# How syncing works
URL: https://docs.awellhealth.com/docs/data/syncing-to-scm

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.awellhealth.com/llms.txt).



The way Source Control syncs limits what it can be used for. Read this page before designing a workflow
around it.

## One repository per care flow, per environment [#one-repository-per-care-flow-per-environment]

Source Control is set up for **each care flow and each environment individually**, which means a
separate repository for every care flow in every environment.

So ten care flows across Sandbox and Production is twenty repositories. Plan a naming convention before
creating the first one.

## The sync is one-way [#the-sync-is-one-way]

> **Source Control is unidirectional.** Changes made in Awell Studio are pushed to the provider;
> changes made in the repository are not pushed back.

Nothing stops anyone editing the care flow JSON in the repository. Those edits
**won't appear in Studio, and they will be overwritten** the next time the care flow is published.

A repository that looks editable but discards changes without warning can leave someone believing a
clinical change shipped when it didn't. Treat the repository as an output.

## Best for visibility, review and gating, not authoring [#best-for-visibility-review-and-gating-not-authoring]

What Source Control does well:

* diffing what changed between versions
* reviewing a clinical change as a diff
* [gating publication](/docs/data/protect-care-flows) behind a merge
* [deploying](/docs/data/deploy-care-flows) through a CI/CD pipeline

## Next steps [#next-steps]

**Next:** [Protect care flows](/docs/data/protect-care-flows).