diff --git a/backend/utils/clientPatcher.js b/backend/utils/clientPatcher.js
index 398aaf0..c6e4bd7 100644
--- a/backend/utils/clientPatcher.js
+++ b/backend/utils/clientPatcher.js
@@ -577,6 +577,14 @@ class ClientPatcher {
       progressCallback('Patching domain references...', 50);
     }
 
+    // HYTALE_NOOP_TEST: Just read and write binary without any changes
+    if (process.env.HYTALE_NOOP_TEST === '1') {
+      console.log('NOOP TEST: Writing binary without modifications...');
+      fs.writeFileSync(clientPath, data);
+      this.markAsPatched(clientPath);
+      return { success: true, patchCount: 0, noop: true };
+    }
+
     console.log('Applying domain patches (length-prefixed format)...');
     const { buffer: patchedData, count } = this.applyDomainPatches(data, newDomain);