diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 305f680..f5d67bd 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -24,5 +24,6 @@ build/
 .claude/worktrees/
 .DS_Store
 
-# local SQLite DB (bot without Docker)
+# local run without Docker: SQLite DB, uploads clone, demo repo
 *.db
+data/
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b26395f..b710408 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.PHONY: install lint fmt typecheck test cov up down logs ps
+.PHONY: install lint fmt typecheck test cov up down logs ps run demo-repo
 
 install:
 	uv sync
@@ -30,3 +30,18 @@ logs:
 
 ps:
 	docker compose ps
+
+# Run the bot on this machine without Docker: SQLite (./tgit.db) and the settings from .env
+run:
+	uv run python -m app
+
+# A local uploads repo seeded from the template — try the bot without SourceCraft:
+#   make demo-repo  →  put the printed GIT_UPLOADS_URL into .env  →  make run
+DEMO_REPO := $(CURDIR)/data/demo-uploads.git
+demo-repo:
+	@test ! -e $(DEMO_REPO) || { echo "$(DEMO_REPO) already exists"; exit 1; }
+	@rm -rf data/demo-seed && mkdir -p data && cp -r infra/uploads-template data/demo-seed
+	@cd data/demo-seed && git init -q -b main && git add -A \
+		&& git -c user.name=tgit-bot -c user.email=tgit-bot@users.noreply.tgit commit -qm "init: uploads template"
+	@git clone -q --bare data/demo-seed $(DEMO_REPO) && rm -rf data/demo-seed
+	@echo "GIT_UPLOADS_URL=$(DEMO_REPO)"
diff --git a/app/repo/git.py b/app/repo/git.py
index f1bfeb9..dd26114 100644
--- a/app/repo/git.py
+++ b/app/repo/git.py
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ class CommitInfo:
 class UploadsRepo:
     def __init__(self, settings: GitSettings) -> None:
         self._s = settings
-        self._dir = settings.clone_dir
+        # absolute: git clone runs from the parent dir, a relative path would land one level deeper
+        self._dir = settings.clone_dir.resolve()
         self._lock = asyncio.Lock()
         self._fetched_at: float | None = None
         self._key_path = self._materialize_key()
diff --git a/tests/repo/test_git.py b/tests/repo/test_git.py
index 98a0be4..68acac2 100644
--- a/tests/repo/test_git.py
+++ b/tests/repo/test_git.py
@@ -83,3 +83,14 @@ async def test_unreachable_remote(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     broken = UploadsRepo(GitSettings(uploads_url=str(tmp_path / "missing.git"), clone_dir=tmp_path / "c3"))
     with pytest.raises(GitError, match="clone"):
         await broken.refresh()
+
+
+async def test_relative_clone_dir(remote: Path, tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    from app.config import GitSettings
+
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+    relative = UploadsRepo(GitSettings(uploads_url=str(remote), clone_dir=Path("data/uploads")))
+    await relative.refresh()
+
+    assert (tmp_path / "data" / "uploads" / ".git").is_dir()
+    assert "README.md" in [e.name for e in await relative.list_dir()]