fix(deployment): migrate workload update calls to patch

pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller.go

@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ type DeploymentController struct {
 	runtimeClient client.Client
 }
 
+// patchDeploymentStatus patches the Deployment status subresource using a merge diff.
+// Only changed fields are sent, which avoids overwriting unknown fields from newer API versions.
+func (dc *DeploymentController) patchDeploymentStatus(ctx context.Context, oldD, newD *apps.Deployment) error {
+	patch := client.MergeFrom(oldD)
+	return dc.runtimeClient.Status().Patch(ctx, newD, patch)
+}
+
 // getReplicaSetsForDeployment uses ControllerRefManager to reconcile
 // ControllerRef by adopting and orphaning.
 // It returns the list of ReplicaSets that this Deployment should manage.
@@ -100,10 +107,13 @@ func (dc *DeploymentController) syncDeployment(ctx context.Context, deployment *
 	if reflect.DeepEqual(d.Spec.Selector, &everything) {
 		dc.eventRecorder.Eventf(d, v1.EventTypeWarning, "SelectingAll", "This deployment is selecting all pods. A non-empty selector is required.")
 		if d.Status.ObservedGeneration < d.Generation {
-			d.Status.ObservedGeneration = d.Generation
-			err := dc.runtimeClient.Status().Update(ctx, d)
-			if err != nil {
-				klog.Errorf("Failed to update deployment status: %v", err)
+			// Use Patch instead of Update to avoid erasing unknown status fields
+			// that a newer API server may have set (version-skew safety).
+			dCopy := d.DeepCopy()
+			dCopy.Status.ObservedGeneration = d.Generation
+			if err := dc.runtimeClient.Status().Patch(ctx, dCopy, client.MergeFrom(d)); err != nil {
+
+				klog.Errorf("Failed to patch deployment status: %v", err)
 			}
 		}
 		return nil

pkg/controller/deployment/deployment_controller_test.go

@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ import (
 
 	apps "k8s.io/api/apps/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+
 	intstrutil "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/intstr"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/record"
 	"k8s.io/utils/pointer"
@@ -236,3 +238,39 @@ func TestSyncDeployment(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSyncDeploymentSelectingAll(t *testing.T) {
+	deployment := generateDeployment("busybox")
+	deployment.Spec.Selector = &metav1.LabelSelector{}
+	deployment.Generation = 7
+	deployment.Status.ObservedGeneration = 3
+	deployment.Annotations = map[string]string{
+		"test-unknown-field": "kept",
+	}
+
+	fakeCtrlClient := ctrlfake.NewClientBuilder().
+		WithStatusSubresource(&apps.Deployment{}).
+		WithObjects(&deployment).
+		Build()
+
+	dc := &DeploymentController{
+		eventRecorder: record.NewFakeRecorder(10),
+		runtimeClient: fakeCtrlClient,
+	}
+
+	if err := dc.syncDeployment(context.TODO(), &deployment); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("syncDeployment returned unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	var result apps.Deployment
+	if err := fakeCtrlClient.Get(context.TODO(), ctrlclient.ObjectKeyFromObject(&deployment), &result); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("get deployment failed: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if result.Status.ObservedGeneration != result.Generation {
+		t.Fatalf("expected observedGeneration=%d, got %d", result.Generation, result.Status.ObservedGeneration)
+	}
+	if got := result.Annotations["test-unknown-field"]; got != "kept" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected annotation test-unknown-field=kept, got %q", got)
+	}
+}