# Rollback fails due to forward-only change: first 30 minutes checklist

Source: https://releasefailures.com/incidents/rollback-fails-due-to-forward-only-change/
Content version: 1.0.0
Verified on: 2026-10-22
Licence: CC BY 4.0

Definition: A rollback is impossible because the data or schema has already moved forward.
- [ ] FM-01 Compare the error pattern before and after the rollback, and treat errors that change but persist as a sign that data has moved forward.
- [ ] FM-02 Count the rows written in the new format between the forward deploy and the rollback.
- [ ] FM-03 Freeze the deploy pipeline so no further migration runs against production.
- [ ] FM-04 Take a database snapshot before any repair step.
- [ ] FM-05 Record that a plain rollback is not available and choose between a migration code fix and a code change that ignores the new-format field.
- [ ] FM-06 Scale worker capacity to drain the job backlog once distribution resumes.
- [ ] FM-07 Post a status update that names blocked jobs and longer queue times, with the start time of the fault.