Hotfix
also: hotfixes, hot fix, hotfixed
An urgent fix released to the live app outside the usual schedule, to stop a serious problem that real users are hitting right now.
An urgent, narrowly scoped patch deployed to production outside the normal release schedule, to resolve a critical issue such as broken payments, data loss, or a security hole. It is still verified before release; fuller tests and cleanup usually follow.
A plumber arriving at 2am to stop a burst pipe. They shut off the water and seal the leak. The full bathroom repair happens next week.
Hotfixes move faster than normal releases because time matters. Knowing that, you can ask the agent to keep them tiny, check them before they ship, and plan the follow-up.
Since this is a hotfix, I've kept it to one change that restores the old tax rate lookup. I'd recommend a follow-up to add a test for this case.
We need a hotfix: signups are failing in production. Make the smallest safe change, tell me how to verify it, and list what we should clean up afterward.
Thinking hotfix means any fix done quickly. It means an urgent fix to something already live and hurting users.