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nao sync

The nao sync command populates your context folder with content from configured sources. 
nao sync
You can limit a sync to specific providers with --provider (or -p). 
nao sync --provider databases
Supported provider values are:
  • databases
  • repositories
  • notion
You can also target one configured connection by using provider:connection-name: 
nao sync --provider databases:my-db
nao sync -p repositories:dbt_project
nao sync -p databases -p notion
Use this when you want to refresh only part of your context instead of running every configured sync provider. What Gets Synced When you run nao sync, the following happens: 1. Database Schemas For each database in your nao_config.yaml:
  • Connect to the database
  • Extract schema information (tables, columns, data types)
  • Generate context files in databases/ folder
  • Create structured files for each table:
    • columns.md - Column definitions and types
    • description.md - Table description (if available)
    • preview.md - Sample data preview
    • profiling.md - Data profiling information
Example structure after sync: 
databases/
└── type=snowflake/database=analytics/
    ├── table=customers/
    │   ├── columns.md
    │   ├── description.md
    │   ├── preview.md
    │   └── profiling.md
    └── table=orders/
        ├── columns.md
        ├── description.md
        ├── preview.md
        └── profiling.md
2. Repositories For each repository in your configuration:
  • Clone or pull the latest code
  • Extract relevant files from specified paths
  • Index content for the agent
  • Store in docs/ folder
3. Indexing After syncing:
  • Content is indexed for fast semantic search
  • Embeddings are created for relevant context retrieval
  • Agent can access all synced information

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Scheduling

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GitHub Actions

Set up automated syncing with GitHub Actions to keep your context up to date. 1. Create Workflow File This workflow will regularly run nao sync on GitHub’s servers, commit any changes to your context files (like updated database schemas or docs), and push them back to your repository so your context stays in sync without manual commands. Create .github/workflows/nao_sync.yml in your repository: 
name: Nao Sync

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: "0 0 */2 * *"  # every 2 days at 00:00 UTC
  workflow_dispatch:  # allows manual triggering

jobs:
  nao-sync:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write  # needed to commit changes

    env:
      NAO_CONFIG_PATH: ./nao_config.yaml

    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          ref: ${{ github.ref }}

      - name: Set up Python
        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: '3.11'

      - name: Install Nao CLI
        run: |
          pip install --upgrade pip
          pip install nao-core

      - name: Run nao sync
        env:
          GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_JSON: ${{ secrets.GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_JSON }}
          # Add other secrets as needed (e.g., NOTION_API_KEY, etc.)
        run: nao sync

      - name: Configure Git
        run: |
          git config --local user.email "action@github.com"
          git config --local user.name "GitHub Action"

      - name: Commit and push changes
        run: |
          git add -A
          if git diff --staged --quiet; then
            echo "No changes to commit"
          else
            git commit -m "nao sync update"
            git push origin HEAD:${{ github.ref_name }}
          fi
2. Configure Repository Secrets In your GitHub repository:
  1. Go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
  2. Click “New repository secret”
  3. Add secrets for all environment variables used in your nao_config.yaml:
    • GCP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY_JSON - Full JSON content of your BigQuery service account
    • NOTION_API_KEY - If using Notion integration
    • Any other credentials referenced in your config
Never commit secrets directly in your workflow file. Always use GitHub Secrets.
3. Customize Schedule Adjust the cron schedule to match your needs: 
on:
  schedule:
    - cron: "0 0 * * *"      # Daily at midnight UTC
    - cron: "0 0 */2 * *"    # Every 2 days
    - cron: "0 0 * * 1"      # Weekly on Monday
    - cron: "0 3 * * *"      # Daily at 3 AM UTC
4. Manual Trigger You can manually trigger the sync:
  • Go to Actions tab in your repository
  • Select “Nao Sync” workflow
  • Click “Run workflow”
5. Monitor Sync Results
  • Check the Actions tab to see sync history
  • Review logs if sync fails
  • Verify changes are committed to your repository
The workflow automatically commits and pushes any changes from nao sync back to your repository, keeping your context files up to date.
Next Steps

Context Providers

Learn about configuring databases and repos

Context Engineering Playbook

Learn how to measure, iterate, and optimize your context

Start Chatting

Use your synced context with the agent

Context Principles

Understand core principles for effective context engineering