deploy --on-exists update silently drops prior inputValues (SLACK_CHANNEL lost on hn-monitor redeploy)

[khaliqgant]

Observed (prod, 2026-06-04 ~21:04)

hn-monitor was redeployed ~20:30 via CLI with --on-exists update. The original wizard deployment carried SLACK_CHANNEL in its inputValues (set via picker). The CLI update did not re-supply it, and the update silently dropped the stored input. Next tick:

ctx.llm configured from sandbox credentials  provider:anthropic  source:CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN  model:claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
Required input 'SLACK_CHANNEL' has no value

(exit 1 — the run died after the credential chain succeeded.)

Expected

deploy --on-exists update should inherit the prior deployment's inputValues unless explicitly overridden by --input KEY=value. Silently dropping inputs on update is a footgun class — this is its first observed instance; any persona with required inputs redeployed via CLI update will hit it.

Fix sketch

• On update, merge: prior deployment inputValues ← CLI-provided --input overrides.
• An explicit empty/unset should require a deliberate flag (e.g. --clear-input KEY), not be the default.
• Test: deploy with input via wizard-equivalent, update without --input, assert input survives.

Context: observed by claude-4 during the overnight 2026-06-04 run; immediate workaround is one redeploy with --input SLACK_CHANNEL=<channel-id>.