OpenClaw Configuration Management & Emergency Recovery

OpenClaw Configuration Management & Emergency Recovery — configuration, skills, and projects snapshot &recovery for OpenClaw. Use this skill whenever the user wants to take a backup, restore a backup, set a dead-man's-switch recovery timer for config changes, or test the recovery pipeline. Trigger phrases include: "set emergency recovery", "create snapshot", "take a backup before changes", "set a backout timer", "restore snapshot", "accept changes", "test emergency recovery", "run recovery test", "snapshot all skills", "snapshot global skills", "snapshot <agent> skills", "list skills snapshots", "restore all skills", "restore <agent> skills", "snapshot all projects", "snapshot <project> project", "list project snapshots", "restore all projects", "restore <project> project", "how does the rollback work", "what rollback commands", or any variation of wanting to safely change OpenClaw config, skills, or project configuration with an automatic (config) or manual (skills/projects) recovery fallback. Also trigger when the user asks about recovery, rollback, emergency restore, or testing the recovery system in the context of OpenClaw. Manages three independent subsystems (config with automatic dead-man's-switch watchdog, skills manual, projects manual) sharing one change log. Uses only Node.js (already required by OpenClaw), tar, and gzip. No additional dependencies.

OpenClaw Recovery Manager

(Skill directory / install name kept as openclaw-emergency-rollback to avoid breaking existing installations.)

The Recovery Manager provides three independent snapshot/restore subsystems for an OpenClaw install:

1. Config — root openclaw.json + agent & global workspace identity files. Has an automatic dead-man's-switch watchdog (detached Node timer plus a native gateway:startup hook) that auto-restores the most recent config snapshot if the user doesn't accept their changes in time. This is the original recovery system and its behavior is unchanged.
2. Skills — global skills at ~/.openclaw/skills/ plus each configured agent's skills directory. Each target keeps its own independent 3-slot history. Manual snapshots and restores only.
3. Projects — each project referenced from ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json, captured as its local project-level manifest and state (not working content). Each project keeps its own independent 3-slot history. Manual snapshots and restores only.

All three subsystems write to the same change log at ~/.openclaw/rollback/logs/change.log.

Only the config subsystem is ever auto-restored. The watchdog timer and gateway:startup hook never touch skills or projects.

All scripts are Node.js (.mjs), which is already installed as an OpenClaw dependency. No additional packages needed.

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First-Time Setup

If ~/.openclaw/rollback/ does not exist, run setup before anything else. Read references/SETUP.md now and follow it completely before proceeding.

Critical setup rule: the restart command must be detected, not asked for. Users often don't know how their own OpenClaw install was deployed, and guessing kill -USR1 1 when the machine is actually running a systemd service silently disables auto-recovery. Probe the environment (systemctl --user is-active openclaw-gateway, docker compose ps, PID 1 identity) before asking. Only ask the user if probes produce no confident match, and always state what was detected and why before storing. references/SETUP.md Step 1 has the full detection algorithm.

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Important Note on pkill and Docker/K8s

If you are running OpenClaw as the primary process in a container (PID 1), do not use pkill -f openclaw to restart the gateway. If you use a background Dead Man's Switch, pkill will match the path name of the background script and kill your rescue job instantly.

Instead, use kill -USR1 1 to surgically send the reload signal directly to the root OpenClaw process.

Logical Sabotage vs Invalid JSON

OpenClaw protects itself from invalid JSON by instantly hot-reloading its last known good config before the gateway even restarts. To test destructive recovery properly, you must use Logical Sabotage: feeding OpenClaw perfectly valid JSON that logically breaks routing (e.g., a dummy token like 64 fs and poisoned workspace paths). This proves the rollback recovers from logical failure states.

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Restart recovery via native OpenClaw hook (config only)

When the config gets sabotaged and OpenClaw restarts, the detached watchdog-timer may die with the old process tree. That is expected.

To make recovery survive pod/container/local restarts, this skill installs a native OpenClaw managed hook at ~/.openclaw/hooks/watchdog-recovery/ listening to gateway:startup.

