> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.autosana.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Validation, Syncing & Pull Requests

> Validate code-managed flows locally, preview changes on pull requests, and read the Autosana Flows check

[Code-managed flows](/code-managed-flows) sync on every push to your default branch and preview on every pull request. This page covers the workflow around that sync: validating before you push, reading the **Autosana Flows** check, what applies on a PR versus at merge, and how deletes and renames behave.

## Validating locally

Validate your `.autosana/` folder before you push using the `autosana` CLI. Install it (requires **0.8.0 or newer**, which adds the `flows` commands):

```bash theme={null}
pip install "autosana>=0.8.0"   # or: uvx autosana flows validate
```

Then validate — by default it checks the `.autosana` directory in the current folder; pass a path to validate somewhere else (handy for a monorepo):

```bash theme={null}
autosana flows validate
autosana flows validate services/mobile/.autosana
```

The CLI runs the **flow- and suite-YAML** rules exactly as the sync does — required keys, unknown keys, `instructions` shape, suite references, key uniqueness — and reports each error per file with the offending line. It exits non-zero on errors, so you can wire it into a pre-commit hook or CI step.

<Note>
  The CLI can't see your organization's data, so a few checks run **only** server-side and appear on the Autosana Flows check after you push: `app:` name resolution, hook-slug references and conflicts, and hook-file contents (empty scripts, invalid launch-args JSON). A green local run doesn't guarantee a green check if a flow references an unknown app or hook.
</Note>

<Tip>
  Beyond validating, you can **run** a working-copy flow or suite directly on a local simulator — no commit, no push, no cloud device — with `autosana run <flow> --local`. See [Local Testing](/local-testing#run-code-managed-flows-from-the-cli).
</Tip>

## Sync status & validation

Every sync posts a GitHub check named **Autosana Flows** on the head commit — on both pushes and pull requests. It concludes as a failure if there are any issues, otherwise success. The summary reports how many files synced (or lists the errors found), and parse errors are attached as inline annotations anchored to the offending line where one is known, with any "Did you mean" hint appended.

<Warning>
  **One broken file freezes the whole repo's materialization.** The apply step runs only when the entire `.autosana/` folder validates with zero issues. If any file has an error, the check reports everything, but no changes are applied and previously synced flows stay as they were until you fix it. The check makes this loud.
</Warning>

## Pull request workflow

Open a pull request that changes `.autosana/` and Autosana previews your flow changes without touching mainline:

* Each changed or added `*.flow.yaml` gets a **PR-scoped flow version** pinned to the PR, so the PR's test runs use the proposed definitions
* The **Autosana Flows** check runs on the PR. For mechanical typos on lines you changed, Autosana also posts inline GitHub *suggestion* comments you can apply in one click
* Suite manifest (`_suite.yaml`) changes are **preview-only** on a PR — a warning notes that suite changes apply when the PR merges
* Removed flow files are ignored during preview; the archival happens on merge
* **Hook files are not previewed.** A PR's runs use the mainline hook scripts, and hook changes (plus their slug-conflict validation) apply on merge. A PR touching *only* hook files posts no check at all

<Warning>
  **The PR check validates each changed flow file on its own.** Cross-file checks — repo-wide key uniqueness, suite references, hook slugs and conflicts, and `app:` names — run at merge on the mainline sync, not on the PR. A PR can go green and still fail after merge (for example, a new file whose key duplicates an existing flow). Run `autosana flows validate` before merging to catch cross-file issues early.
</Warning>

<Note>
  **Pull requests from forks are skipped** — no flow versions are minted and no check is posted. Fork-authored YAML never touches your organization; it's validated and applied by the mainline sync only after the PR merges.
</Note>

When the PR merges, the merge lands as a push to your default branch, and the mainline sync materializes everything for real: new flows go live, PR-created flows are promoted to mainline, and suite, hook, and deletion changes apply.

## Deleting and renaming

Removing a definition is a soft delete. When you delete a `.flow.yaml`, `_suite.yaml`, or hook file and push to your default branch, Autosana **archives** the corresponding flow, suite, or hook — it's deactivated and hidden, but its run history is kept. If a file with the **same key** returns later, the exact same record is reactivated (history intact).

<Warning>
  **Renaming or moving a flow file without an explicit `key` splits its history.** Because the key defaults to the file path, moving `login.flow.yaml` to `auth/login.flow.yaml` archives the old flow (`login`) and creates a new one (`auth/login`). Set an explicit `key:` (see [Flow files](/code-managed-files#flow-files)) so the record — and its run history — follows the file.
</Warning>

Deleting a **hook file** while any flow or suite still references its slug fails the whole sync with an "unknown hook" error. Remove the `setup_hooks` / `teardown_hooks` references in the same commit as the hook file.

## Troubleshooting

### My changes didn't appear in the dashboard

**Possible Causes:**

* The **Code-Managed Testing** toggle isn't enabled for the repository
* The push wasn't to the default branch, or didn't touch any file under `.autosana/` (or under `<root-directory>/.autosana/`)
* Your `.autosana/` folder isn't at the repository root and no **Root directory** is set for the repo
* Another file in `.autosana/` has a validation error, so the whole apply step was skipped
* After a **force-push** that rewinds the branch to older-dated commits, the sync may be skipped as stale — push a newer commit, or toggle Code-Managed Testing off and on to force a full resync

**Solutions:**

* Enable the toggle in **[Settings > Integrations](https://autosana.ai/settings?tab=integrations)**
* Confirm you pushed to the default branch and edited a file under `.autosana/`
* Open the **Autosana Flows** check on the commit and fix every reported error — apply only runs at zero issues

### The Autosana Flows check failed

**Possible Causes:**

* An unknown top-level key or a malformed `instructions` value
* A suite reference that doesn't match any flow key, or a duplicate flow/suite key
* A `setup_hooks` / `teardown_hooks` slug that doesn't match any hook, or two hook files whose slugs collide
* An `app:` name that doesn't match a linked app — or an omitted `app:` when the repo is linked to more than one app
* A hook file that's empty, or a `.json` launch-args hook that isn't valid JSON

**Solutions:**

* Read the inline annotations and any "Did you mean" suggestions on the check
* Run `autosana flows validate` locally to reproduce the flow/suite YAML errors before pushing (app and hook errors surface only on the check)

### My PR check passed but nothing applied after merge

**Possible Causes:**

* The PR check validates each changed flow file on its own; cross-file checks (duplicate keys, suite references, hook slugs/conflicts, `app:` names) run at merge

**Solutions:**

* Open the **Autosana Flows** check on the merge commit and fix the reported cross-file errors
* Run `autosana flows validate` on the whole `.autosana/` folder before merging

### The dashboard won't let me edit a flow

**Possible Causes:**

* The flow is code-managed and therefore read-only in the dashboard

**Solutions:**

* Edit the linked `.autosana/` YAML file in your repository and push, or open a PR to preview the change

## Next Steps

* [Learn the file schema →](/code-managed-files)
* [Run working-copy flows locally →](/local-testing#run-code-managed-flows-from-the-cli)
* [Set up the GitHub Bot →](/github-integration)