Personality Backup

Encrypted backup of agent identity, memory, and workspace data.

Prerequisites

• p7zip-full (7-zip CLI)
• Python 3 with smtplib (for email delivery)
• A backup password stored in a file

Configuration

Create ~/.openclaw/secrets/backup-config.json:

{
  "password_file": "/home/jan/.openclaw/secrets/backup-password.txt",
  "password_field": "Password",
  "delivery": "email",
  "email": {
    "to": "[email protected]",
    "from": "[email protected]",
    "smtp_host": "mail.example.com",
    "smtp_port": 465,
    "smtp_user": "[email protected]",
    "smtp_pass_env": "BACKUP_SMTP_PASS"
  },
  "local": {
    "dir": "/home/jan/backups"
  },
  "workspace": "/home/jan/.openclaw/workspace",
  "secrets_dir": "/home/jan/.openclaw/secrets",
  "config_file": "/home/jan/.openclaw/openclaw.json",
  "agent_name": "Agent",
  "agent_emoji": "",
  "personality_files": ["SOUL.md", "IDENTITY.md", "USER.md", "AGENTS.md", "MEMORY.md", "TOOLS.md"],
  "backup_memory": true,
  "backup_secrets": true,
  "backup_config": true,
  "backup_projects": true,
  "backup_scripts": true,
  "project_excludes": ["node_modules", ".git", "__pycache__", "*.mp4", "*.mp3", "*.wav"],
  "generate_restore_guide": true
}

All fields have sensible defaults. Only password_file and delivery settings are required.

Password File Format

The password file should contain a line: Password: YOUR_SECRET_KEY

Or set password_field to null and the entire file content is used as the password.

Usage

Run a backup

bash scripts/backup.sh /path/to/backup-config.json

Set up daily cron

echo "0 3 * * * bash $(pwd)/scripts/backup.sh /path/to/backup-config.json" | crontab -

Delivery Methods

• email — Sends encrypted archive as email attachment via SMTP
• local — Saves archive to a local directory

SMTP password: set via the environment variable named in smtp_pass_env, or put it directly in smtp_pass (less secure).

Restore

The backup includes a generated RESTORE.md with step-by-step instructions for restoring onto a fresh OpenClaw installation. The restore guide is customized with the agent's name and configuration.