diff --git a/pkg/kapp/clusterapply/add_or_update_change.go b/pkg/kapp/clusterapply/add_or_update_change.go
index e77a9ef06..e6a55e62f 100644
--- a/pkg/kapp/clusterapply/add_or_update_change.go
+++ b/pkg/kapp/clusterapply/add_or_update_change.go
@@ -264,15 +264,16 @@ func (c AddOrUpdateChange) recordAppliedResource(savedRes ctlres.Resource) error
 			return true, nil
 		}
 
-		jsonStr, err := json.Marshal(latestResWithHistoryUpdated.Annotations())
-		data := []byte(fmt.Sprintf("{\"metadata\": {\"annotations\": %s }}", jsonStr))
+		latestResourceAnnotations := latestResWithHistoryUpdated.Annotations()
+		appliedResAnnValJsonStr, err := json.Marshal(latestResourceAnnotations[ctldiff.AppliedResAnnKey])
+		jsonStr := fmt.Sprintf("{\"metadata\": {\"annotations\": { \"%s\" : \"%s\", \"%s\": %s}}}", ctldiff.AppliedResDiffMD5AnnKey, latestResourceAnnotations[ctldiff.AppliedResDiffMD5AnnKey], ctldiff.AppliedResAnnKey, appliedResAnnValJsonStr)
+		data := []byte(jsonStr)
 
 		_, err = c.identifiedResources.Patch(savedRes, types.MergePatchType, data)
 		if err != nil {
 			latestResWithHistory = nil // Get again
 			return false, fmt.Errorf("Saving record of last applied resource: %w", err)
 		}
-
 		return true, nil
 	})
 }
diff --git a/pkg/kapp/diff/resource_with_history.go b/pkg/kapp/diff/resource_with_history.go
index 34115aa7f..4fa960841 100644
--- a/pkg/kapp/diff/resource_with_history.go
+++ b/pkg/kapp/diff/resource_with_history.go
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	appliedResAnnKey        = "kapp.k14s.io/original"
-	appliedResDiffMD5AnnKey = "kapp.k14s.io/original-diff-md5"
+	AppliedResAnnKey        = "kapp.k14s.io/original"
+	AppliedResDiffMD5AnnKey = "kapp.k14s.io/original-diff-md5"
 
 	// Following fields useful for debugging:
 	debugAppliedResDiffAnnKey     = "kapp.k14s.io/original-diff"
@@ -88,8 +88,8 @@ func (r ResourceWithHistory) RecordLastAppliedResource(appliedChange Change) (ct
 		ResourceMatcher: ctlres.AllMatcher{},
 		Path:            ctlres.NewPathFromStrings([]string{"metadata", "annotations"}),
 		KVs: map[string]string{
-			appliedResAnnKey:        string(appliedResBytes),
-			appliedResDiffMD5AnnKey: diff.MinimalMD5(),
+			AppliedResAnnKey:        string(appliedResBytes),
+			AppliedResDiffMD5AnnKey: diff.MinimalMD5(),
 
 			// Following fields useful for debugging:
 			//   debugAppliedResDiffAnnKey:     diff.MinimalString(),
@@ -131,8 +131,8 @@ func (r ResourceWithHistory) CalculateChange(appliedRes ctlres.Resource) (Change
 }
 
 func (r ResourceWithHistory) recalculateLastAppliedChange() ([]Change, string, string) {
-	lastAppliedResBytes := r.resource.Annotations()[appliedResAnnKey]
-	lastAppliedDiffMD5 := r.resource.Annotations()[appliedResDiffMD5AnnKey]
+	lastAppliedResBytes := r.resource.Annotations()[AppliedResAnnKey]
+	lastAppliedDiffMD5 := r.resource.Annotations()[AppliedResDiffMD5AnnKey]
 
 	if len(lastAppliedResBytes) == 0 || len(lastAppliedDiffMD5) == 0 {
 		return nil, "", ""
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ func (ResourceWithoutHistory) removeAppliedResAnnKeysMods() []ctlres.ResourceMod
 	return []ctlres.ResourceMod{
 		ctlres.FieldRemoveMod{
 			ResourceMatcher: ctlres.AllMatcher{},
-			Path:            ctlres.NewPathFromStrings([]string{"metadata", "annotations", appliedResAnnKey}),
+			Path:            ctlres.NewPathFromStrings([]string{"metadata", "annotations", AppliedResAnnKey}),
 		},
 		ctlres.FieldRemoveMod{
 			ResourceMatcher: ctlres.AllMatcher{},
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ func (ResourceWithoutHistory) removeAppliedResAnnKeysMods() []ctlres.ResourceMod
 		},
 		ctlres.FieldRemoveMod{
 			ResourceMatcher: ctlres.AllMatcher{},
-			Path:            ctlres.NewPathFromStrings([]string{"metadata", "annotations", appliedResDiffMD5AnnKey}),
+			Path:            ctlres.NewPathFromStrings([]string{"metadata", "annotations", AppliedResDiffMD5AnnKey}),
 		},
 		ctlres.FieldRemoveMod{
 			ResourceMatcher: ctlres.AllMatcher{},