Clawdbot Backup

Backup and restore ClawdBot configuration, skills, commands, and settings. Sync across devices, version control with git, automate backups, and migrate to new machines.

Security Scan

The skill's instructions match its stated purpose (backup/restore of ClawdBot data) and are instruction-only, but there are small metadata inconsistencies and a few practical risks (overwriting files, possible exposure if you sync/push backups remotely) you should understand before using it.

Purpose & Capability

The SKILL.md shows shell commands and a backup/restore script that operate on ~/.claude and project .claude folders, which is exactly what a ClawdBot backup skill should do. The actions (tar, rsync, git references) are appropriate for backup/sync/versioning. Note: the top-level registry metadata said no required binaries, but the SKILL.md metadata lists required binaries (git, tar, rsync) — this mismatch should be clarified.

Instruction Scope

The instructions explicitly read and write files under $HOME/.claude and project .claude folders and create/restore tar archives — all expected. They will overwrite existing files on restore (the script warns of this). The SKILL.md references an environment variable (CLAWDBOT_BACKUP_DIR) for configuration that is not declared in the skill's manifest; it's optional but worth documenting. The docs imply syncing/versioning (git/rsync) which can transmit backup data off-host; the skill does not declare or manage remote credentials, so users must take care when configuring remote sync to avoid leaking sensitive configuration or tokens that may live in backed-up files.

Install Mechanism

This is an instruction-only skill with no install spec and no code files — it does not download or install anything itself. That minimizes installation risk. The SKILL.md assumes standard system tools (tar, git, rsync) will be present; the registry metadata should reflect that but currently disagrees.

Credentials

The skill declares no required credentials or config paths in the registry, which is reasonable for a local backup script. However, the instructions reference an optional env var (CLAWDBOT_BACKUP_DIR) and rely on tools (git, rsync) that, when used for remote sync, require credentials not declared by the skill. Backing up ~/.claude may capture API keys, tokens, or other secrets stored by skills — the skill does not restrict or call out that risk in the manifest.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always:true and is user-invocable. It does not attempt to modify other skills or system-wide settings by itself. The restore operation will overwrite files under the user's home directory (expected behavior for a restore) but this is an operational risk to be aware of, not an elevation of privilege in the skill metadata.

Assessment

This skill appears to do what it says: create and restore tar archives of your ClawdBot configuration. Before using it, consider the following: - The registry metadata and the SKILL.md disagree: the doc lists required binaries (git, tar, rsync) and uses an optional env var (CLAWDBOT_BACKUP_DIR) that the manifest doesn't declare — confirm the expected dependencies and configuration. - Backups will include everything under ~/.claude (and optionally project .claude directories). Inspect those directories for API keys, tokens, or other secrets before creating backups. If you plan to push backups to a remote git repo or rsync to another host, ensure you trust the remote and use encryption (or don't include secrets). - Restores will overwrite existing files (including settings.local.json). Test restores on a non-critical machine or snapshot first, and consider excluding machine-specific files from full restores or using the script's 'skills' or 'settings' subtypes. - Restrict permissions on your backup directory (~ /clawdbot-backups) and consider encrypting archive files (gpg/age) before storing or syncing them remotely. - Ask the skill author to fix the metadata inconsistencies (declare required binaries and document optional env vars) so the registry accurately reflects runtime needs. If you understand these risks and take the recommended precautions (inspect contents, encrypt if syncing, limit permissions, test restores), the skill is coherent with its stated purpose.

ClawdBot Backup Skill

Backup, restore, and sync your ClawdBot configuration across devices directly from Clawdbot.

Overview

This skill helps you:

• Backup all ClawdBot data and settings
• Restore from backups
• Sync between multiple machines
• Version control your configuration
• Automate backup routines
• Migrate to new devices

ClawdBot Directory Structure

Key Locations

~/.claude/                    # Main ClawdBot directory
├── settings.json             # Global settings
├── settings.local.json       # Local overrides (machine-specific)
├── projects.json             # Project configurations
├── skills/                   # Your custom skills
│   ├── skill-name/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   └── supporting-files/
│   └── another-skill/
├── commands/                 # Custom slash commands (legacy)
│   └── command-name.md
├── contexts/                 # Saved contexts
├── templates/                # Response templates
└── mcp/                      # MCP server configurations
    └── servers.json

~/projects/                   # Your projects (optional backup)
├── project-1/
│   └── .claude/              # Project-specific config
│       ├── settings.json
│       └── skills/
└── project-2/

