Add a features list to branches.cache to detect caches of old hg versions. The leading space in the written file makes sure that the feature list never can match an existing version, even if the first feature can be read as hex. Additionally old hg versions display the id with --debug, too.

#!/bin/sh

hg init
hg branch dummy # needed so -r "" doesn't point to the unnamed/default branch
touch a
hg add a
hg ci -m "a" -d "1000000 0"

echo 123 > b
hg add b
hg diff --nodates

hg diff --nodates -r tip

echo foo > a
hg diff --nodates

hg diff -r ""
hg diff -r tip -r ""

true