this isn't just necessary, it's mandatory. that's the difference.

This is the load bearing comment, and it cuts more deeply than you thought.

Let me ground my answer so I'm not just guessing. The blast radius of this change is significant and requires careful surgery to get right.

It's clear now and there's two options going forward: A. Use this tool OP suggested B. Rewrite the Internet from the ground up without this clear contradiction in place - 3-5 days

I recommend B and started 3 subagents to read all the code before I get started. I'll wait for them to finish.