On every gateway startup, the hook reads persistent ~/.openclaw/rollback/watchdog.json:

1. If rollback is not armed, it exits immediately.
2. If rollback is armed and the hard expiry epoch has already passed, it runs restore-if-armed.mjs immediately.
3. If rollback is armed and the hard expiry epoch has not passed yet, it respawns watchdog-timer.mjs for the remaining seconds.

Because the system stores a hard absolute epoch (expiryEpoch) on persistent disk, it doesn't matter how long the restart took: if OpenClaw restarts after expiry, the hook restores immediately; if it restarts before expiry, the hook recreates the timer.

This is the native cross-environment trigger for pod, Docker, and local machine restarts. No AI, internet, cron, or external supervisor is required.

The watchdog and gateway:startup hook only ever act on CONFIG snapshots. Skills and projects are never auto-restored.

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Session Start — Uptime Check (Run Every Session)

At the start of every session, run:

bash

UPTIME=$(systemctl --user show openclaw-gateway \
  --property=ActiveEnterTimestampMonotonic 2>/dev/null \
  | awk -F= '{if($2>0) print int((systime()*1000000-$2)/1000000); else print 999}')

if [ "$UPTIME" = "999" ]; then
  UPTIME=$(ps -o etimes= -p $(pgrep -f "openclaw" 2>/dev/null) 2>/dev/null | tr -d ' ')
fi

If uptime is under 90 seconds AND ~/.openclaw/rollback/watchdog.json exists and shows "armed": true, the gateway just bounced. Open the session with the Watchdog Reminder (see below).

If armed but uptime is over 90 seconds, still check and remind — the user may have connected to a running session mid-timer.

If armed: false or watchdog file doesn't exist, start the session normally.

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Watchdog Reminder (show when watchdog is armed)

Run ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/watchdog-status.mjs and display:

text

⚠️  Emergency recovery is armed.

Snapshot [1] "<label>" will auto-restore in ~XX minutes
unless you accept or extend.

Commands:
  • "accept changes"            — disarm watchdog, lock in current config
  • "extend recovery XX minutes" — add more time to the timer
  • "list snapshots"            — show all saved config snapshots
  • "restore snapshot 2"        — manually restore snapshot 2 or 3
  • "create snapshot"           — save current state as new snapshot [1]

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Config Subsystem Commands

"create snapshot [description]"

Save current OpenClaw config as the new known-good restore point.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/snapshot.mjs "<description>" "<ai_summary>"
2. Write an AI summary (1–2 sentences) of the current config state by reading ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json — note the default model, number of agents, any notable tools or channels — and pass it as the second argument.
3. Reply with snapshot confirmation showing all current snapshots (max 3):

text

✅ Snapshot saved.
[1] Apr 20 2:30 PM — <description>  ← restore target
[2] Apr 19 9:00 AM — <previous label>
[3] Apr 18 4:00 PM — <oldest label>

Slot [1] is always the most recent. Slot [3] is always the oldest. When a 4th snapshot would be created, slot [3] is overwritten as the others shift. Snapshots are never deleted without the user explicitly creating a new one that pushes the oldest out. If the user wants to preserve all three, they can copy slot [3] before creating a new snapshot.

"set emergency recovery XX minutes" / "start emergency recovery XX minutes"

Arm the watchdog dead man's switch.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/watchdog-set.mjs <minutes>
2. Reply:

text

⏱️ Watchdog armed — XX minutes.
Snapshot [1] "<label>" auto-restores at <HH:MM> if not accepted.
Make your changes whenever you're ready.

If no snapshot exists yet, tell the user to create one first before arming.

"extend recovery XX minutes"

Add time to the active watchdog timer.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/watchdog-extend.mjs <minutes>
2. Reply with new expiry time and minutes remaining.

"accept changes"

Disarm the watchdog — user is happy with the current config.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/watchdog-clear.mjs
2. Reply:

text

✅ Watchdog disarmed. Your changes are locked in.
Say "create snapshot" to save this config as your new restore point [1].

"list snapshots"

Show all saved config snapshots.

