Create ni/v2-with-history branch preserving main history with v2 rewrite

[Copilot]

The ni/v2 branch contains a complete v2 rewrite but exists as an orphan with no shared history with main. This creates ni/v2-with-history to preserve the full main lineage while applying the v2 rewrite.

Branch Structure

main (bfec614) 
  └─ chore: clear repository for v2 rewrite (78a8907)
      └─ [6 commits from ni/v2 cherry-picked in chronological order]
          └─ HEAD (aaae824)

Changes

• Created ni/v2-with-history branch from main tip
• Added deletion commit removing all v1 files, establishing clear rewrite boundary
• Cherry-picked ni/v2 commits (fe3e5c5 → 2c7db75) preserving original dates, authors, and messages
• Verified content identity between ni/v2 and ni/v2-with-history (git diff shows no differences)

Documentation

• BRANCH_CREATION.md - Process details and usage patterns
• PUSH_INSTRUCTIONS.md - Manual push steps (branch exists locally, requires authenticated push)

Branch Push

The branch exists locally but cannot be pushed through automated tooling:

git push -u origin ni/v2-with-history

Original prompt

Goal

Create a new branch based off main, delete all existing content, and then rebase the ni/v2 branch commits onto it.

Background

The ni/v2 branch is a complete v2 rewrite but was started as an orphan branch with no shared history with main. The user wants to:

1. Preserve main's history
2. Have a clean "delete everything" commit
3. Then apply all ni/v2 commits on top

Steps

1. Create a new branch from main (e.g., ni/v2-with-history)
2. Delete ALL existing files/content and commit with a message like "chore: clear repository for v2 rewrite"
3. Rebase the ni/v2 branch onto this new branch, preserving all individual commits from ni/v2

Commits from ni/v2 to apply (in chronological order):

1. fe3e5c5 - "save" (Dec 12, 2025) - original root commit
2. f73e20b - "updated nix" (Dec 15, 2025)
3. 7675f63 - "flake update" (Dec 16, 2025)
4. 76ed2d5 - "stuff" (Dec 17, 2025)
5. 8a79121 - "so far so good" (Dec 22, 2025)
6. 2c7db75 - "chore: remove sym" (Dec 22, 2025)

Expected Result

The final branch history should look like:

[main history] -> [delete all files commit] -> [ni/v2 commits in order]

This ensures:

• The full main history is the ancestor
• There's a clear commit showing the slate was wiped clean
• All 6 ni/v2 commits are preserved individually on top

This pull request was created from Copilot chat.

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