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

# CI overview

> Publish a shared search index via GitHub Actions so your team always has an up-to-date index.

By default, `unch` is entirely local. Remote indexing through GitHub Actions is an optional layer on top.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Stay local by default" icon="laptop">
    You only need CI when you want a shared published state for the repository.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Warm restores" icon="arrows-rotate">
    Published remote state includes `filehashes.db`, so warm reindex paths can reuse the same file-hash cache.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Latest compatible state" icon="cloud-arrow-down">
    `unch search` and `unch remote sync` restore only state that matches the local binary schema.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## When remote indexing helps

* Multiple people search the same repository
* You want the shared index to stay current without manual local reindexing
* You want CI to publish one canonical snapshot for the repo state

## How the workflow works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Generate the workflow">
    `unch create ci` writes `.github/workflows/unch-index.yml`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Bind the checkout">
    `unch bind ci <github-repo-url>` records the remote workflow in the local manifest.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Publish shared state">
    GitHub Actions builds and publishes the search state for the repository.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Restore when needed">
    `unch search` and `unch remote sync` restore the latest compatible published state when needed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What gets published

The remote workflow publishes:

* `index.db`
* `manifest.json`
* `filehashes.db`

That lets warm restore and warm reindex paths reuse the same file-hash cache instead of starting from scratch every time.

## Local reindex behavior

Running `unch index` locally on a repository that is bound to remote CI detaches the manifest from remote mode and switches it back to local-only state.

After a local reindex, run `unch bind ci <github-repo-url>` again if you want that checkout to follow remote updates.

<Tip>
  Use remote indexing for shared state, not as a requirement for basic local search. The normal `unch` flow still works fully without CI.
</Tip>