Read ~/.openclaw/rollback/manifest.json and display:

text

Saved snapshots (most recent first):
[1] Apr 20 2:30 PM — "opus model working, github tool added"
    Config: claude-opus-4 default, 2 agents (main, coding), github MCP active
[2] Apr 19 9:00 AM — "initial clean setup"
    Config: claude-sonnet-4 default, 1 agent (main), no extra tools
[3] Apr 18 4:00 PM — "baseline before any changes"
    Config: claude-haiku-4 default, 1 agent (main)

Restore target: [1] (auto-restored if watchdog fires)
Watchdog: ARMED — 14m 32s remaining  [or: NOT ARMED]

"restore snapshot [1|2|3]"

Manually restore a specific config snapshot immediately.

1. Confirm with user: "This will overwrite your current OpenClaw config with snapshot [N] '' from and restart the gateway. Are you sure?"
2. On confirmation: run ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/restore.mjs <slot>
3. Gateway restarts. Next session will detect uptime < 90 seconds.
4. If watchdog was armed, it is disarmed as part of restore.

"test emergency recovery" / "run recovery test"

Run a destructive test of the full config recovery pipeline.

Read references/TESTING.md for the complete procedure. This test:

• Creates a dedicated test snapshot of the current config
• Arms a 2-minute watchdog
• Saves a manual recovery copy at ~/.openclaw/rollback/openclaw.recovery
• Deliberately breaks openclaw.json to simulate a bad config change
• Restarts the gateway (which will fail to work properly)
• Waits for either the detached watchdog timer or the native gateway:startup hook to restore automatically

This is destructive. The user will lose access to their AI session for up to 2 minutes while the test runs. Before running, confirm the user understands the risks and has terminal/SSH access to manually recover if something goes wrong.

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Skills Subsystem Commands (manual only, never auto-restored)

Skills targets are discovered dynamically from ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json at each snapshot. Each target (global + each configured agent) maintains its own independent 3-slot history under ~/.openclaw/rollback/skills/<target>/.

"snapshot all skills [description]"

Snapshot global skills and every configured agent's skills simultaneously. All targets receive the same user-provided description.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-snapshot.mjs all "<description>"
2. Reply with a per-target result list.

"snapshot global skills [description]"

Snapshot only ~/.openclaw/skills/.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-snapshot.mjs global "<description>"

"snapshot skills [description]"

Snapshot a single agent's skills directory.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-snapshot.mjs <agent-id> "<description>"

"list skills snapshots"

Show every skills target with its 3-slot history.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-list.mjs

"list global skills snapshots" / "list skills snapshots"

Show the 3-slot history for a single target.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-list.mjs global or ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-list.mjs <agent-id>

"restore all skills"

Restore each target's slot 1 independently.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-restore.mjs all

"restore global skills [snapshot N]" / "restore skills [snapshot N]"

Restore slot 1 (default) or a specific slot for a single target.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-restore.mjs global [N] or ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/skills-restore.mjs <agent-id> [N]

Skills snapshots are never auto-restored by the recovery timer or the gateway:startup hook. They do not arm the watchdog and the watchdog never touches them.

---

Projects Subsystem Commands (manual only, never auto-restored)

Project paths are discovered dynamically from ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json at each snapshot. Each project keeps its own 3-slot history under ~/.openclaw/rollback/projects/<project>/.

"snapshot all projects [description]"

Snapshot every configured project. All receive the same description.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/projects-snapshot.mjs all "<description>"

"snapshot project [description]"

Snapshot a single project.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/projects-snapshot.mjs <project> "<description>"

"list project snapshots"

Show every project with its 3-slot history.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/projects-list.mjs

"list snapshots"

Show the 3-slot history for a single project.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/projects-list.mjs <project>

"restore all projects"

Restore each project's slot 1 independently.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/projects-restore.mjs all

"restore project [snapshot N]"

Restore slot 1 (default) or a specific slot.

1. Run: ~/.openclaw/rollback/scripts/projects-restore.mjs <project> [N]

Projects snapshots are never auto-restored by the recovery timer or the gateway:startup hook.

