SKILL.md - OpenClaw Backup

Backup and restore your OpenClaw agent (workspace + config).

When to Use

• User wants to create a backup of their agent
• User wants to move to a new computer
• User asks how to preserve their agent's memory/identity
• Important memories or updates happened — time to save!

What Gets Backed Up

1. Workspace — ~/.openclaw/workspace/ (agent memory, identity, files)
2. OpenClaw Config — ~/.openclaw/ (settings, sessions, agents)

Commands

Create Backup (Manual)

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace
./skills/openclaw-backup/openclaw-backup.sh create

Creates: ~/openclaw-backups/openclaw-backup-YYYY-MM-DD_HHMMSS.tar.gz

Keeps last 10 backups automatically.

Auto-Backup Setup

./skills/openclaw-backup/openclaw-backup.sh setup-auto

Creates a hook at ~/.openclaw/workspace/.hooks/post-memory-save.sh

Call it manually when important memories are saved:

~/.openclaw/workspace/.hooks/post-memory-save.sh

Or add daily backups via crontab:

crontab -e
# Add: 0 2 * * * ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/openclaw-backup/openclaw-backup.sh create

List Backups

./skills/openclaw-backup/openclaw-backup.sh list

Restore from Backup

./skills/openclaw-backup/openclaw-backup.sh restore ~/Downloads/openclaw-backup-2026-03-09.tar.gz

Moving to a New Computer

1. On OLD computer:

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace
./skills/openclaw-backup/openclaw-backup.sh create
ls ~/openclaw-backups/

2. Copy the .tar.gz file to new computer

• USB drive, cloud sync, email, Discord... whatever works
• Put it in your Downloads folder or anywhere you can find

3. On NEW computer:

If OpenClaw is already installed:

tar -xzf ~/Downloads/openclaw-backup-2026-03-09.tar.gz -C ~
openclaw gateway start

If OpenClaw is NOT installed:

# 1. Install OpenClaw (see docs)
# 2. Then restore:
tar -xzf ~/Downloads/openclaw-backup-2026-03-09.tar.gz -C ~
openclaw gateway start

4. Done!

Open http://127.0.0.1:18789/ — your agent is back! 🎉

Requirements

• Linux/WSL2 (tested on Ubuntu/WSL2)
• tar (pre-installed on most systems)
• ~1-2MB per backup (excludes logs and temp files)

Notes

• Excludes logs, temp files, node_modules, .git to keep backup small
• Tested on WSL2 / Linux systems