Remote Sync
CutReady can sync your project with a GitHub remote repository, enabling backup, multi-device workflows, and team collaboration. Remote sync is entirely optional — solo users who don’t need it see zero additional UI.
Setting Up a Remote
Section titled “Setting Up a Remote”- Open Settings → Repository tab
- Enter your remote URL (e.g.,
https://github.com/you/your-project.git) - Choose an authentication method
- Click Test Connection to verify
Authentication Methods
Section titled “Authentication Methods”| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| GitHub CLI (gh) | Recommended. Uses your existing gh auth credentials |
| Personal Access Token | Enter a GitHub PAT with repo scope |
| SSH Key | Uses Draftline remote support with your system SSH keys |
The Sync Bar
Section titled “The Sync Bar”Once a remote is configured, a Sync Bar appears in the Snapshots panel showing your connection status and sync state:
- ↑ N unpublished — Local snapshots not yet pushed to remote
- ↓ N incoming — Remote snapshots not yet pulled
- Up to date — Local and remote are in sync
Sync Actions
Section titled “Sync Actions”| Button | When it appears | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Sync | Unpublished + incoming | Pushes local, then pulls remote |
| Push | Only unpublished | Sends local snapshots to remote |
| Pull | Only incoming | Fetches remote snapshots |
| Fetch | Always | Checks for remote changes without applying them |
Publishing Timelines
Section titled “Publishing Timelines”Local timelines are just that — local. To share a timeline with collaborators or back it up to the remote:
- Switch to the timeline you want to publish
- The Sync Bar shows “Timeline ‘X’ is local only”
- Click Publish Timeline to push it as a remote branch
Once published, the timeline syncs like Main — push/pull/sync all work.
Pulling with Conflicts
Section titled “Pulling with Conflicts”When pulling remote changes that conflict with your local work, CutReady opens the same Merge Conflict Panel used for timeline merging:
- Remote changes appear as “theirs”
- Your local changes appear as “ours”
- Resolution works identically — keep yours, keep theirs, or edit
See Merging & Conflicts for the full conflict resolution workflow.
Auto-Fetch
Section titled “Auto-Fetch”CutReady automatically fetches from the remote:
- On project open — Checks for new remote changes immediately
- Every 5 minutes — Periodic background fetch keeps counts fresh
Auto-fetch only downloads metadata — it doesn’t modify your local files. You always explicitly choose when to pull or sync.
Opening a Pull Request
Section titled “Opening a Pull Request”For published non-main timelines, CutReady offers an Open Pull Request button that opens your browser to create a PR on GitHub. This integrates your CutReady workflow with standard GitHub collaboration.
Offline Resilience
Section titled “Offline Resilience”CutReady works fully offline — all project data is local. When you’re offline:
- Saving, branching, merging, and all local operations work normally
- The Sync Bar shows a disconnected state
- When connectivity returns, a simple Sync catches up
How This Relates to Git
Section titled “How This Relates to Git”Remote sync uses a normal GitHub repository as the transport, but CutReady keeps the workflow at the Draftline level:
- Snapshots are the user-facing unit of saved work, not commits.
- Timelines are the user-facing unit of branching, not raw branch names.
- Sync transfers Draftline-managed snapshots and timeline refs.
- Runtime state stays local and is not pushed, including chat trajectories, locks, local UI state, and recording takes.
If you inspect the remote with Git tooling, you may see implementation details. Do not edit them by hand unless you are intentionally debugging Draftline storage.
Progressive Disclosure
Section titled “Progressive Disclosure”CutReady uses progressive disclosure for remote features:
| User Type | What They See |
|---|---|
| Solo (no remote) | Just the Snapshots panel — Save, Discard, Navigate |
| Timelines (no remote) | Timeline selector + graph, no sync UI |
| Collaborator (remote configured) | Full Sync Bar + publishing + timeline sync |
No git terminology appears in the default UI. CutReady uses “snapshots” not “commits”, “timelines” not “branches”, “publish” not “push”, and “sync” not “fetch/pull”.