute for new features.

[github-actions]

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