What to Backup

ESSENTIAL (Always backup):
✓ ~/.claude/skills/           # Custom skills
✓ ~/.claude/commands/         # Custom commands
✓ ~/.claude/settings.json     # Global settings
✓ ~/.claude/mcp/              # MCP configurations

RECOMMENDED (Usually backup):
✓ ~/.claude/contexts/         # Saved contexts
✓ ~/.claude/templates/        # Templates
✓ Project .claude/ folders    # Project configs

OPTIONAL (Case by case):
○ ~/.claude/settings.local.json  # Machine-specific
○ Cache directories              # Can be rebuilt
○ Log files                      # Usually not needed

Quick Backup Commands

Full Backup

# Create timestamped backup
BACKUP_DIR="$HOME/clawdbot-backups"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
BACKUP_NAME="clawdbot_backup_$TIMESTAMP"

mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

tar -czvf "$BACKUP_DIR/$BACKUP_NAME.tar.gz" \
  -C "$HOME" \
  .claude/skills \
  .claude/commands \
  .claude/settings.json \
  .claude/mcp \
  .claude/contexts \
  .claude/templates \
  2>/dev/null

echo "Backup created: $BACKUP_DIR/$BACKUP_NAME.tar.gz"

Quick Skills-Only Backup

# Backup just skills
tar -czvf ~/clawdbot_skills_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz \
  -C "$HOME" .claude/skills .claude/commands

Restore from Backup

# Restore full backup
BACKUP_FILE="$HOME/clawdbot-backups/clawdbot_backup_20260129.tar.gz"

# Preview contents first
tar -tzvf "$BACKUP_FILE"

# Restore (will overwrite existing)
tar -xzvf "$BACKUP_FILE" -C "$HOME"

echo "Restore complete!"

Backup Script

Full-Featured Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
# clawdbot-backup.sh - Comprehensive ClawdBot backup tool

set -e

# Configuration
BACKUP_ROOT="${CLAWDBOT_BACKUP_DIR:-$HOME/clawdbot-backups}"
CLAUDE_DIR="$HOME/.claude"
MAX_BACKUPS=10  # Keep last N backups
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

# Colors
RED='\033[0;31m'
GREEN='\033[0;32m'
YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
NC='\033[0m'

log_info() { echo -e "${GREEN}[INFO]${NC} $1"; }
log_warn() { echo -e "${YELLOW}[WARN]${NC} $1"; }
log_error() { echo -e "${RED}[ERROR]${NC} $1"; }

# Check if ClawdBot directory exists
check_claude_dir() {
    if [ ! -d "$CLAUDE_DIR" ]; then
        log_error "ClawdBot directory not found: $CLAUDE_DIR"
        exit 1
    fi
}

# Create backup
create_backup() {
    local backup_type="${1:-full}"
    local backup_name="clawdbot_${backup_type}_${TIMESTAMP}"
    local backup_path="$BACKUP_ROOT/$backup_name.tar.gz"
    
    mkdir -p "$BACKUP_ROOT"
    
    log_info "Creating $backup_type backup..."
    
    case $backup_type in
        full)
            tar -czvf "$backup_path" \
                -C "$HOME" \
                .claude/skills \
                .claude/commands \
                .claude/settings.json \
                .claude/settings.local.json \
                .claude/projects.json \
                .claude/mcp \
                .claude/contexts \
                .claude/templates \
                2>/dev/null || true
            ;;
        skills)
            tar -czvf "$backup_path" \
                -C "$HOME" \
                .claude/skills \
                .claude/commands \
                2>/dev/null || true
            ;;
        settings)
            tar -czvf "$backup_path" \
                -C "$HOME" \
                .claude/settings.json \
                .claude/settings.local.json \
                .claude/mcp \
                2>/dev/null || true
            ;;
        *)
            log_error "Unknown backup type: $backup_type"
            exit 1
            ;;
    esac
    
    if [ -f "$backup_path" ]; then
        local size=$(du -h "$backup_path" | cut -f1)
        log_info "Backup created: $backup_path ($size)"
    else
        log_error "Backup failed!"
        exit 1
    fi
}

# List backups
list_backups() {
    log_info "Available backups in $BACKUP_ROOT:"
    echo ""
    
    if [ -d "$BACKUP_ROOT" ]; then
        ls -lh "$BACKUP_ROOT"/*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null | \
            awk '{print $9, $5, $6, $7, $8}' || \
            echo "No backups found."
    else
        echo "Backup directory doesn't exist."
    fi
}

