Update the shared setup without copying local state.
The problem
A configuration update should reach enrolled machines while preserving their credentials, runtime history and valid local differences.
An explanatory exhibit
A shared change crosses a local boundary
A conceptual sync using disposable machine labels. It does not show live hosts or execute an update.
- 01
Shared change
Revise a reusable instruction
- 02
Sync
Update managed portable files
- 03
Local boundary
Leave authentication and state local
Inspect the consequence
A portable instruction changes
Sync the managed file
The shared setup can change on enrolled machines through its managed update path.
A local credential exists
Preserve local state
Portable synchronization should not turn authentication into a repository artifact.
What this makes possible
I built selective synchronization around portable setup, with local boundaries and checks that make drift visible.
Source information sheet
Evidence, implementation & history Implementation inspected
What I checked
Source documents managed synchronization and local state boundaries. Historical rollout is separate from a current deployment inventory.
Research cut: 14 October 2026. Source areas below are from metaclaude, metacodex. Private conversation references are retained in the research ledger and are not published here.
Implementation decisions
The workbench repositories document selective links and synchronization. Portable files are managed together; authentication, session state and machine-specific overlays stay local.
The October archive records a post-push synchronization repair. Doctor checks help inspect consistency, but repository contracts and an earlier rollout are not a current inventory of every machine.
A path through the feature
- Update a portable file
Make the shared guidance or configuration change in its versioned source.
- Sync and check locally
Apply the update to an enrolled machine, then inspect the assembled setup and any legitimate local drift.
Source areas
metacodex/bin/metacodexmetacodex/README.mdmetaclaude/bin/metaclaude/README.md
The small explanatory exhibit uses invented records to describe the mechanism. Separate recordings and working examples carry their own evidence notes.
Recorded history
Dates describe the researched record, rather than today’s deployment.
Distributing a portable agent workbench
Restoring post-push synchronization