Christian Stepanek developed a backward-compatibility feature for the FESOM/fesom2 repository, focusing on stabilizing legacy mesh workflows. He introduced a configuration option, compute_oasis_corners, which conditionally enables the computation and writing of mesh corners, thereby bridging older mesh formats with updated contour computation methods. By encapsulating this logic behind a feature toggle, Christian minimized risk and data disruption for users migrating from legacy datasets. His work involved code refactoring and configuration management using Fortran, ensuring that legacy meshes could be read without manual conversion. This targeted engineering effort improved workflow continuity and reduced errors for users working with historical data.