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

# Syncing

> How GitLocalize keeps a connected repository in step with GitHub, and why a large initial sync takes hours.

Syncing is how GitLocalize keeps a connected repository in step with GitHub. It runs when you first
connect a repository, and again as the source files change.

A spinner beside the repository name indicates a sync in progress.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/gitlocalize/lskpih6euvpzy4qL/images/syncing-spinner.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=lskpih6euvpzy4qL&q=85&s=68fa012f72354c1c86065a560923a939" alt="The syncing spinner next to a repository name" width="1836" height="754" data-path="images/syncing-spinner.png" />
</Frame>

## What a sync does

* Pulls source files matching the configured [paths](/paths).
* Parses them into [segments](/how-it-works#segments).
* Imports translations already present in the repository and links their segments to the source.

Translations that cannot be matched arrive as [conflicts](/conflicts).

## Rate limits

GitLocalize reaches GitHub through GitHub Apps and the GitHub API, which allows **5,000 API calls per
hour per repository**. A sync needing more calls than remain in the current window pauses and
continues in the next one.

## Duration

An initial sync is the slowest, because every file and every existing translation has to be read and
parsed. Expect it to take longer when:

* the repository contains many files;
* the repository has many target languages;
* a previous sync already consumed the hour's API budget.

Allow a few hours for an initial sync on a large repository.

<Note>
  If a sync has been running for several days, something is wrong. Get in touch through the
  [contact form](https://gitlocalize.com/inquiries/new), or ask in the
  [community chat](https://app.gitter.im/#/room/#gitlocalize:gitter.im).
</Note>