OpenClaw Backup

Backup OpenClaw workspace, config, and state using the built-in `openclaw backup create` command. Also handles cleanup of old backups and health verification...

Security Scan

The skill's code and runtime instructions are coherent with its stated backup purpose; it only calls the OpenClaw CLI, manages archives in your home directory, and can create an OpenClaw cron job — there are no unexplained network endpoints, credential requirements, or install steps.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description match what the files do: scripts invoke the OpenClaw CLI to create/verify backups, list/verify archives, delete old archives, and add an OpenClaw cron job. There are no unrelated binaries, extra cloud credentials, or surprising external services requested.

Instruction Scope

Instructions and scripts operate on ~/openclaw_backups/ and call 'openclaw' commands. They explicitly back up config, credentials (noted as encrypted by OpenClaw), session history and workspace files — this is appropriate for a backup skill, but it does mean backups will contain sensitive data. Scripts do not attempt to read or transmit other system files or contact unknown endpoints.

Install Mechanism

This is an instruction-only skill (no installer). The code shipped is plain Python scripts run locally; there are no downloads from remote URLs or package installs. Risk from installation is low.

Credentials

The registry metadata declares no required env vars, and no credentials are requested. The scripts do honor an optional OPENCLAW_BACKUP_DIR environment variable (used to override the backup directory) even though it's not listed in the metadata — this is benign but a small mismatch between docs/metadata and code. No other secrets are accessed.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill can add a daily cron job via 'openclaw cron add' to schedule backups — this is expected for a backup skill. The skill is not configured as always:true and does not modify other skills or system-wide agent settings beyond adding an OpenClaw cron entry.

Assessment

This skill appears to do exactly what it says, but review these points before installing: - Confirm you trust the installed OpenClaw CLI binary on the machine: the scripts call only 'openclaw' — if that binary is malicious, any skill using it inherits that risk. - Backups include credentials, session history, and workspace files. Even if OpenClaw encrypts credentials, store the ~/openclaw_backups/ directory securely and consider additional encryption if you will copy archives off-machine. - The skill supports overriding the backup directory via OPENCLAW_BACKUP_DIR (not listed in registry metadata). If you want backups elsewhere, set that env var before running. - Cron creation is expected behavior, but verify the cron entry after setup (openclaw cron list) so you know what was added and can remove it if unwanted. - Run the scripts manually first (use --dry-run and --verify) to inspect outputs before enabling automated scheduling. - Small implementation quirks exist (e.g., cleanup script argument handling is confusing), but they look like bugs rather than malicious behavior. If you want additional assurance, inspect the 'openclaw' CLI on your system, run the scripts in dry-run mode, and verify archives are created and stored where you expect before enabling the cron job.

See CHANGELOG.md for version history.

Automated daily backup skill using OpenClaw's built-in backup create command.

Backup Destination

~/openclaw_backups/ — timestamped .tar.gz archives.

Quick Commands

# Run backup now
python3 scripts/backup.py

# Run backup with verification
python3 scripts/backup.py --verify

# Verify latest backup
python3 scripts/health_check.py

# Cleanup old backups (dry-run, then --execute to delete)
python3 scripts/cleanup_old_backups.py --days 90
python3 scripts/cleanup_old_backups.py --days 90 --execute

# Setup daily cron at 4 AM
python3 scripts/setup_cron.py

First-Time Setup on New Machine

1. Test backup:

   cd skills/openclaw-backup
   python3 scripts/backup.py --verify
   

2. Verify health:

   python3 scripts/health_check.py
   

3. Setup cron (important — do this!):

   python3 scripts/setup_cron.py
   

   This schedules daily 4 AM HKT backup via OpenClaw cron. Without this, backups only run when you manually trigger them.

4. Verify cron:

   openclaw cron list
   

Cron Setup (Already Configured)

The daily cron job runs automatically at 04:00 HKT. Trigger message: backup openclaw Session: isolated

Manage cron:

# List
openclaw cron list

# Remove
openclaw cron remove openclaw-backup:daily

# Re-add
python3 scripts/setup_cron.py

What Gets Backed Up

• Config files (~/.openclaw/*.json)
• Credentials (encrypted by OpenClaw)
• Session history
• Workspace files
• Skills and settings

Retention

Backups are kept indefinitely by default. Run cleanup periodically:

# Preview old backups
python3 scripts/cleanup_old_backups.py --days 90

# Delete if looks good
python3 scripts/cleanup_old_backups.py --days 90 --execute

Suggested schedule: quarterly.

Portable — Copy to New Machine

Copy the entire openclaw-backup/ skill folder to a new machine, then:

cd skills/openclaw-backup
python3 scripts/backup.py --verify    # test
python3 scripts/setup_cron.py          # schedule daily
python3 scripts/health_check.py        # verify

No extra dependencies — uses OpenClaw's built-in backup create.