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

# Environment

> The running stack, and the opt-in freshness check for whether your clone is behind the upstream Synclair foundation.

`/synclair/environment` is the "where does this clone stand" section — the stack it runs
on, and whether its foundation is current with the upstream Synclair it was cloned from.
It's the section you check before a sync, and the one that tells you a foundation update
is available.

## What it is

Two things in one place:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="The running stack" icon="server">
    What this hub is actually running on — Next.js, Tailwind, shadcn/ui, and the rest of
    the environment.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Foundation freshness" icon="arrows-rotate">
    Whether this clone is behind the upstream Synclair repository — the opt-in "call home" check.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What's in it

* **The stack view** — the framework, styling, and tooling the clone runs.
* **The Synclair view** — the foundation freshness state: your clone's **baseline** (the
  upstream commit it last synced to) and, when call-home is on, how many foundation updates
  are available with their commit titles.

## How it works

Freshness uses an **opt-in "call home"** seam (`data/mother.json`). When enabled, the hub
compares your recorded baseline against the upstream repository via GitHub's public compare API
and shows "up to date" or "N updates available" — **checking is never pulling**.

<Note>
  It's deliberately minimal: nothing is sent but the baseline sha, there's no telemetry,
  and it's **off by default**. Knowing you're behind and *choosing* to pull are two
  separate, deliberate acts — which is the whole doctrine of "clone, sync deliberately."
</Note>

## How to act on it

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Turn on freshness checks" icon="toggle-on">
    ```bash theme={null}
    npm run call-home -- --enable    # opt in (off by default)
    npm run call-home                # check: behind-count + incoming titles
    ```

    The baseline is stamped automatically on sync (embedded subtree clones stamp it by
    hand with `--anchor <sha>`).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Pull foundation updates" icon="download">
    When you're behind and want the updates, use the `synclair-sync` skill — it pulls
    them as an ordinary git merge, resolving seed vs. brain by the merge contract. Your
    project's own brand and knowledge never sync.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Promote an improvement upstream" icon="arrow-up">
    If something you built here is foundation (not seed), the same skill cherry-picks it
    into the upstream repository — the flywheel that improves Synclair for every clone.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Card title="Related: Setup modes" icon="diagram-project" href="/setup-modes">
  Whether updates come in as a subtree pull or a sibling merge depends on your topology.
</Card>