Capistrano-ext puzzling behaviour....

gistfile1.txt

cap deploy:restart
    triggering start callbacks for `deploy:restart'
  * executing `multistage:ensure'
*** Defaulting to `production'
  * executing `production'
  * executing `deploy:restart'
[DEPRECATED] `deploy:restart` is going to be changed to Passenger mod_rails' method after 2.5.9 - see http://is.gd/2BPeA
  * executing "/home/*******/current/script/process/reaper"

BUT!!

cap production deploy:restart
  * executing `production'
    triggering start callbacks for `deploy:restart'
  * executing `multistage:ensure'
  * executing `deploy:restart'
  * executing "touch /home/********/current/tmp/restart.txt"
    servers: ["****.com"]
    [****.com] executing command
    command finished in 1712ms

This was fixed by adding the following into deploy.rb, irrespective of the definition in production.rb

# Default config for 'cap deploy:restart'.  This prevents using the
# script/reaper helper as per https://gist.github.com/912747

# If you are using Passenger mod_rails uncomment this:
# if you're still using the script/reapear helper you will need
# these http://github.com/rails/irs_process_scripts
namespace :deploy do
  task :start do ; end
  task :stop do ; end
  task :restart, :roles => :app, :except => { :no_release => true } do
    run "#{try_sudo} touch #{File.join(current_path,'tmp','restart.txt')}"
  end
end