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

<AgentInstructions>

## Submitting Feedback

If you encounter incorrect, outdated, or confusing documentation on this page, submit feedback:

POST https://docs.omni.co/feedback

```json
{
  "path": "/integrations/git/follower-mode/setup",
  "feedback": "Description of the issue"
}
```

Only submit feedback when you have something specific and actionable to report.

</AgentInstructions>

# Configuring git follower mode

> Set up git follower mode in Omni by designating leader and follower models for centralized development and multi-environment sync.

Omni’s git follower mode helps you centralize model development while keeping multiple environments in sync. By designating one model as the leader and others as followers, you can make changes in one model and easily apply them to other models.

This guide demonstrates how to set up follower mode for a **development-to-production workflow**, but you can also use these instructions for multi-region or multi-organization deployments.

## Requirements

To follow the steps in this guide, you'll need:

* **In Omni**:

  * [**Connection Admin permissions**](/administration/users/permissions) for the models you want to connect to git
  * **Models with identical schemas**, meaning that the schemas and tables powering the models have the same structure

* **In your git provider**:

  * **An existing git repository** in GitHub, GitLab, or Azure DevOps

  * **Permissions in your git provider that allow you to complete the following**. Refer to the documentation for your git provider for information about their user permissions:

    * Add webhooks to repositories
    * Add deploy/SSH keys to repositories

## Setup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set up the leader">
    The first step is to set up the **leader** model. This is where you'll make direct changes to the model, such as adding topics, curating fields, and so on.

    1. In Omni, navigate to and open the model you want to use as the leader.

    2. Follow the steps in the [git integration guides](/integrations/git/setup) to connect the model to the git repository.

    3. After you finish setting up the repository, configure the following Omni git settings:

       * **Base branch** - Enter the name of the git branch Omni should use for pull requests. Omni recommends you use the default branch, which is typically `main`.
       * **Source model name** - Enter the path to the model files in the repository. For example, if you entered `blobs_r_us`, Omni will look for model files in a `/blobs_r_us` folder in the repository.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up the follower">
    The next step is to set up the **follower** model. This is a **read-only** model that will absorb changes from the **leader**.

    1. In Omni, navigate to and open the model you want to use as the follower.

    2. Follow the steps in the [git integration guides](/integrations/git/setup) to connect the model to the same git repository you used to set up the leader. **This includes adding a second deploy key and webhook.**

    3. In the git repository, create a new branch to use as the Omni base branch. In our dev to prod example, we'll name the branch `prod`.

    4. After you finish setting up the repository, configure the following Omni git settings:

       * **Base branch** - Enter the name of the branch you created in step 3. For example, `prod`.
       * **Always create branches** - Enable this setting, which will ensure that Omni detects and applies changes merged to the **Base branch**.
       * **Git follower mode** - Enable this setting, which will designate the model as a follower.
       * **Source model name** - Enter the path to the model files in the repository. **The value of this setting must match the value for the leader.**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify settings configuration">
    Before you test out the setup, take a moment to verify the setting configuration for both the leader and follower.

    In our dev to prod example, the settings for the leader and follower look like this:

    | Setting                    | Leader value | Follower value |
    | -------------------------- | ------------ | -------------- |
    | **Base branch**            | `main`       | `prod`         |
    | **Always create branches** | Not enabled  | Enabled        |
    | **Git follower mode**      | Not enabled  | Enabled        |
    | **Source model name**      | `blobs_r_us` | `blobs_r_us`   |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test the setup">
    Use the following steps to perform an end-to-end test of your setup. If successful, this is also the workflow Omni recommends using for model development and deployment.

    <Steps>
      <Step title="Test leader setup">
        1. **In Omni:**

           1. Open a branch against the **leader** model. In our dev to prod example, this model would be named `dev`.
           2. Make a change to the model.
           3. When finished, click **Create pull request** in the branch header. This will prompt you to create a pull request against the `main` branch in the git repository.

        2. **In the git repository**: Merge the pull request, which will merge the branch into the repository's `main` branch.

        3. **In Omni:** Verify that the changes you merged are available in the **leader** (`dev`) model.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Test follower setup">
        1. **In Omni**: Perform a schema refresh on the **follower** model. This step is required to ensure that the follower's schema model matches the schema model of the leader.

        2. **In the git repository**:

           1. Create a new branch off of the `main` branch. Omni recommends using a name like `release-to-prod-YYYYMMDD`, where `YYYYMMDD` is a date. For example, `release-to-prod-20250901`

           2. Create a pull request that will merge the `release-to-prod-YYYYMMDD` branch into the follower's base branch. In our dev to prod example, the follower's base branch would be `prod`.

              If you enabled the **Always create branches** setting in Omni, this should create a branch in Omni with the same name.

        3. **In Omni**:

           1. Navigate to the follower model and open the model IDE.
           2. Open the `release-to-prod-YYYYMMDD` branch.
           3. Test the changes, including checking the [Content Validator](/modeling/develop/content-validator) for issues.

        4. **In the git repository**: Merge the pull request, which will merge the branch into the repository's `prod` branch.

        5. **In Omni:** After the pull request is merged, confirm that the changes are present in the **follower** model.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What's next?

Now that you've set up follower mode, check out the [git follower mode best practices](/integrations/git/follower-mode/best-practices) to learn how to best develop your models.