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What Gets Backed Up

Config snapshots (auto-restore target)

File	Path
Master config	~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Global workspace identity files	~/.openclaw/workspace/*.md (whole-glob: SOUL.md, AGENTS.md, any new .md)
Per-agent workspace files	<agent_workspace>/SOUL.md
	<agent_workspace>/AGENTS.md
	<agent_workspace>/USER.md
	<agent_workspace>/IDENTITY.md
	<agent_workspace>/TOOLS.md
	<agent_workspace>/HEARTBEAT.md
	<agent_workspace>/BOOT.md (if present)

Workspace paths and agentIds are read dynamically from openclaw.json at snapshot time — covers all configured agents automatically.

Never captured by config snapshots: credentials/, auth-profiles.json, session history, memory logs, workspace content files, .env, Docker/K8s environment config.

Skills snapshots (manual only)

• ~/.openclaw/skills/ (global)
• Each configured agent's skills directory (from the agent's skills field, or <agent_workspace>/skills/ if no explicit field)

Project snapshots (manual only) — per project folder

Item	Notes
openclaw.json	project-local manifest & MCP spawn instructions
mcp_config.json	tool bridge to external services
package.json	local MCP server dependencies
TASKS.json, PROCESSES.json, SPRINT_CURRENT.json	state files, if present
./tools/	local MCP server source scripts
./skills/	project-local skills
.openclaw/workspace.state.json	project structural state
./comms/	directory tree structure ONLY, no file content

Explicitly excluded from project snapshots:

• node_modules/
• memory/
• auth-profiles.json
• ~/.openclaw/ root (already covered by config snapshots)
• All working content, repositories, large data files, .env

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"how does the rollback work" / "what commands can I use" / "explain recovery manager"

Respond with this explanation:

text

OpenClaw Recovery Manager — How It Works

Three independent snapshot/restore subsystems sharing one change log.

1. CONFIG (with auto-restore watchdog — the original dead-man's-switch)
   "create snapshot [description]"       — save current config as restore point
   "set emergency recovery XX minutes"   — arm the auto-restore timer
   "extend recovery XX minutes"          — add time to active timer
   "accept changes"                      — disarm timer, keep current config
   "list snapshots"                      — show all 3 saved config snapshots
   "restore snapshot [1|2|3]"            — manually restore a specific snapshot
   "test emergency recovery"             — destructive test of the full pipeline

   If the user doesn't accept config changes before the timer fires, the
   system auto-restores snapshot [1] and restarts OpenClaw — no AI, no
   network, no user intervention required.

2. SKILLS (manual only — no auto-restore, no watchdog involvement)
   "snapshot all skills [description]"
   "snapshot global skills [description]"
   "snapshot <agent> skills [description]"
   "list skills snapshots"
   "list global skills snapshots" / "list <agent> skills snapshots"
   "restore all skills"
   "restore global skills [snapshot N]"
   "restore <agent> skills [snapshot N]"

3. PROJECTS (manual only — no auto-restore, no watchdog involvement)
   "snapshot all projects [description]"
   "snapshot <project> project [description]"
   "list project snapshots"
   "list <project> snapshots"
   "restore all projects"
   "restore <project> project [snapshot N]"

Each target (config / each skill target / each project) keeps its own
independent 3-slot history. Slot [1] is always most recent, slot [3] oldest;
a 4th snapshot pushes slot [3] out.

The auto-restore watchdog is CONFIG ONLY. It never touches skills or
projects.

Dependencies: Node.js (already installed with OpenClaw), tar, gzip.

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Change Log

Append to ~/.openclaw/rollback/logs/change.log whenever any of the following happens in any subsystem:

• A snapshot is taken (config, skills, or project)
• The watchdog is armed, extended, or cleared (config only)
• The user requests a gateway restart (note what changed and watchdog status)
• The gateway restart is confirmed complete
• A recovery test is started or completed
• A skills or project restore is run

Format:

text

[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS] <EVENT TYPE>
  <key: value details>
---

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Reference Files

• references/SETUP.md — Read this first if ~/.openclaw/rollback/ does not exist
• references/TESTING.md — Destructive recovery test procedure (config subsystem)
• references/RESTORE.md — Manual recovery instructions requiring no AI or scripts
• scripts/ — Node.js scripts (.mjs) — no shell wrappers needed
• hooks/watchdog-recovery/ — Native OpenClaw startup hook for config restart recovery