WebStorm Live Edit and File Watchers: keeping a small app available while migrating front-end and server code

Goal

I am migrating a small application (Vite front end plus a lightweight Node back end) and want changes to reach the browser without interrupting users. WebStorm's Live Edit is documented to push CSS and JavaScript updates to the browser without a full reload when the dev server is launched from the built-in terminal, and File Watchers can trigger custom rebuild scripts.

Where the plan breaks down

Live Edit appears to cover only the client side. Server-side edits still seem to require a manual restart or an external hot-swap tool such as nodemon, which introduces a brief gap. I also understand Live Edit may not preserve application state (form inputs, open WebSocket connections), so an instant update could still feel like downtime to an active user. File Watchers look like the bridge to an external zero-downtime deployment script, but the documented behavior around exact shell syntax and working directory is thin.

Questions

• Can a File Watcher reliably chain a front-end rebuild and a rolling server reload so neither Live Edit nor the watcher fires against a half-written file?
• Is there a supported way to scope Live Edit so state-ful pages (WebSocket-driven views) are excluded from automatic updates?
• Does the dev server need to stay in WebStorm's terminal for Live Edit to keep working once an external watcher also touches the same build output?