agent-backup-transfer

Backup and restore your OpenClaw agent's workspace and config to preserve memory, identity, and settings or migrate to a new computer.

Security Scan

The skill's code and instructions are consistent with a local backup/restore utility for an OpenClaw agent; it does not attempt network access or demand unrelated credentials, but backups will contain sensitive agent identity/config files so handle them securely.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description match the provided script and SKILL.md. The script backs up ~/.openclaw/workspace and relevant config files (.openclaw/openclaw.json, identity, agents) and provides create/list/restore/setup-auto commands as advertised.

Instruction Scope

Instructions stay within the stated purpose (creating/restoring backups and installing a hook). The restore command extracts the archive into $HOME and will overwrite files; the script prompts for confirmation before restoring. The SKILL.md recommends transferring backups via arbitrary channels (email, Discord, cloud)—this is a user guidance point because backups include sensitive data.

Install Mechanism

No install spec; this is an instruction-only skill with an included bash script. Nothing is downloaded from external URLs or written outside the user's home directory by the script itself.

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables or external credentials (proportionate). However, backups intentionally include identity/config files which likely contain sensitive tokens/keys; that is expected for a full agent backup but requires the user to protect the generated tar.gz files appropriately.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the script does not request elevated or system-wide privileges. The setup-auto command creates a hook under ~/.openclaw/workspace/.hooks which is limited to the user's home and does not alter other skills or global agent settings.

Assessment

This skill appears to do exactly what it says: create, list, restore, and optionally hook automatic backups of your OpenClaw workspace and config. Before installing or using it, consider the following: - Backups include identity and config files (e.g., .openclaw/openclaw.json, identity, agents) which may contain keys or tokens. Treat backup tar.gz files as sensitive secrets. - When moving backups between machines, use secure transfer channels (encrypted cloud storage, SFTP, or an encrypted USB drive). Avoid sending raw backups over email, instant messaging, or other unencrypted/third-party channels unless you encrypt them first. - The restore action extracts into $HOME and can overwrite files. Verify the archive contents (e.g., tar -tzf <file>) before restoring and keep backups of any files you might need to preserve. - The auto-hook expects the backup script to be located at ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/openclaw-backup/openclaw-backup.sh; if your skills are stored elsewhere the hook may not find it. Review the created hook script before enabling automated runs or adding it to cron. - As a precaution, inspect the included openclaw-backup.sh yourself (it is provided) and consider encrypting stored backups (e.g., use gpg) if you need to store them long-term or on third-party services.

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