# Restore backup
restore_backup() {
    local backup_file="$1"
    
    if [ -z "$backup_file" ]; then
        log_error "Please specify backup file"
        list_backups
        exit 1
    fi
    
    if [ ! -f "$backup_file" ]; then
        # Try relative path in backup dir
        backup_file="$BACKUP_ROOT/$backup_file"
    fi
    
    if [ ! -f "$backup_file" ]; then
        log_error "Backup file not found: $backup_file"
        exit 1
    fi
    
    log_warn "This will overwrite existing configuration!"
    read -p "Continue? (y/N) " confirm
    
    if [ "$confirm" != "y" ] && [ "$confirm" != "Y" ]; then
        log_info "Restore cancelled."
        exit 0
    fi
    
    log_info "Restoring from: $backup_file"
    tar -xzvf "$backup_file" -C "$HOME"
    log_info "Restore complete!"
}

# Clean old backups
cleanup_backups() {
    log_info "Cleaning old backups (keeping last $MAX_BACKUPS)..."
    
    cd "$BACKUP_ROOT" 2>/dev/null || return
    
    local count=$(ls -1 *.tar.gz 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
    
    if [ "$count" -gt "$MAX_BACKUPS" ]; then
        local to_delete=$((count - MAX_BACKUPS))
        ls -1t *.tar.gz | tail -n "$to_delete" | xargs rm -v
        log_info "Removed $to_delete old backup(s)"
    else
        log_info "No cleanup needed ($count backups)"
    fi
}

# Show backup stats
show_stats() {
    log_info "ClawdBot Backup Statistics"
    echo ""
    
    echo "=== Directory Sizes ==="
    du -sh "$CLAUDE_DIR"/skills 2>/dev/null || echo "Skills: N/A"
    du -sh "$CLAUDE_DIR"/commands 2>/dev/null || echo "Commands: N/A"
    du -sh "$CLAUDE_DIR"/mcp 2>/dev/null || echo "MCP: N/A"
    du -sh "$CLAUDE_DIR" 2>/dev/null || echo "Total: N/A"
    
    echo ""
    echo "=== Skills Count ==="
    find "$CLAUDE_DIR/skills" -name "SKILL.md" 2>/dev/null | wc -l | xargs echo "Skills:"
    find "$CLAUDE_DIR/commands" -name "*.md" 2>/dev/null | wc -l | xargs echo "Commands:"
    
    echo ""
    echo "=== Backup Directory ==="
    if [ -d "$BACKUP_ROOT" ]; then
        du -sh "$BACKUP_ROOT"
        ls -1 "$BACKUP_ROOT"/*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null | wc -l | xargs echo "Backup files:"
    else
        echo "No backups yet"
    fi
}

# Usage
usage() {
    cat << EOF
ClawdBot Backup Tool

Usage: $(basename $0) <command> [options]

Commands:
    backup [type]   Create backup (types: full, skills, settings)
    restore <file>  Restore from backup file
    list            List available backups
    cleanup         Remove old backups (keep last $MAX_BACKUPS)
    stats           Show backup statistics
    help            Show this help

Examples:
    $(basename $0) backup              # Full backup
    $(basename $0) backup skills       # Skills only
    $(basename $0) restore latest.tar.gz
    $(basename $0) list
    $(basename $0) cleanup

Environment:
    CLAWDBOT_BACKUP_DIR    Backup directory (default: ~/clawdbot-backups)

EOF
}

# Main
main() {
    check_claude_dir
    
    case "${1:-help}" in
        backup)
            create_backup "${2:-full}"
            ;;
        restore)
            restore_backup "$2"
            ;;
        list)
            list_backups
            ;;
        cleanup)
            cleanup_backups
            ;;
        stats)
            show_stats
            ;;
        help|--help|-h)
            usage
            ;;
        *)
            log_error "Unknown command: $1"
            usage
            exit 1
            ;;
    esac
}

main "$@"

Save and Use

# Save script
cat > ~/.local/bin/clawdbot-backup << 'SCRIPT'
# Paste script content here
SCRIPT

chmod +x ~/.local/bin/clawdbot-backup

# Usage
clawdbot-backup backup          # Full backup
clawdbot-backup backup skills   # Skills only
clawdbot-backup list            # List backups
clawdbot-backup restore <file>  # Restore

