Vals have built-in version history, but syncing a val with a GitHub repo gets you more:
- Git history with real commits, branches, and pull requests
- An off-platform backup of your code
- CI: tests, linters, and review before code reaches your val
- Editing locally in your own editor, or with coding agents
There are two ways to set this up.
Which method should I choose?
Section titled “Which method should I choose?”| GitHub Actions + vt CLI | Sync code in a val | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | GitHub Actions | Inside the val itself |
| GitHub → Val Town | Deploys on every push to main |
Deploys on every push, via a webhook |
| Val Town → GitHub | On a schedule (polling) | On a schedule (cron file in the val) |
| Setup | Repo with two small workflow files | One copy-paste file in the val |
| Good fit | You already live in GitHub | You want zero GitHub Actions setup |
| Limits | Needs a repo per val | Text files only, 80k chars per file |
If you are not sure, start with GitHub Actions + vt CLI. It uses the same vt CLI you can run locally, and the sync logic is two short workflow files you can read in full. It is also the method that supports two-way sync.