How do I install the Openclaw Backup skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add modbender/openclaw-backup in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Openclaw Backup safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Openclaw Backup?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Openclaw Backup free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Openclaw Backup?

modbender (@modbender) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Openclaw Backup by modbender — Agent Skill

Name: Openclaw Backup
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: modbender

Openclaw Backup

Backup and restore OpenClaw data. Use when user asks to create backups, set up automatic backup schedules, restore from backup, or manage backup rotation. Handles ~/.openclaw directory archiving with proper exclusions.

modbender Updated Sep 9, 2026 12 repo stars

File contents

OpenClaw Backup

Backup and restore OpenClaw configuration, credentials, and workspace.

Create Backup

Run the backup script:

./scripts/backup.sh [backup_dir]

Default backup location: ~/openclaw-backups/

Output: openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD_HHMM.tar.gz

What Gets Backed Up

openclaw.json — main config
credentials/ — API keys, tokens
agents/ — agent configs, auth profiles
workspace/ — memory, SOUL.md, user files
telegram/ — session data
cron/ — scheduled tasks

Excluded

completions/ — cache, regenerated automatically
*.log — logs

Setup Daily Backup with Cron

Use OpenClaw cron for daily backups with notification:

{
  "name": "daily-backup",
  "schedule": {"kind": "cron", "expr": "0 3 * * *", "tz": "UTC"},
  "payload": {
    "kind": "agentTurn",
    "message": "Run ~/.openclaw/backup.sh and report result to user."
  },
  "sessionTarget": "isolated",
  "delivery": {"mode": "announce"}
}

Restore

See references/restore.md for step-by-step restore instructions.

Quick restore:

openclaw gateway stop
mv ~/.openclaw ~/.openclaw-old
tar -xzf ~/openclaw-backups/openclaw-YYYY-MM-DD_HHMM.tar.gz -C ~
openclaw gateway start

Rotation

Script keeps last 7 backups automatically.

Frequently asked questions