diff --git a/internal/cmd/agent/deployer/desiredset/diff.go b/internal/cmd/agent/deployer/desiredset/diff.go
index 5a4b8701f0..ed7f798fd7 100644
--- a/internal/cmd/agent/deployer/desiredset/diff.go
+++ b/internal/cmd/agent/deployer/desiredset/diff.go
@@ -452,17 +452,16 @@ func normalizeNullPatch(
 	return false, nil
 }
 
-// removeNullPatchFields recursively removes null values from patch data structures.
-// It handles both maps (objects) and slices (arrays), preserving non-null values.
+// removeNullPatchFields removes null map/object fields from patch objects.
 //
 // Map behavior:
 //   - Skips entries with nil values
 //   - Skips entries that become empty maps after cleaning
 //
 // Slice behavior:
-//   - Skips nil elements
-//   - Skips elements that become empty maps after cleaning
-//   - Preserves non-map elements (strings, numbers, etc.)
+//   - Preserves arrays as-is. JSON merge patches replace arrays atomically, so
+//     changing nulls inside an array changes the replacement value and can hide
+//     real drift in keyed lists such as container specs.
 func removeNullPatchFields(value any) any {
 	switch v := value.(type) {
 	case map[string]any:
@@ -486,24 +485,7 @@ func removeNullPatchFields(value any) any {
 		return result
 
 	case []any:
-		result := make([]any, 0, len(v))
-		for i := range v {
-			// Skip null elements in arrays
-			if v[i] == nil {
-				continue
-			}
-
-			// Recursively clean nested structures
-			cleaned := removeNullPatchFields(v[i])
-
-			// Skip maps that became empty after cleaning
-			if cleanedMap, ok := cleaned.(map[string]any); ok && len(cleanedMap) == 0 {
-				continue
-			}
-
-			result = append(result, cleaned)
-		}
-		return result
+		return v
 
 	default:
 		// Leaf values (strings, numbers, bools) pass through unchanged
diff --git a/internal/cmd/agent/deployer/desiredset/diff_null_test.go b/internal/cmd/agent/deployer/desiredset/diff_null_test.go
index 7355aaa1f9..4019c08b2c 100644
--- a/internal/cmd/agent/deployer/desiredset/diff_null_test.go
+++ b/internal/cmd/agent/deployer/desiredset/diff_null_test.go
@@ -39,9 +39,14 @@ func Test_Diff_NullPatch(t *testing.T) {
 			expectPatch: `{"spec":{"template":{"spec":{"containers":[{"name":"c1","image":"nginx"}]}}}}`,
 		},
 		{
-			name:        "removes_null_elements_from_arrays",
+			name:        "preserves_null_elements_inside_arrays",
 			patch:       `{"spec":{"tolerations":[{"key":"a","operator":null},null,{"key":"b"}]}}`,
-			expectPatch: `{"spec":{"tolerations":[{"key":"a"},{"key":"b"}]}}`,
+			expectPatch: `{"spec":{"tolerations":[{"key":"a","operator":null},null,{"key":"b"}]}}`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:        "preserves_null_fields_inside_arrays",
+			patch:       `{"spec":{"template":{"spec":{"containers":[{"name":"nginx","image":"nginx:stable-alpine","imagePullPolicy":null}]}}}}`,
+			expectPatch: `{"spec":{"template":{"spec":{"containers":[{"name":"nginx","image":"nginx:stable-alpine","imagePullPolicy":null}]}}}}`,
 		},
 		{
 			name:        "removes_multiple_nulls_across_tree",
@@ -91,6 +96,7 @@ func Test_Diff_NullPatch(t *testing.T) {
 
 // Test_Diff_RemoveNullPatchFields validates the recursive null removal logic
 // with a complex nested structure containing maps, arrays, and null values.
+// Arrays are preserved because JSON merge patches replace arrays atomically.
 func Test_Diff_RemoveNullPatchFields(t *testing.T) {
 	input := map[string]any{
 		"spec": map[string]any{
@@ -113,7 +119,8 @@ func Test_Diff_RemoveNullPatchFields(t *testing.T) {
 	expected := map[string]any{
 		"spec": map[string]any{
 			"list": []any{
-				map[string]any{"name": "a"},
+				map[string]any{"name": "a", "value": nil},
+				nil,
 				"text",
 			},
 		},