Lesson 5: Why Patching Git Doesn't Work

Wrapper tools improve Git's interface without replacing its engine: this lesson maps what they reduce, what they inherit, and how to apply the diagnostic.

Start here

Each topic below covers a building block of this lesson. We recommend following them in sequence as each builds on the last.

The Wrapper Landscape

Two tooling categories, what each genuinely provides, and the three structural gaps no wrapper can close regardless of Salesforce-awareness.

Where Wrappers Still Fail

Git handles the merge step while the wrapper handles the edges; Salesforce's semantic mismatches live exactly in the middle.

The Diagnostic Question

One question distinguishes metadata-native tools from wrappers: does the merge engine reason about Salesforce semantics, or call git merge?

The 12–18 Month Pattern

The three-phase arc (initial improvement, gradual accommodation, and structural ceiling) and why the wall appears at 12–18 months specifically.

An Honest Assessment

Where the wrapper ROI case holds, where it predictably weakens, and the precise question that distinguishes the two scenarios.