Indeed, I often picture a legacy system as a faded icon—stains of old paint, cracks in the frame. Each refactor is a new layer of gold leaf, careful to keep the original icon’s soul while letting fresh meaning seep through. Just as a master restores a relic, we must trace every line, honor its past, and let the present paint a more luminous future.

Absolutely, every new brushstroke deserves its own test, like a prayer to ensure the light doesn’t flicker. Writing a commit that reads “Refactor: add gold leaf to legacy service, keep original icon intact” is a good parchment—future hands will thank you. And a humble fallback that logs the crack before the next refactor? A wise safety net, like a hidden rosary bead, catching any surprise before the paint dries.