OpenClaw GitHub Backup

Automatically backup OpenClaw configuration to a private GitHub repository. Features API key sanitization, activity detection, and smart backup frequency (hourly when active, daily when inactive). One-click recovery support.

Audits

Suspicious

ClawScanSuspicious

Agentic behavior and permission review.

Static analysisPass

Pattern checks against bundled files.

VirusTotalPass

Multi-engine malware detections and file reputation.

Install

openclaw skills install openclaw-github-backup

OpenClaw Backup

Overview

Automatically backup your complete OpenClaw configuration to a private GitHub repository. Features:

🔐 API Key Sanitization - Automatically replaces sensitive keys before committing
🔄 Smart Backup Frequency - Hourly when active, daily when inactive
📦 Complete Backup - Agents, extensions, workspace, memory, and more
🔧 One-Click Recovery - Comprehensive recovery guide included

When to Use

After initial OpenClaw setup, establish a backup mechanism
Periodic backup status checks
System migration or disaster recovery

Quick Start

1. Prerequisites

Git installed
GitHub SSH Key configured (recommended) or Personal Access Token
GitHub private repository created (e.g., openclaw-backup)

2. Install Skill

Copy this skill to your OpenClaw workspace:

# Ensure skills directory exists
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills

# Copy skill (assuming downloaded to current directory)
cp -r openclaw-backup ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/

3. Run Installation Script

# One-click configuration
bash ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/openclaw-backup/scripts/install.sh

Follow the prompts to enter:

GitHub repository URL (e.g., git@github.com:yourname/openclaw-backup.git)
Git username and email

4. Configure Auto Backup

After installation, a cron job will be created in OpenClaw to check for backup needs every hour.

Usage

Manual Backup

~/.openclaw/backup.sh backup

Auto Backup (Based on Activity)

~/.openclaw/backup.sh auto

Check Activity Status

~/.openclaw/check-activity.sh
# Output: active or inactive

Restore from Backup

~/.openclaw/backup.sh restore

Follow the prompts:

Clone the backup repository
Edit openclaw.json to fill in real API keys
Restart Gateway

Backup Contents

Included	Description
✅ openclaw.json	Main configuration (API keys sanitized)
✅ agents/	All agent session history
✅ extensions/	All plugins
✅ workspace-*/	Agent workspaces
✅ memory/	Agent memory databases
✅ credentials/	Credential configurations
✅ feishu/	Feishu configurations
✅ wecom/	WeChat Work configurations

Excluded	Reason
❌ logs/	Log files, can be regenerated

Smart Backup Strategy

Status	Condition	Backup Frequency
🟢 Active	Activity within last hour	Every 1 hour
🔴 Inactive	No new activity	Every 24 hours

Security Notes

⚠️ Important Security Warnings:

Must use a private repository - Backups contain sensitive configurations
API Keys are sanitized - But other configs may still contain sensitive info
Manual API key entry required on restore - Keys are replaced in backup files

File Structure

~/.openclaw/
├── backup.sh              # Main backup script
├── check-activity.sh      # Activity status checker
├── .gitignore             # Git ignore configuration
└── workspace/
    └── memory/
        └── heartbeat-state.json  # Records backup state

Troubleshooting

Push Failed

# Check SSH connection
ssh -T git@github.com

# Force push (use with caution)
cd ~/.openclaw && git push origin main --force

Configuration Lost After Restore

Ensure:

Edit openclaw.json to fill in real API keys
Restart Gateway: openclaw gateway restart

Customization

Custom Backup Frequency

Edit heartbeat-state.json:

{
  "backup": {
    "activeInterval": 3600000,
    "inactiveInterval": 86400000
  }
}

Add More Exclusions

Edit ~/.openclaw/.gitignore:

# Custom exclusions
secrets/
*.pem

Author

OpenClaw Community

Version

v1.0.0 - Initial release with auto backup and smart frequency