Is it read-only?

Yes. Observation is read-only by design, and that single decision is the safety net under everything SyncNow does.

Because the observer can only list and read, there is no path by which a routine check could alter, delete or overwrite your project. Watching a busy production site carries the same risk as reading it in your browser: none.

The layers of safety

• Read-only observation - SyncNow looks, it never edits your files.
• A fixed perimeter - the project root is a fence SyncNow never crosses.
• A private notebook - the only writes go to the hidden .sync folder.
• One instance - a single SyncNow runs at a time, so there is no self-collision.

What about AI assistants?

When an assistant edits files through SyncNow in a work session, that is a separate, deliberately authorized flow with its own structural guards - the observer here stays read-only throughout. SyncNow coordinates and records those edits rather than changing files on its own. In short: the registry can watch everything and harm nothing.