diff --git a/app/__test__/app/code-only.test.ts b/app/__test__/app/code-only.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..26fb8e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/__test__/app/code-only.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+import { describe, expect, mock, test } from "bun:test";
+import { createApp as internalCreateApp, type CreateAppConfig } from "bknd";
+import { getDummyConnection } from "../../__test__/helper";
+import { ModuleManager } from "modules/ModuleManager";
+import { em, entity, text } from "data/prototype";
+
+async function createApp(config: CreateAppConfig = {}) {
+   const app = internalCreateApp({
+      connection: getDummyConnection().dummyConnection,
+      ...config,
+      options: {
+         ...config.options,
+         mode: "code",
+      },
+   });
+   await app.build();
+   return app;
+}
+
+describe("code-only", () => {
+   test("should create app with correct manager", async () => {
+      const app = await createApp();
+      await app.build();
+
+      expect(app.version()).toBeDefined();
+      expect(app.modules).toBeInstanceOf(ModuleManager);
+   });
+
+   test("should not perform database syncs", async () => {
+      const app = await createApp({
+         config: {
+            data: em({
+               test: entity("test", {
+                  name: text(),
+               }),
+            }).toJSON(),
+         },
+      });
+      expect(app.em.entities.map((e) => e.name)).toEqual(["test"]);
+      expect(
+         await app.em.connection.kysely
+            .selectFrom("sqlite_master")
+            .where("type", "=", "table")
+            .selectAll()
+            .execute(),
+      ).toEqual([]);
+
+      // only perform when explicitly forced
+      await app.em.schema().sync({ force: true });
+      expect(
+         await app.em.connection.kysely
+            .selectFrom("sqlite_master")
+            .where("type", "=", "table")
+            .selectAll()
+            .execute()
+            .then((r) => r.map((r) => r.name)),
+      ).toEqual(["test", "sqlite_sequence"]);
+   });
+
+   test("should not perform seeding", async () => {
+      const called = mock(() => null);
+      const app = await createApp({
+         config: {
+            data: em({
+               test: entity("test", {
+                  name: text(),
+               }),
+            }).toJSON(),
+         },
+         options: {
+            seed: async (ctx) => {
+               called();
+               await ctx.em.mutator("test").insertOne({ name: "test" });
+            },
+         },
+      });
+      await app.em.schema().sync({ force: true });
+      expect(called).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(
+         await app.em
+            .repo("test")
+            .findMany({})
+            .then((r) => r.data),
+      ).toEqual([]);
+   });
+
+   test("should sync and perform seeding", async () => {
+      const called = mock(() => null);
+      const app = await createApp({
+         config: {
+            data: em({
+               test: entity("test", {
+                  name: text(),
+               }),
+            }).toJSON(),
+         },
+         options: {
+            seed: async (ctx) => {
+               called();
+               await ctx.em.mutator("test").insertOne({ name: "test" });
+            },
+         },
+      });
+
+      await app.em.schema().sync({ force: true });
+      await app.options?.seed?.({
+         ...app.modules.ctx(),
+         app: app,
+      });
+      expect(called).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(
+         await app.em
+            .repo("test")
+            .findMany({})
+            .then((r) => r.data),
+      ).toEqual([{ id: 1, name: "test" }]);
+   });
+
+   test("should not allow to modify config", async () => {
+      const app = await createApp();
+      // biome-ignore lint/suspicious/noPrototypeBuiltins: <explanation>
+      expect(app.modules.hasOwnProperty("mutateConfigSafe")).toBe(false);
+      expect(() => {
+         app.modules.configs().auth.enabled = true;
+      }).toThrow();
+   });
+});
diff --git a/app/src/cli/commands/run/platform.ts b/app/src/cli/commands/run/platform.ts
index c4c2d69..ed2e1aa 100644
--- a/app/src/cli/commands/run/platform.ts
+++ b/app/src/cli/commands/run/platform.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,9 @@ export async function getConfigPath(filePath?: string) {
       const config_path = path.resolve(process.cwd(), filePath);
       if (await fileExists(config_path)) {
          return config_path;
+      } else {
+         $console.error(`Config file could not be resolved: ${config_path}`);
+         process.exit(1);
       }
    }
 
diff --git a/app/src/cli/commands/sync.ts b/app/src/cli/commands/sync.ts
index d006efe..8b8c5c4 100644
--- a/app/src/cli/commands/sync.ts
+++ b/app/src/cli/commands/sync.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export const sync: CliCommand = (program) => {
    withConfigOptions(program.command("sync"))
       .description("sync database")
       .option("--force", "perform database syncing operations")
+      .option("--seed", "perform seeding operations")
       .option("--drop", "include destructive DDL operations")
       .option("--out <file>", "output file")
       .option("--sql", "use sql output")
@@ -29,8 +30,22 @@ export const sync: CliCommand = (program) => {
             console.info(c.dim("Executing:") + "\n" + c.cyan(sql));
             await schema.sync({ force: true, drop: options.drop });
 
-            console.info(`\n${c.gray(`Executed ${c.cyan(stmts.length)} statement(s)`)}`);
+            console.info(`\n${c.dim(`Executed ${c.cyan(stmts.length)} statement(s)`)}`);
             console.info(`${c.green("Database synced")}`);
+
+            if (options.seed) {
+               console.info(c.dim("\nExecuting seed..."));
+               const seed = app.options?.seed;
+               if (seed) {
+                  await app.options?.seed?.({
+                     ...app.modules.ctx(),
+                     app: app,
+                  });
+                  console.info(c.green("Seed executed"));
+               } else {
+                  console.info(c.yellow("No seed function provided"));
+               }
+            }
          } else {
             if (options.out) {
                const output = options.sql ? sql : JSON.stringify(stmts, null, 2);
diff --git a/app/src/cli/index.ts b/app/src/cli/index.ts
index 352cdd4..3385713 100644
--- a/app/src/cli/index.ts
+++ b/app/src/cli/index.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { getVersion } from "./utils/sys";
 import { capture, flush, init } from "cli/utils/telemetry";
 const program = new Command();
 
-export async function main() {
+async function main() {
    await init();
    capture("start");
 
diff --git a/app/src/modules/ModuleManager.ts b/app/src/modules/ModuleManager.ts
index 82c447d..c2ffd3a 100644
--- a/app/src/modules/ModuleManager.ts
+++ b/app/src/modules/ModuleManager.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
    SecretSchema,
    setPath,
    mark,
+   $console,
 } from "bknd/utils";
 import { DebugLogger } from "core/utils/DebugLogger";
 import { Guard } from "auth/authorize/Guard";
@@ -126,7 +127,7 @@ export class ModuleManager {
 
    constructor(
       protected readonly connection: Connection,
-      protected options?: Partial<ModuleManagerOptions>,
+      public options?: Partial<ModuleManagerOptions>,
    ) {
       this.modules = {} as Modules;
       this.emgr = new EventManager({ ...ModuleManagerEvents });
@@ -330,9 +331,8 @@ export class ModuleManager {
             ctx.flags.sync_required = false;
             this.logger.log("db sync requested");
 
-            // sync db
-            await ctx.em.schema().sync({ force: true, drop: options?.drop });
-            state.synced = true;
+            // sync db hint
+            $console.warn("a database sync is required");
          }
 
          if (ctx.flags.ctx_reload_required) {