While the Create Block Theme plugin handles most site editor changes, some features can’t be exported to theme files and remain database-dependent.
Synced patterns need the database to function since they reference post IDs for their synchronization. When you create a synced pattern, it stores a reference rather than the actual block content, making it impossible to export as static theme files.
Style variations selection is another limitation. While the variations themselves are stored in the theme, your choice of which variation to apply gets saved to the database as a user preference.
These features aren’t necessarily problematic for client sites where you set them once, but it’s important to understand the distinction when planning your block theme development workflow and deployment strategy.