Local History and Safe Write Restoration Consistency Gap

This question examines the interoperability state of file revisions when restoring from WebStorm's Local History mechanism after a Safe Write backup has been generated, or conversely, recovering a Safe Write archive following Local History revision application. The precise goal is to ascertain whether the file content, metadata, and edit history produced by one mechanism align with or diverge from the other, and if any revisions are lost, duplicated, or altered during cross-mechanism restoration.

WebStorm's Local History retains revisions for a default period that varies by IDE version and available disk space, and its retention cannot be configured per project. Safe Write creates backup files in the system temporary directory, but recovery completeness depends on OS flush timing, particularly if a crash occurs before the write is persisted. Neither mechanism documents explicit cross-format consistency checks, and restoration from one does not guarantee state equivalence with the other.

Does restoring a prior Local History revision overwrite or merge with existing Safe Write backup data? When a Safe Write backup is recovered after an unexpected IDE exit, which recent edits—if any—are omitted relative to the most recent Local History revision? How does IDE version variation affect the overlap set of revisions visible across both mechanisms during restoration?