OpenClaw Backup Restore

Backup, restore, rollback, validate, and GitHub-sync critical OpenClaw state.

openclaw-backup-restore protects the files that make an OpenClaw agent feel like itself: personality, operator instructions, memory scaffolding, and optional real config.

Best for: backup, restore, rollback, daily GitHub backup, and recovery readiness.

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Why teams use it

• Protect SOUL.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, and related state files
• Recover quickly after bad edits, deletions, or config mistakes
• Validate backup integrity with checksums
• Keep versioned recovery points instead of hoping git history is enough
• Push daily backups off-machine to GitHub

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What it protects

Core workspace state such as:

• SOUL.md
• USER.md
• AGENTS.md
• IDENTITY.md
• TOOLS.md
• HEARTBEAT.md
• BOOTSTRAP.md
• optional ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

By default, config backup is sanitized unless you explicitly choose real-config mode.

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Quick start

Install:

npm install

Create a backup:

node scripts/backup.mjs

Include real config:

node scripts/backup.mjs --raw-openclaw-config

List backups:

node scripts/list.mjs

Restore latest backup:

node scripts/restore.mjs

Dry-run restore:

node scripts/restore.mjs --dry-run

Validate integrity:

node scripts/validate.mjs

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GitHub backup flow

Create a backup and push it off-machine:

node scripts/backup-and-push.mjs --remote origin

Push sanitized-config-only backup:

node scripts/backup-and-push.mjs --remote origin --sanitized-config-only

This repo is designed for daily backup workflows, rollback drills, and off-machine recovery.

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Core features

• timestamped backups
• named backups for milestones
• rollback after bad restore
• file-level restore
• checksum validation
• optional real config backup
• git add / commit / push workflow for off-machine copies

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Typical use cases

• “Back up my OpenClaw workspace”
• “Restore yesterday’s working state”
• “Roll back this bad change”
• “Validate that my backups are not corrupt”
• “Push daily OpenClaw backups to GitHub”

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Files

• SKILL.md — agent-facing routing and usage guide
• RUNBOOK.md — operations and recovery scenarios
• FEATURE_DEFINITION.md — positioning and roadmap
• scripts/backup.mjs — create a backup
• scripts/restore.mjs — restore a backup
• scripts/list.mjs — list available backups
• scripts/validate.mjs — verify backup integrity
• scripts/backup-and-push.mjs — create backup and git-push it

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Important limits

• Backups are only useful if restore paths are tested
• Real openclaw.json backups should live in private backup repos
• This repo improves recovery readiness, but it does not replace disaster-recovery drills

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Bottom line

If your OpenClaw agent matters, its workspace state should be recoverable on demand. This repo gives you the backup + restore foundation for that.