Git Version Control

Initialize Git Repo

cd ~/.claude

# Initialize git
git init

# Create .gitignore
cat > .gitignore << 'EOF'
# Machine-specific settings
settings.local.json

# Cache and temp files
cache/
*.tmp
*.log

# Large files
*.tar.gz
*.zip

# Sensitive data (if any)
*.pem
*.key
credentials/
EOF

# Initial commit
git add .
git commit -m "Initial ClawdBot configuration backup"

Push to Remote

# Add remote (GitHub, GitLab, etc)
git remote add origin [e-mail]:username/clawdbot-config.git

# Push
git push -u origin main

Daily Workflow

# After making changes to skills/settings
cd ~/.claude
git add .
git commit -m "Updated skill: trading-bot"
git push

Auto-Commit Script

#!/bin/bash
# auto-commit-claude.sh - Auto commit changes

cd ~/.claude || exit 1

# Check for changes
if git diff --quiet && git diff --staged --quiet; then
    echo "No changes to commit"
    exit 0
fi

# Get changed files for commit message
CHANGED=$(git status --short | head -5 | awk '{print $2}' | tr '\n' ', ')

git add .
git commit -m "Auto-backup: $CHANGED ($(date +%Y-%m-%d))"
git push 2>/dev/null || echo "Push failed (offline?)"

Sync Between Devices

Method 1: Git Sync

# On new device
git clone [e-mail]:username/clawdbot-config.git ~/.claude

# Pull latest changes
cd ~/.claude && git pull

# Push local changes
cd ~/.claude && git add . && git commit -m "Update" && git push

Method 2: Rsync

# Sync to remote server
rsync -avz --delete \
    ~/.claude/ \
    user@server:~/clawdbot-backup/

# Sync from remote server
rsync -avz --delete \
    user@server:~/clawdbot-backup/ \
    ~/.claude/

Method 3: Cloud Storage

# Backup to cloud folder (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc)
CLOUD_DIR="$HOME/Dropbox/ClawdBot"

# Sync skills
rsync -avz ~/.claude/skills/ "$CLOUD_DIR/skills/"
rsync -avz ~/.claude/commands/ "$CLOUD_DIR/commands/"

# Copy settings
cp ~/.claude/settings.json "$CLOUD_DIR/"

Sync Script

#!/bin/bash
# sync-clawdbot.sh - Sync ClawdBot config between devices

SYNC_DIR="${CLAWDBOT_SYNC_DIR:-$HOME/Dropbox/ClawdBot}"
CLAUDE_DIR="$HOME/.claude"

sync_to_cloud() {
    echo "Syncing to cloud..."
    mkdir -p "$SYNC_DIR"
    
    rsync -avz --delete "$CLAUDE_DIR/skills/" "$SYNC_DIR/skills/"
    rsync -avz --delete "$CLAUDE_DIR/commands/" "$SYNC_DIR/commands/"
    rsync -avz "$CLAUDE_DIR/mcp/" "$SYNC_DIR/mcp/" 2>/dev/null
    cp "$CLAUDE_DIR/settings.json" "$SYNC_DIR/" 2>/dev/null
    
    echo "Sync complete!"
}

sync_from_cloud() {
    echo "Syncing from cloud..."
    
    rsync -avz "$SYNC_DIR/skills/" "$CLAUDE_DIR/skills/"
    rsync -avz "$SYNC_DIR/commands/" "$CLAUDE_DIR/commands/"
    rsync -avz "$SYNC_DIR/mcp/" "$CLAUDE_DIR/mcp/" 2>/dev/null
    
    # Don't overwrite local settings by default
    if [ ! -f "$CLAUDE_DIR/settings.json" ]; then
        cp "$SYNC_DIR/settings.json" "$CLAUDE_DIR/" 2>/dev/null
    fi
    
    echo "Sync complete!"
}

case "$1" in
    push) sync_to_cloud ;;
    pull) sync_from_cloud ;;
    *)
        echo "Usage: $0 {push|pull}"
        echo "  push - Upload local config to cloud"
        echo "  pull - Download cloud config to local"
        ;;
esac

Automated Backups

Cron Job (Linux/Mac)

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add daily backup at 2 AM
0 2 * * * /home/user/.local/bin/clawdbot-backup backup full

# Add weekly cleanup on Sundays
0 3 * * 0 /home/user/.local/bin/clawdbot-backup cleanup

# Add git auto-commit every 6 hours
0 */6 * * * cd ~/.claude && git add . && git commit -m "Auto-backup $(date +\%Y-\%m-\%d)" && git push 2>/dev/null

Systemd Timer (Linux)

# Create service: ~/.config/systemd/user/clawdbot-backup.service
cat > ~/.config/systemd/user/clawdbot-backup.service << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=ClawdBot Backup

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/home/user/.local/bin/clawdbot-backup backup full
EOF

# Create timer: ~/.config/systemd/user/clawdbot-backup.timer
cat > ~/.config/systemd/user/clawdbot-backup.timer << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Daily ClawdBot Backup

