adolf/docs/cli/backup.md

---
summary: "CLI reference for `openclaw backup` (create local backup archives)"
read_when:
  - You want a first-class backup archive for local OpenClaw state
  - You want to preview which paths would be included before reset or uninstall
title: "Backup"
---

# `openclaw backup`

Create a local backup archive for OpenClaw state, config, auth profiles, channel/provider credentials, sessions, and optionally workspaces.

```bash
openclaw backup create
openclaw backup create --output ~/Backups
openclaw backup create --dry-run --json
openclaw backup create --verify
openclaw backup create --no-include-workspace
openclaw backup create --only-config
openclaw backup verify ./2026-03-09T08-00-00.000+08-00-openclaw-backup.tar.gz
```

## Notes

- The archive embeds a `manifest.json` with the resolved source paths and archive layout.
- Default output is a timestamped `.tar.gz` archive in the current working directory. Timestamped filenames use your machine's local timezone and include the UTC offset. If the current working directory is inside a backed-up source tree, OpenClaw falls back to your home directory for the default archive location.
- Existing archive files are never overwritten. Output paths inside the source state/workspace trees are rejected to avoid self-inclusion.
- `openclaw backup verify <archive>` checks that the archive contains exactly one root manifest, rejects traversal-style archive paths, and confirms every manifest-declared payload exists in the tarball. `openclaw backup create --verify` runs that validation immediately after writing the archive.
- `openclaw backup create --only-config` backs up just the active JSON config file.

## What gets backed up

`openclaw backup create` plans sources from your local OpenClaw install:

- The state directory (usually `~/.openclaw`)
- The active config file path
- The resolved `credentials/` directory when it exists outside the state directory
- Workspace directories discovered from the current config, unless you pass `--no-include-workspace`

Auth profiles and other per-agent runtime state live in SQLite under the state directory (`agents/<agentId>/agent/openclaw-agent.sqlite`), so they are covered by the state backup entry automatically.

`--only-config` skips state, credentials-directory, and workspace discovery and archives only the active config file path.

OpenClaw canonicalizes paths before building the archive: if config, the credentials directory, or a workspace already live inside the state directory, they are not duplicated as separate top-level backup sources. Missing paths are skipped.

During archive creation, OpenClaw skips known live-mutation files with no restoration value: active agent session transcripts, cron run logs, rolling logs, delivery queues, socket/pid/temp files under the state directory, and related durable-queue temp files. The JSON result's `skippedVolatileCount` reports how many files were intentionally omitted. SQLite databases under the state directory are snapshotted safely (`VACUUM INTO`) rather than copied live, so open WAL/SHM files do not corrupt the backup.

Installed plugin source and manifest files under the state directory's `extensions/` tree are included, but their nested `node_modules/` dependency trees are skipped as rebuildable install artifacts. After restoring an archive, use `openclaw plugins update <id>` or reinstall with `openclaw plugins install <spec> --force` if a restored plugin reports missing dependencies.

## Invalid config behavior

`openclaw backup` bypasses the normal config preflight so it can still help during recovery. Workspace discovery depends on a valid config, so `openclaw backup create` fails fast when the config file exists but is invalid and workspace backup is still enabled.

For a partial backup in that situation, rerun with `--no-include-workspace`: it keeps state, config, and the external credentials directory in scope while skipping workspace discovery entirely.

`--only-config` also works when the config is malformed, since it does not parse the config for workspace discovery.

## Size and performance

OpenClaw does not enforce a built-in maximum backup size or per-file size limit. Practical limits come from:

- Available space for the temporary archive write plus the final archive
- Time to walk large workspace trees and compress them into a `.tar.gz`
- Time to rescan the archive with `--verify` or `openclaw backup verify`
- Destination filesystem behavior: OpenClaw prefers a no-overwrite hard-link publish step and falls back to exclusive copy when hard links are unsupported

Large workspaces are usually the main driver of archive size. Use `--no-include-workspace` for a smaller/faster backup, or `--only-config` for the smallest archive.

## Related

- [CLI reference](/cli)