[Timer]
OnCalendar=daily
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target
EOF

# Enable
systemctl --user enable clawdbot-backup.timer
systemctl --user start clawdbot-backup.timer

Launchd (macOS)

# Create plist: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.backup.plist
cat > ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.backup.plist << 'EOF'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.clawdbot.backup</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/Users/username/.local/bin/clawdbot-backup</string>
        <string>backup</string>
        <string>full</string>
    </array>
    <key>StartCalendarInterval</key>
    <dict>
        <key>Hour</key>
        <integer>2</integer>
        <key>Minute</key>
        <integer>0</integer>
    </dict>
</dict>
</plist>
EOF

# Load
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.backup.plist

Migration Guide

Migrate to New Machine

# === On OLD machine ===

# 1. Create full backup
clawdbot-backup backup full

# 2. Copy backup file to new machine
scp ~/clawdbot-backups/clawdbot_full_*.tar.gz newmachine:~/

# Or use git
cd ~/.claude
git add . && git commit -m "Pre-migration backup"
git push


# === On NEW machine ===

# Method A: From backup file
tar -xzvf ~/clawdbot_full_*.tar.gz -C ~

# Method B: From git
git clone [e-mail]:username/clawdbot-config.git ~/.claude

# 3. Verify
ls -la ~/.claude/skills/

Export Single Skill

# Export one skill for sharing
SKILL_NAME="my-awesome-skill"
tar -czvf "${SKILL_NAME}.tar.gz" -C ~/.claude/skills "$SKILL_NAME"

# Import skill
tar -xzvf "${SKILL_NAME}.tar.gz" -C ~/.claude/skills/

Export All Skills for Sharing

# Create shareable skills bundle (no personal settings)
tar -czvf clawdbot-skills-share.tar.gz \
    -C ~/.claude \
    skills \
    --exclude='*.local*' \
    --exclude='*personal*'

Backup Verification

Verify Backup Integrity

# Test backup without extracting
tar -tzvf backup.tar.gz > /dev/null && echo "Backup OK" || echo "Backup CORRUPT"

# List contents
tar -tzvf backup.tar.gz

# Verify specific file exists
tar -tzvf backup.tar.gz | grep "skills/my-skill/SKILL.md"

Compare Backup to Current

# Extract to temp dir
TEMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
tar -xzf backup.tar.gz -C "$TEMP_DIR"

# Compare
diff -rq ~/.claude/skills "$TEMP_DIR/.claude/skills"

# Cleanup
rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

# Issue: Permission denied
chmod -R u+rw ~/.claude

# Issue: Backup too large
# Exclude cache and logs
tar --exclude='cache' --exclude='*.log' -czvf backup.tar.gz ~/.claude

# Issue: Restore overwrote settings
# Keep settings.local.json for machine-specific config
# It won't be overwritten if using proper backup

# Issue: Git conflicts after sync
cd ~/.claude
git stash
git pull
git stash pop
# Resolve conflicts manually if needed

Recovery from Corruption

# If ~/.claude is corrupted

# 1. Move corrupted dir
mv ~/.claude ~/.claude.corrupted

# 2. Restore from backup
clawdbot-backup restore latest.tar.gz

# 3. Or restore from git
git clone [e-mail]:username/clawdbot-config.git ~/.claude

# 4. Compare and recover anything missing
diff -rq ~/.claude ~/.claude.corrupted/

Quick Reference

Essential Commands

# Backup
tar -czvf ~/clawdbot-backup.tar.gz -C ~ .claude/skills .claude/commands .claude/settings.json

# Restore
tar -xzvf ~/clawdbot-backup.tar.gz -C ~

# List backup contents
tar -tzvf ~/clawdbot-backup.tar.gz

# Git backup
cd ~/.claude && git add . && git commit -m "Backup" && git push

# Git restore
cd ~/.claude && git pull

Backup Checklist

Before major changes:
□ Create backup
□ Verify backup integrity
□ Note what you're changing

Regular maintenance:
□ Weekly full backup
□ Daily git commits (if using)
□ Monthly cleanup of old backups
□ Test restore procedure quarterly

Resources

Related Skills

- skill-creator - Create new skills
- mcp-builder - Configure MCP servers
- dotfiles - General dotfile management

Documentation

- ClawdBot Docs: docs.clawdbot.com
- Skills Guide: docs.clawdbot.com/skills
- MCP Setup: docs.clawdbot.com/mcp

---

Tip: Always test your backup restoration process before you actually need it. A backup you can't restore is worthless!